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Academic Degrees
Ph.D. Zoology,
Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg,
Russia (1997)
B.S. Biology,
St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia (1991)
Professional Experience
| Since 2008 |
Associate
Professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte,
NC |
| 2002-2008 |
Assistant
Professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte,
NC |
| 2001-2002 |
Post-doctoral
Fellow, University of Guelph, Guelph ON, Canada |
| 1999-2001 |
Alexander
von Humboldt Post-doctoral Fellow, Alfred-Wegener Institute for Polar
and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
|
| 1997-2001 |
Research
Fellow, White Sea Biological Station, Zoological Institute of Russian
Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia |
Courses
Taught
BIOL 2111 Cell
Biology Lab
BIOL 3144 Ecology
BIOL 3144L Ecology Laboratory
BIOL 4600 Senior Seminar
BIOL 4000/5000 Ecotoxicology
BIOL 6000/8000 Ecotoxicology
BIOL
6000/8000 Environmental Toxicology and Health
Web designer for BIOL3144L Ecology Lab (click
here
for the webpage for instructors)
Feodor Lynen Fellowship
Ecological
Physiology and Adaptation in Marine Poikilotherms
The
overarching theme
of my research is a study of physiological mechanisms of
environmental adaptation and stress tolerance in marine
poikilotherms. In today’s
world, geological forces have combined with past and present human
activities to cause an extremely rapid environmental change, one that is
often too strong and too fast to permit the long process of evolutionary
adaptation that can require many generations to complete. The population
survival and distribution of many species in this rapidly changing
environment will depend on their abilities to cope with stress and to
quickly adjust their physiology to environmental change.
We use experimental and comparative approaches in
order to understand how environmental stressors such as temperature and
heavy metal pollution may limit survival and distribution of marine
invertebrates. Understanding of the physiological mechanisms and
limitations of stress tolerance is crucial for the understanding of the
fate of populations of poikilotherms, which comprise >95% of marine animal
biodiversity, in the face of the global environmental change.
Models
We use
marine mollusks (oysters and snails) as models for our research. They
are common organisms in marine coastal ecosystems, and their physiology and
genetics is fairly well known to make them useful model objects; in fact,
they are quickly becoming aquatic counterparts of the fruit fly.
Current research
projects
Effects of
heavy metals and temperature on bioenergetics of marine poikilotherms.
This project is focused on understanding of the effects of environmental
temperature (such as expected in case of the global climate change) and
heavy metals on bioenergetics of marine poikilotherms. We use
oysters as model species to investigate the effects of these environmental
stressors on mitochondria, which are main powerhouses of the cell and
provide ATP to fuel all energy-dependent cellular processes. We study how
temperature and heavy metals affect ATP production, proton leak and
efficiency of oyster mitochondria, which consequences the mitochondrial
changes have for the whole-organism physiology and metabolism, and which
physiological and cellular mechanisms allow oysters to keep their energy
balance positive (i.e. to match their energy demand with energy supply),
which is required for survival and ultimately adaptation under conditions
of the environmental stress.
Molecular mechanisms of proton leak
Proton leak is a key factor determining
efficiency of mitochondria and affecting basal metabolic rate of the
organism (i.e. the energy cost an organism has to pay just for staying
alive). "Leaky" mitochondria mean higher basal metabolic rate and more
energy needed for the organism's maintenance. Many environmental stressors
(including temperature and heavy metals) can increase proton leak in
mitochondria. However, the mechanisms of proton leak are not well
understood. We use molecular techniques to analyze gene expression of
uncoupling proteins and adenine nucleotide transporter, which are thought
to be responsible for mitochondrial proton leak, in oysters exposed to
elevated temperatures and heavy metals, in order to gain a better
understanding of the proton leak mechanisms and regulation.
Evolution of mitochondrial
involvement in apoptosis
If you are still not fully convinced that
mitochondria are fascinating organelles, here is the final proof: not only
they provide us all with energy, they also play a key role in a host of
other cellular processes including intracellular signaling and programmed
cell death, also called apoptosis or cell suicide. Apoptosis is a
fundamental process in multicellular organisms, which is required to
sculpt organs and tissues, adjust cell
numbers, and eliminate potentially dangerous or superfluous cells. In
collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. F.M. Hughes we study molecular
mechanisms of programmed cell death in marine invertebrates, the role of
mitochondria in heavy metal-induced apoptosis and links between
mitochondrial bioenergetics and cell suicide. Our study aims to provide
novel insights into the role of mitochondria in regulation of the cell
suicide in invertebrates and elucidate the link between heavy-metal
induced apoptosis and immunodeficiency in oysters.
