University of Pennsylvania / School of Medicine / Beers Lab

Surafel Mulugeta, Ph.D.

          Research Assistant Professor of Medicine

          University of Pennsylvania Medical Center
          Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Division
          Vernon and Shirley Hill Pavilion
          Room H418
          380 S. University Ave.
          Philadelphia, PA  19104-4539

          Phone: (215) 746-6709

          Fax: ( 215) 573-4469

          Email: mulugeta@mail.med.upenn.edu

Surafel Mulugeta, Ph.D., is a Research Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Division (PACCD) of the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Mulugeta received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences in 1997 from Old Dominion University/Eastern Virginia Medical School.  He completed his post-doctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania with Dr. Aron B. Fisher and Dr. Henry Shuman at the Institute for Environmental Medicine, and with Dr. Michael F. Beers at the PACCD. Following two years as a research associate in Dr. Beers’ laboratory, he joined the PCCD faculty in 2006.

Dr. Mulugeta’s early work includes studies of protein trafficking in the nervous system as well as the identification and characterization of an alveolar type II cell localized ABC transporter protein, ABCA3.

His recent work primarily focuses on the study of posttranslational processing of surfactant protein C (SP-C) as well as molecular, cellular, and functional analyses of mutant SP-C forms that are associated with interstitial lung disease (ILD).  He is also involved in the study of ILDs associated with ABCA3 gene mutations.

Dr. Mulugeta’s recent work was funded by the American Lung Association, Dalsemer Research Award (2003-2005).  He is currently funded by the Parker B. Francis Foundation Research Award (2004-2007) and by NIH Investigator Research Supplement (IRS) Award (2005-2007).

Credentials

Doctoral training – Ph.D. – Biomedical Science/Neuroscience, Eastern Virginia Medical School/Old Dominion University, Norfolk VA, 1997

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Pulmonary Biology, Institute for Environmental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, 1998-2000

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Pulmonary Biology, Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, 2000-2003

Recent Publications

Mulugeta, S., J. M. Gray, K. L. Notarfrancesco, L. W. Gonzales, M. Koval, S. I. Feinstein, P. L. Ballard, A. B. Fisher, and H. Shuman.  Identification of lbm180 a Lamellar Body Limiting Membrane Protein of Alveolar Type II Cells as the ABC Transporter Protein, ABCA3. J. Biol. Chem. 277:22147-22155, 2002.

Wang, W.,  S. J. Russo, S. Mulugeta, and M. F. Beers. Biosynthesis of Surfactant Protein C: Sorting of SP-C Proprotein Involves Homomeric Association Via a Signal Anchor Domain. J. Biol. Chem. 277:19929-19937, 2002.

Wang, W., S.Mulugeta,  S. J. Russo, and M. F. Beers.  Deletion of Exon 4 From Human Surfactant Protein C Results in Aggresome Formation and Generation of a Dominant Negative. J. Cell Science 116:683-692, 2003.

Mulugeta, S., and M. F. Beers. Processing of Surfactant Protein C Requires a Type II Transmembrane Topolgy Directed by Juxtamembrane Positively Charged Residues. J. Biol. Chem. 278:47979-47986, 2003.

Brasch, F., M. Griese, M. Tredano, G. Johnen, M. Ochs, T. Nicolai, C. Rieger, S. Hagwood, S. Mulugeta, K.M. Muller, M. Bahuau, and M. F. Beers.  Interstitial Pneumonia and Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis in a Full-Term Baby with a De Novo Mutation in the Surfactant Protein C Gene.  Eur. Resp. J.  24:1-11, 2004.

Beers M. F., and S. Mulugeta. Surfactant Protein Processing and its Emerging Role in Conformational Lung Disease. (Review) Annu. Rev. Physio., 67:663-696, 2005.

Stevens, P.A., A. Pettenazzo, F. Brasch, S. Mulugeta, A. Bartussio; M. Ochs, L. Morrison, S. J., Russo, and M. F. Beers.  Non-Specific Interstitial Pneumonitis, Lipoptoteinosis, and Abnormal Proprotein Trafficking Resulting From a Spontaneous Mutation in the Surfactant Protein C Gene. Pediatrics Research. 57:89-98, 2005.

Mulugeta, S., V. Nguyen, S. J. Russo, M. Muniswamy, and M. F. Beers. A ProSP-C BRICHOS Domain Mutation Causes ER Stress, Proteasome Dysfunction, and Caspase 3 Activation. 2005 Am. J. Resp. Cell Mol. Biol. 32:521-530, 2005.

Beers, M. F., and S. Mulugeta.  Surfactant: Surfactant proteins B and C  (SP-B and SP-C) in Encyclopedia of Respiratory Medicine. Editors: G. Laurent and S. Shapiro. Elsevier – St. Louis.  148-151, 2006

Research Interests

• Post-translational processing of surfactant protein C
• Gene mutations associated with lung diseases