Teresita Padilla-Benavides

Wesleyan University - US

My lab is investigating the biological roles of transition metals, such as Cu, Zn, Co, and Mn, in the development of mammalian cells. Metals play many critical roles in biology as cofactors for a variety of enzymes that are necessary for energy production, tissue maturation, signal transduction and oxidative stress resistance. Metal homeostasis requires chelation by high-affinity binding molecules, transport and sensing by transcriptional regulators to maintain low levels of free metals, as free metals participate in different toxic reactions. How organisms acquire these micronutrients and distribute them to specific cellular compartments or target proteins are subjects of intense scientific interest.

Moreover, little is known about how metals and the proteins that handle and distribute them participate in processes that regulate normal growth and development. Eukaryotic genomes encode a wide variety of metal transporters and metalloproteins. Although their biochemical and metal binding properties are relatively well understood, little is known about the fine-tuned regulation of their expression, specificity for metal transport, and the redundancy of functions in the context of cell differentiation and development.