Associate Professor
hamel.16@osu.edu
614-292-3817
Research Interests
Our laboratory is interested in the topic of membrane biogenesis, in particular membrane systems in chloroplasts and mitochondria that are specialized in the transduction of energy. We use the plant Arabidopsis thaliana and the freshwater alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as experimental systems. One area of research aims to dissect the assembly of mitochondrial Complex 1, an enzyme involved in electron transfer. The goal is to discover novel assembly factors for this multimeric enzyme whose dysfunction is the most prevalent cause of mitochondrial diseases in humans. The long term objective is to elucidate the molecular basis of Complex 1 deficiencies in humans, most of which still remain unexplained to this day.
A second research focus is concerned with disulfide bond formation and reduction in the thylakoid lumen, a compartment critical for photosynthesis. Long considered to be an empty compartment, the thylakoid lumen has now gained considerable attention with the realization that numerous molecules reside there in addition to the previously known photosynthetic proteins. Our goal are to define the molecular identity of the redox enzymes promoting disulfide bond formation/reduction in the lumen and discover their relevant targets of action in vivo.
Education and Training
PhD - University of Paris-Sud
Post-Doctoral - UCLA
Location
Office: 582 Aronoff
Lab Phone: 614-292-6345