Publications

Secreted proteins mediate intercellular and inter-organ communication and are essential for coordinating physiological processes across tissues. Advances in proteomics and proximity labeling have greatly expanded the catalog of circulating secreted...

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-enclosed particles released by cells carrying proteins, lipids, metabolites and nucleic acids that can alter the behavior of recipient cells. In mammalian systems, EVs have been studied extensively as important...

Much focus has shifted towards understanding how glial dysfunction contributes to age-related neurodegeneration due to the critical roles glial cells play in maintaining brain health. Cell-cell interactions, which are largely mediated by cell-surface...

Astrocytes contribute to the pathology of multiple neurological disorders, including the T cell-driven autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) multiple sclerosis and its mouse model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. However...

Mapping orthologous proteins is a critical step for cross-species literature mining, data integration, experimental design, and more, making the ability to quickly predict orthologs across species a key tool for functional genomic studies. The DRSC...

Tumors reprogram lipid metabolism in distant tissues to support their growth. In adult Drosophila, gut tumors secrete the PDGF/VEGF-like factor Pvf1, which activates the TORC1-Hnf4 pathway in hepatocyte-like oenocytes. This drives production of very long...

Cancer cachexia, characterized by weight loss, muscle wasting, and anorexia, complicates cancer treatment and adversely affects patient outcomes. Both tumor-derived and host inflammatory factors are implicated in aspects of cachexia. The search for...

Circulating hormones, that mediate communications across organs to maintain physiological balance, are commonly detected and quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). However, while ELISA is well suited for organisms where sample blood...

Coenzyme A (CoA), derived from Vitamin B5 (VB5; also called pantothenate), is essential for lipid metabolism, energy production, and cell proliferation. While the intracellular functions of CoA are well-characterized, much less is known about its tissue...

Secreted proteins regulate many aspects of animal biology and are attractive targets for biomarkers and therapeutics. However, comprehensively identifying the "secretome", along with their tissues of origin, remains extremely challenging. To address this...

Streptomyces and insects engage in complex interactions shaped by millions of years of evolution. While many beneficial relationships are well recognized, it remains unknown whether Streptomyces produce virulence factors targeting insects specifically...

Cancer cachexia (CC) is characterized by organ wasting and ensuing involuntary weight loss. Despite advances, underlying mechanisms initiating CC remain unclear, including early symptoms like anorexia. Here, we use a fly gut-tumor model with a precise...