The Arkansas Integrative Metabolic Research Center (AIMRC) will host Dr. Yizhi Sun, an assistant professor of biochemistry at the University of Arkansas, at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29, in BELL 2267. Dr. Sun's research investigates the biochemical synergies between metabolites and proteins that regulate cellular energy metabolism, with a focus on adipocytes and cancer cells. In his talk, he will share key discoveries from his research that provide new insights into the interplay between mitochondrial transporters and metabolite signaling.

Abstract: Metabolic biochemistry encompasses enzymatic activities, transporter functions and metabolite signaling pathways. Sun's research investigates the metabolic biochemistry that governs adipose thermogenesis, which exerts anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects. In this talk, he will present key discoveries, including a novel phosphocreatine hydrolytic activity essential for adipose thermogenesis and a mitochondrial transporter that connects cellular metabolism to mitochondrial dynamics and epigenetic regulation. These findings provide new insights into the interplay between mitochondrial transporters and metabolite signaling, laying the foundation for his future research program.

Biography: Yizhi Sun, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the U of A. Previously, he was a postdoctoral fellow and instructor in cell biology at Harvard Medical School. Sun investigates the biochemical synergies between metabolites and proteins that regulate cellular energy metabolism, with a focus on adipocytes and cancer cells. He aims to understand how these interactions are disrupted in obesity, diabetes and cancers, and whether they can be therapeutically targeted. By combining biochemical, cell biological and biophysical approaches, including mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy, Sun has identified novel regulators of adipose thermogenesis and mitochondrial function. Sun earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Montana and is a recipient of an American Heart Association (AHA) Postdoctoral Fellowship and an NIH K01 Career Development Award.

This event is supported by NIGMS of the National Institutes of Health under award number P20GM139768. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Please contact Kimberley Fuller, fullerk@uark.edu, for more information.

For those unable to attend in person, this seminar will also be available via Zoom.