Mitochondrial function in exercise: Fitness Freaks versus Couch Potatoes
Our lab collaborates with Dr. Lightfoot (Dept. of Kinesiology, UNCC) on
a study, which aims to understand genetic determinants of exercise
endurance in mice and
to determine the specific genes involved in the control of inherent
exercise endurance.
Our lab will compare mitochondrial function in two different strains of
mice, one that is genetically predisposed to strenuous exercise and one
that consists of lazy "couch potatoes" in order to understand whether
metabolic physiology of these strains is adjusted and contributes to
their exercise endurance.
Understanding the genetic
factors that predispose an individual to a certain fitness level could
lead to better methods of improving the physical health and well-being
of individuals.
From the field to the
lab... And back in the field again!
Although a fair bit of our
research is done in the lab using biochemical, molecular and cellular
techniques, the ultimate goal of our studies is to understand the effects
of environmental stressors at the whole organism level and the
consequences, which it can have for the field populations experiencing
stress in their natural habitats. Therefore, our laboratory studies are
tightly linked with the studies of animals in their natural habitats. We
compare animals from different environments (e.g. warm and cold, polluted
and unpolluted) in order to see how our lab predictions hold in the field.
Click here for snapshots of our
field and lab endeavors.
The People
Funding:
NSF
NIH
North Carolina Sea Grant
US Department of
Agriculture
Alexander von
Humboldt Foundation
Biographical
Sketch
Selected
Recent Publications
Click here for the
complete publication list
[*Indicates a student co-author]
Sokolova I.M., Lannig G. (2008). Interactive
effects of metal pollution and temperature on ectotherm metabolism and
their implications for the global climate change in aquatic ecosystems.
Climate Research (in press).
Ivanina A.V.*, Habinck E.*, Sokolova I.M.
(2008). Differential sensitivity to cadmium of key mitochondrial enzymes
in the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica Gmelin (Bivalvia:
Ostreidae). Comparative Biochemistry
and Physiology C (in press).
doi:10.1016/j.cbpc.2008.03.009
Ivanina A.V.*, Sokolova I.M. (2008). Effects of
cadmium exposure on expression and activity of P-glycoprotein in eastern
oysters, Crassostrea virginica Gmelin. Aquatic Toxicology
88:19-28.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2008.02.014
Ivanina A.V.*, Sokolova I.M., Sukhotin A.A.
(2008). Oxidative stress and expression of chaperones in aging mollusks.
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A 150: 53-61.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpb.2008.01.005
Lannig G., Bock C., Cherkasov A.*, Pörtner H.O.,
Sokolova I.M. (2008). Cadmium-dependent oxygen limitation affects
temperature tolerance in eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica
Gmelin). American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and
Comparative Physiology 294:1338-1346.
http://ajpregu.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/294/4/R1338
Ivanina A.V.*, Cherkasov A.S.*,
Sokolova I.M. (2008). Effects of cadmium on cellular protein and
glutathione synthesis and expression of stress proteins in eastern
oysters, Crassostrea virginica Gmelin. Journal of
Experimental Biology 211: 577-586.
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/211/4/577
Sanni B.*, Williams K.*, Sokolov E.P.,
Sokolova I.M. (2008). Effects of acclimation temperature and cadmium
exposure on mitochondrial aconitase and LON protease from a model marine
ectotherm, Crassostrea virginica. Comparative Biochemistry
and Physiology C 147: 101 - 112.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpc.2007.08.005
Cherkasov A.S.*, Grewal S.*, Sokolova
I.M. (2007). Combined effects of temperature and cadmium exposure on
haemocyte apoptosis and cadmium accumulation in the eastern oyster
Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin). Journal of Thermal Biology
32 (3): 162 - 170.
