Faculty

I have a broad background in molecular genetics and cell biology, with specific expertise in gene expression, transcriptional regulation, and cell differentiation particularly related to chronic diseases, including interstitial pulmonary, metabolic and more recently cardiovascular disease. I also have extensive experience in developing, integrating, and researching innovative high impact pedagogies for success and retention in STEM at the undergraduate level. In 2011, after leading an international service-learning program in rural Kenya for pre-medical students for many years, and the consistent observation of a high prevalence of hypertension in the community where we worked, I shifted my research focus toward understanding the genetic epidemiology and underlying molecular mechanisms of hypertension in Kenya. We are currently testing the hypothesis that hypertension is prevalent in Kasigau, Kenya as a result of polymorphic and/or epigenetic modifications of the renin-angiotensin gene system, the key hormonal pathway that regulates blood volume and pressure, as a result of chronic household air pollution exposure. To test this hypothesis, we are currently conducting a community-based participatory study that to assess six villages in Kasigau, Kenya with regard to the prevalence and current management of hypertension as well as the frequency of common environmental risk behaviors associated with it. Polymorphic variation in the ACE, AGT, AT1, and HSD11B2, genes known to be correlated with salt-sensitive hypertension, are also being examined from genomic DNA isolated from hypertensive participants. Lastly, methylation patterns are being analyzed from hypertensive versus normotensive participants I order to correlate epigenetic changes with HAP exposure. These studies are aimed at providing key epidemiological and genetic information regarding mechanisms that will be directly translatable into prevention, treatment, and control of hypertension. Long-term, we hope to use our results to impact the development and implementation of cost-effective therapeutic interventions and that will have broad application for lowering the CNCD burden in Kenya and other developing countries.

The main goal of my research is to identify T cell defects in autoimmune diseases that may contribute to the identification of new targets for more effective therapies. 
Our points of research are:

• To investigate the molecular and cellular mechanism in lymphocytes that cause changes in gene expression that lead to autoimmunity. 
• To study the role that glycosylation has in lupus, as we found increased expression of the glycosylating enzyme in T cells of lupus patients
• To investigate possible relationship between impaired T cell activity in autoimmunity and cancer since the glycosylating enzyme is also impaired in cancer cells
• To analyze how the environment changes the gene expression and contribute to the onset of autoimmune diseases, in particular lupus.

The studies are carried on with lymphocytes from normal donors to compare with the response of lymphocytes from people with the disease.

I study the aging process using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a whole-animal model system.  My current project examines autofluorescence in freshly extracted organs.  The goal is to quantify damaged material that is thought to accumulate during aging, verifying that it is not an artifact of tissue preservation.  Past projects have explored the effects on life span of various dietary supplements and genetic modifications intended to boost antioxidative defenses, with mostly negative results.

Mitochondria and the "other genome". Mitochondrial DNA: maintenance, damage, repair and degradation.

1. Mitochondrial DNA: A disposable genome? Shokolenko IN, Alexeyev MF. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2015 Sep;1852(9):1805-9. Review.

Though mitochondria are known for their "powerhouse" capability to produce ATP, they are also major signaling organelles. Mitochondria are capable of generating oxidant signals in the form of reactive oxygen species, or ROS. These ROS have been implicated in various processes such as aging, programmed cell death, and gene expression. My research has focused on the role of mitochondrial ROS in hypoxic regulation of nuclear gene expression, particularly in the blood vessels of the lungs.

Other interests involve research and implementation of active learning strategies in the classroom. Recent studies suggest that strategies promoting active participation of students in course content and delivery have a positive impact on their success. There is much debate about which strategies are most effective and the degree of success of such strategies. However, current studies are investigating those concerns.

• Link between chemoresistance and metastasis in cancer.
• Functional relevance of glycosylation on drug resistance proteins in cancer.
• Phytochemicals (natural products) as cancer therapeutic agents.
• Metabolism and cancer.