Biology

Alfred Merrill, Jr., Professor and Smithgall Chair in Molecular Cell Biology

Ph.D., Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, Cornell University, 1979

Phone: (404) 385-2842
Fax: (404)385-2917
Office: (IBB) 3309/3402

Research Interests

Cell regulation by sphingolipid mediators; lipidomics (metabolomics); roles of cell signaling in pathogenesis, cancer prevention and treatment; biomolecular mass spectrometry; biodiversity

Current Research

The ability of cells to receive, interpret, and act upon extracellular signals is critical for the proper growth and function of essentially all organisms. This is conducted largely via protein receptors that recognize the initial signals, which are transmitted to intracellular targets via protein-protein interactions, low-molecular weight mediators, and lipids that function both as sites for organization of the signal transduction pathways and as "second messengers". My laboratory studies a category of lipids (termed sphingolipids) that are important in cell structure, cell-cell communication and signal transduction. The major focus of his research is the lipid backbones of sphingolipids (ceramide, sphingosine, sphigosine 1-phosphate and others) that regulate diverse cell behaviors, including growth and programmed cell death (apoptosis). In addition to characterizing the ways that sphingolipids are made, act, and are turned over, our laboratory explores how disease results from disruption of these pathways by (for examples) food borne mycotoxins, environmental contaminants, venoms, and other agents. Studies of naturally occurring and synthetic analogs of these compounds are leading to new strategies for disease prevention and treatment, particularly for certain forms of cancer.

Selected Publications

(Complete list of publications)

Brimble SN, Sherrer ES, Uhl EW, Wang E, Kelly S, Merrill AH Jr, Robins AJ, Schulz TC. (2007) The cell surface glycosphingolipids SSEA-3 and SSEA-4 are not essential for human ESC pluripotency. Stem Cells. 25(1):54-62.

Fox TE, Han X, Kelly S, Merrill AH 2nd, Martin RE, Anderson RE, Gardner TW, Kester M., (2006) Diabetes alters sphingolipid metabolism in the retina: a potential mechanism of cell death in diabetic retinopathy.Diabetes. 55(12):3573-80.

Linn SC, Andras LM, Kim HS, Wei J, Nagiec MM, Dickson RC, Merrill AH Jr. (2006) Functional characterization of the promoter for the mouse SPTLC2 gene, which encodes subunit 2 of serine palmitoyltransferase. FEBS Lett. 580(26):6217-23.

Zheng W, Kollmeyer J, Symolon H, Momin A, Munter E, Wang E, Kelly S, Allegood JC, Liu Y, Peng Q, Ramaraju H, Sullards MC, Cabot M, Merrill AH Jr. (2006) Ceramides and other bioactive sphingolipid backbones in health and disease: lipidomic analysis, metabolism and roles in membrane structure, dynamics, signaling and autophagy. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1758(12):1864-84.