Cherkasov A.S.*, Overton, R.A. Jr*,
Sokolov E.P., Sokolova I.M. (2007). Temperature-dependent effects of
cadmium and purine nucleotides on mitochondrial aconitase from a marine
ectotherm, Crassostrea virginica: a role of temperature in
oxidative stress and allosteric enzyme regulation.
Journal of Experimental Biology 210: 46-55. http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/210/1/46
Featured on "Inside JEB"
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/210/1/ii
Lannig G., Flores J.F., Sokolova I.M.
(2006). Temperature-dependent stress response in oysters, Crassostrea
virginica: Pollution reduces temperature tolerance in oysters.
Aquatic Toxicology 79: 278-287.
Cherkasov A.S.*, Ringwood A.H., Sokolova
I.M. (2006). Effects of cadmium exposure on mitochondrial function are modulated
by acclimation temperature in eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica
Gmelin (Bivalvia: Ostreidae). Environmental Toxicology &
Chemistry 25: 2461-2469.
Lannig G., Cherkasov A.S.*, Sokolova I.M.
(2006). Temperature-dependent effects of cadmium on mitochondrial and
whole-organism bioenergetics of oysters (Crassostrea virginica).
Marine Environmental Research 62: S79-S82.
Sokolova I.M., Oliver J.D., Leamy L.J.
(2006). An AFLP approach to identify genetic markers associated with
resistance to Vibrio vulnificus and Perkinsus marinus in
eastern oysters. Journal of Shellfish
Research 25: 95-100.
Cherkasov A.S.*, Biswas P.K., Ridings
D.M., Ringwood A.H., Sokolova I.M. (2006). Effects of acclimation temperature
and cadmium exposure on cellular energy budgets in a marine mollusk
Crassostrea virginica: Linking cellular and mitochondrial responses.
Journal of Experimental Biology 209:1274-1284.
Sokolova I.M., Leamy L., Harrison M.*, Oliver J.D.
(2005). Intrapopulational variation in Vibrio
vulnificus levels in Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin 1971) is
associated with the host size but not with disease status or
developmental stability. Journal of Shellfish
Research 24: 503-508.
Sokolova
I.M., Ringwood A.H., Johnson C.* (2005). Tissue-specific
accumulation of cadmium in subcellular compartments of eastern oysters
Crassostrea virginica Gmelin (Bivalvia: Ostreidae). Aquatic
Toxicology 74: 218-228.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/ (doi:10.1016/j.aquatox.2005.05.012)
or
PDF
Sokolova I.M., Sokolov E.P., Ponnappa
K.M.* (2005).Cadmium exposure affects mitochondrial bioenergetics and
gene
expression of key mitochondrial proteins in the eastern oyster
Crassostrea virginica Gmelin (Bivalvia: Ostreidae). Aquatic
Toxicology 73: 242- 255.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/ or
PDF
Sokolova I.M., Sokolov E.P. (2005). Evolution of mitochondrial uncoupling
proteins: Novel invertebrate UCP homologues suggest early evolutionary
divergence of the UCP family. FEBS Letters 579: 313-317
http://www.febsletters.org/article/PIIS0014579304015340/abstract
or PDF
Sokolova I.M., Evans S.*, Hughes F.M. (2004). Cadmium-induced apoptosis
in oyster hemocytes involves disturbance of cellular energy balance but no
mitochondrial permeability transition. Journal of Experimental
Biology 207: 3369-3380.
PDF or
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/207/19/3369
Sokolova I.M. (2004). Cadmium effects on mitochondrial function are
enhanced by elevated temperatures in a marine poikilotherm, Crassostrea
virginica Gmelin (Bivalvia: Ostreidae). Journal of Experimental
Biology 207: 2639-2648.
PDF or
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/207/15/2639.pdf
Sokolova I.M., Boulding E.G. (2004). A neutral DNA marker suggests
that parallel physiological adaptations to open shore and salt marsh
habitats have evolved more than once within two different species of
gastropods. Marine Biology 145: 133-147
PDF
Sokolova I.M., Boulding E.G. (2004). Length polymorphisms in an intron
of aminopeptidase N provide a useful nuclear DNA marker for Littorina
species (Caenogastropoda). Journal of Molluscan Studies 70:
165
- 172. PDF
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