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Welcome

to the

Ward Lab

At the Intersection of Mitochondrial Redox Metabolism and Tumor Biology

The Ward Lab focuses on characterizing the influence of systemic metabolism and the tumor microenvironment on mitochondrial redox biology in primary and metastatic lung tumors. We achieve this through the implementation of mass-spec based -omics platforms, redox biosensors, and super-resolution microscopy.

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Research

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Publications

Ward NP, Yoon SJ, Flynn T, Sherwood A, Madej J, DeNicola GM. Mitochondrial function is preserved under cysteine starvation via glutathione catabolism in NSCLC. BioRxiv. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.10.06.511221 *Co-Corresponding Author

Dutta T, Kapoor N, Mathew M, Chakraborty S, Ward NP, Prieto-Farigua N, Falzone A, DeNicola GM, Gardell SJ (2023). Source of nicotinamide governs its metabolic fate in cultured cells, mice, and humans. Cell Rep. 42(3):112218. doi: 10.106/j.celrep.2023.112218.

Ilter D, Drapela S, Schild T, Ward NP, Adhikari E, Low V, Asara J, Oskarsson T, Lau EK, DeNicola GM, McReynolds MR, Gomes AP (2023). NADK-mediated de novo NADP(H) synthesis is a metabolic adaptation essential for breast cancer metastasis. Redox Biol. 61:102627. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2023.102627.

Van Oss SB, Parikh SB, Coelho NC, Wacholder A, Belashov I, Zdancewicz S, Michaca M, Xu J, Kang YP, Ward NP, Yoon SJ, McCourt KM, McKee J, Ideker T, VanDemark AP, DeNicola GM, Carvunis AR (2022). On the illusion of auxotrophy: met15D yeast cells can grow on inorganic sulfur thanks to the previously uncharacterized homocysteine synthase YII058w. J Biol Chem. 298(12):102697. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102697.

Ravichandran M, Hu J, Cai C, Ward NP, Venida A, Foakes C, Kuljanin M, Yang A, Yang Y, Desousa B, Staes A, Cakir Z, Jain I, Aguirre AJ, Mancias JD, Shen Y, DeNicola GM, Perera RM (2022). Coordinated transcriptional and catabolic programs support iron dependent adaptation to RAS-MAPK pathway inhibition in pancreatic cancer. Cancer Discov. 12(9):2198-2219. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-22- 0044.

Jiang C, Ward NP, Prieto-Farigura N, Kang YP, Thalakola A, Teng M, DeNicola GM (2022). A CRISPR screen identifies redox vulnerabilities for KEAP1/NRF2 mutant non-small cell lung cancer. Redox Biol. 54:102358. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102358

Ward NP, Kang YP, Falzone A, Boyle TA, DeNicola GM (2020). Nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase regulates mitochondrial metabolism in NSCLC through maintenance of Fe-S protein function. J Exp Med. 217(6):e20191689. *Co-Corresponding Author
doi: 10.1084/jem.20191689

Koutnik AP, Poff AM, Ward NP, DeBlasi JM, Soliven MA, Romero PA, Fox CD, Roberts MD, D’Agostino DP (2020). Ketone bodies attenuate wasting in models of atrophy. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 11(4):973-996. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.12554

Ward NP, DeNicola GM (2019). Sulfur metabolism and its contribution to malignancy. Int Rev Cell Mol Biol. 347:39-103.

Kang YP, Ward NP, DeNicola GM (2018). Recent advances in cancer metabolism: a technological perspective. Exp Mol Med, 50(4):31. *Equal Contribution

Ward NP, Poff AM, Koutnik AP, D’Agostino DP (2017). Complex I inhibition augments dichloroacetate cytotoxicity through enhancing oxidative stress in VM-M3 glioblastoma cells. PLOS One, 12(6):e0180061. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180061

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Substrate Regulation of Fe-S Cluster Synthesis

Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster synthesis requires a multiprotein complex that coordinates iron and cysteine-derived sulfur in a reductive manner that requires NADPH. We study how the availability of these inputs modulate this pathway.

Join Us!

Thank you for your interest in our research. We are currently recruiting enthusiastic scientists for undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral research positions.

Postdoctoral Positions - Candidates interested in a postdoctoral position in the Ward lab should send a single PDF file that includes (1) a cover letter summarizing their research training and accomplishments, scientific interests and career goals, (2) a current CV, and (3) contact information for three references to Dr. Nate Ward at nathan.ward@moffitt.org
Graduate Students - Current students enrolled in the Moffitt PhD program should contact us directly at nathan.ward@moffitt.org.

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