Skip to Main Content
DownloadHi-Res Photo

Hongying Shen, PhD

Assistant Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology

Contact Information

Hongying Shen, PhD

Mailing Address

  • Integrated Science and Technology Center (ISTC) Lab 113, Office 120

    850 West Campus Drive

    West Haven, CT 06516

    United States

Shen lab

Research Summary

Metabolic pathways are vital for life. Lesions in these pathways are the direct cause of rare diseases known as inborn errors of metabolism, and the rewiring of metabolism is implicated in common diseases, including cancers, diabetes, immune disorders and neurological disorders. In the past, extensive biochemical and genetic studies have reconstructed pathways in the primary energy metabolism. They span major carbohydrate, amino acid, nucleotide and lipid metabolism. However, hundreds of metabolic enzymes and transporters remain orphans, yet might be implicated in human health and disease states. In addition, as the metabolic reactions are compartmentalized within a cell, we have limited understanding of how even some of the most essential metabolites are transported within a cell across the different membrane-bound organelles.

The Shen laboratory will take an integrated approach including biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, genomics and metabolomics to address key questions in cellular metabolism. The two main research directions of the laboratory lie at the interface between metabolic biochemistry and cell biology, including

  • orphan metabolic enzymes and transporters
  • cell biology of micronutrients and cofactors

We will guide these projects in the laboratory by their broader implications in physiology and human diseases.

Coauthors

Research Interests

Cell Biology; Metabolism

Selected Publications

  • VPS13D bridges the ER to mitochondria and peroxisomes via Miro.Guillén-Samander A, Leonzino M, Hanna MG, Tang N, Shen H, De Camilli P. VPS13D bridges the ER to mitochondria and peroxisomes via Miro. The Journal Of Cell Biology 2021, 220 PMID: 33891013, PMCID: PMC8077184, DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202010004.
  • An IRON-clad Connection between Aging Organelles.Shen H. An IRON-clad Connection between Aging Organelles. Cell 2020, 180: 214-216. PMID: 31978339, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.12.037.
  • Epstein-Barr-Virus-Induced One-Carbon Metabolism Drives B Cell Transformation.Wang LW, Shen H, Nobre L, Ersing I, Paulo JA, Trudeau S, Wang Z, Smith NA, Ma Y, Reinstadler B, Nomburg J, Sommermann T, Cahir-McFarland E, Gygi SP, Mootha VK, Weekes MP, Gewurz BE. Epstein-Barr-Virus-Induced One-Carbon Metabolism Drives B Cell Transformation. Cell Metabolism 2019, 30: 539-555.e11. PMID: 31257153, PMCID: PMC6720460, DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2019.06.003.
  • Itaconyl-CoA forms a stable biradical in methylmalonyl-CoA mutase and derails its activity and repair.Ruetz M, Campanello GC, Purchal M, Shen H, McDevitt L, Gouda H, Wakabayashi S, Zhu J, Rubin EJ, Warncke K, Mootha VK, Koutmos M, Banerjee R. Itaconyl-CoA forms a stable biradical in methylmalonyl-CoA mutase and derails its activity and repair. Science (New York, N.Y.) 2019, 366: 589-593. PMID: 31672889, PMCID: PMC7070230, DOI: 10.1126/science.aay0934.
  • The Human Knockout Gene CLYBL Connects Itaconate to Vitamin B12.Shen H, Campanello GC, Flicker D, Grabarek Z, Hu J, Luo C, Banerjee R, Mootha VK. The Human Knockout Gene CLYBL Connects Itaconate to Vitamin B12. Cell 2017, 171: 771-782.e11. PMID: 29056341, PMCID: PMC5827971, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.09.051.
Edit Profile