Research in the Functional Cellular Networks Section focuses on understanding the changes that occur in the cell proteome in response to exogenous factors such as pathogen-derived molecules, cytokines, and chemokines, which alter the differentiation state of cells in the immune system or whose production characterizes specific disease states. We are especially interested in large-scale absolute quantitative measurements of immune cell signaling cascade components and in the characterization of post-translational modification (PTM) dynamics on a global scale. We use the resulting large datasets to create predictive models of molecular interactions using the Simmune software generated by the Computational Biology Section. The predictions of these models will in turn be employed to elucidate biological responses to stimuli at multiple scales of biological organization, including the cell, tissue, and, eventually, whole organism.
We employ mass-spectrometry-based technology together with other proteomic and biochemical methods using state-of-the art equipment and technologies available in our laboratory and at NIH.
Functional Cellular Networks Section, May 2022. First row, from left: Jiraphorn Issara-Amphorn, Deepali Rathore, Aleksandra Nita-Lazar, Trisha Tucholski. Second row, from left: SungHwan Yoon, Nathan Manes, Matthew Marino, Joseph Gillen.
Aleksandra Nita-Lazar, Ph. D. (She/Her/Hers)
Chief, Functional Cellular Networks Section
Senior Investigator
Education: Ph.D., 2003, University of Basel
Dr. Nita-Lazar received her Ph.D. in biochemistry in 2003 from the University of Basel for studies performed at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, where she analyzed protein glycosylation using mass spectrometry methods.
Joseph G. Gillen, Ph.D. (He/Him/His)
Research Fellow
Education:
Ph.D., 2015, Florida State University
B.S., 2004, York College of Pennsylvania
Dr. Gillen’s research is examining the interactomes of critical proteins involved in the innate immune response pathways using proteomic assays including LC-MS/MS analysis, phosphoproteomics, immunoprecipitation, and ubiquitination analysis. Dr. Gillen’s research interests include viral-host protein-protein interactions and the innate immune response.
Jiraphorn Issara-Amphorn, Ph.D. (She/Her/Hers)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Languages Spoken: Thai
My research focuses on understanding molecular mechanism of macrophages in response to the pathogen derived molecules such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). I’m also interested in the function of MARCKS and phospho-MARCKS in the regulation of inflammatory response in macrophages.
Nathan Paul Manes, Ph.D. (He/Him/His)
Staff Scientist
My research focus is quantitative proteomics using mass spectrometry. I use comparative proteomic profiling to discover host biological pathways affected by infection, and I use targeted proteomics to measure the absolute abundance of proteins to support biological pathway modeling and simulation.
Matthew James Marino, B.S. (He/Him/His)
Education:
B.S., Biomolecular Sciences
Exploring the differential gene expression downstream of Toll like Receptor-4 upon LPS stimulation using mass-spectrometry based proteomics. My focus is on deciphering the RNA binding proteins to see how the binding partners affect the interactome and hence modulate the innate immune signaling cascade.
Deepali Rathore, Ph.D. (She/Her/Hers)
Visiting Fellow
Education:
Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Languages Spoken: Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu
Sung Hwan Yoon, Ph.D. (He/Him/His)
Senior Associate Scientist
Education:
Ph.D., University of Arizona
B.S., Seoul National University
Languages Spoken: Korean
Majored in analytical chemistry and my specialties are mass spectrometry, instrumentation, and proteomics.
Former Research Group Members
Virginie Sjoelund, Ph. D. Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow. Currently Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology and Core Director, Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
Eunkyung An, Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow. Currently Program Manager in the Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research (OCCPR) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH.
Marijke Koppenol-Raab, Postdoctoral IRTA Fellow. Currently Pharmaceutical Scientist, FDA.
Jessica Calzola, Postdoctoral IRTA Fellow. Currently iCURE Program Director, Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, NCI, NIH.
Casey Daniels, Postdoctoral IRTA Fellow. Currently Senior Scientist at AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA.
Mohd M. Khan, Graduate Student (Graduate Partnership Program with the University of Maryland). Currently Manager (Cell & Gene Therapies Commercialization) at Deloitte Consulting US.
Thunnicha Ondee, Graduate Student (Graduate Partnership Program with Chulalongkorn University, Thailand). Currently Postdoctoral Fellow at Chulalongkorn University.
Sebastian Montalvo, Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow. Currently Business Strategy Senior Consultant Business Strategy Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting US.
Pauline Kaplan, Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow. Currently Medical Student, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, and Second Lieutenant, US Army.
Noah Kelner, Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow. Currently Graduate Student at the University of Rochester.
Caleb Bridgwater, Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow. Currently Graduate Student at Georgetown University.
Matthew Scandura, Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow. Currently Research Technician at Northern Arizona University.
Arthur Nuccio, Research Technician. Currently Scientist at Novartis.