Xiaosheng Yang

Research/Areas of Interest

Both mitochondria and peroxisomes are involved in fatty acid metabolism. Very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) can only be metabolized by peroxisomes where they are broken down into shorter-length fatty acids. Those fatty acids are then shuttled into mitochondria for further metabolism. It is hypothesized that the shuttling is through mitochondria-peroxisomes contact. My thesis project is to investigate membrane contact between peroxisomes and mitochondria. By performing proteomics analysis, I aim to identify proteins at contact sites that may have roles in facilitating fatty acids transfer from peroxisomes to mitochondria.