PennPORT

• Current Fellows
• Sully Fernandez, PhD

Sully Fernandez, PhD

Department of Cancer Biology,
University of Pennsylvania

Education

• Research mentor: Kathryn Wellen, PhD; University of Pennsylvania

Research Topic:  Role of Acetyl-CoA in adipose tissue biology and cancer

My research interests focus primarily on the role of Acetyl-CoA in adipose tissue biology and cancer. The current obesity epidemic is huge world-wide problem. The current western diet is thought to be a major cause of obesity so understanding how its components affect overall molecular metabolism is an essential part in the battle against obesity. Adipose tissue is a endocrine organ that plays an essential role in energy homeostasis and is one of the metabolic tissues most influenced and changed with fluctuations in energy consumption. Acetyl- CoA is an important intermediate metabolite which may be central to the cells ability to sense the overall nutrient state. Acetyl- CoA influences many key cellular processes in the cell including energy metabolism, lipid metabolism, and plays a central role in epigenetic modifications, which is of great interest to the Wellen lab. Additionally, because of the large influence acetyl- CoA’s plays on normal cellular processes, understanding how it’s concentrations can be manipulated to effect energy production could prove essential for both cancer treatment and obesity.

Publications

Journal Publications

• Lu M, Wan M, Leavens KF, Chu Q, Monks BR, Fernandez S, Ahima RS, Ueki K, Kahn CR, Birnbaum MJ. 2012.Insulin regulates liver metabolism in vivo in the absence of hepatic Akt and Foxo1. Nature Medicine. Vol.18(3):388-U254.

• Krieg, Adam J., Rankin, Erinn B., Chan, Denise, Razorenova1, Olga, Fernandez, Sully, Giaccia, Amato J. 2010. Regulation of the Histone Demethylase JMJD1A by HIF-1α Enhances Hypoxic Gene Expression and Tumor Growth. Mol Cell Bio. Vol. 30, No. 1, 344-353.

• Cehver, Murat, Zhang, Xiaokan, Fernandez, Sully, Kim, Sergey, Baquero, Jorge, Nilsson, Per, Lee, Sean, Virtanen, Anders, Kleiman, Frida. 2010. Nuclear deadenylation/polyadenylation factors regulate 3’ processing in response to DNA damage. EMBO , 1674 – 1687.

Contact Info:

Sully Fernandez, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Cancer Biology
Perelman School of Medicine
Department of Cancer Biology
University of Pennsylvania
421 Curie Boulevard
639 Biomedical Research Building II/III
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6160

E-mail: fsu@pennmedicine.upenn.edu