Jeffrey J. Brault Associate Professor

Dr. Brault conducts research on how cellular energetics regulates the loss of muscle protein and mitochondrial content typical of skeletal muscle atrophy. The long-term goal of the lab is to understand the mechanisms and find therapeutic targets whereby cellular energy state (e.g. total adenine nucleotide (ATP+ADP+AMP) content, ratio of ATP/ADP, or available free energy of ATP hydrolysis) can be used as a treatment for skeletal muscle atrophy. This is being accomplished, in part, by a systematic genetic manipulation in mice and cultured muscle cells of the enzymes that modulate adenine nucleotide synthesis and degradation. This is followed by biochemical, molecular, cellular, and physiology based outcome measures. Doctoral and post-doctoral trainees form the core of the lab and are involved in all aspects of the research: including but not limited to muscle cell cultures, modulating gene expression with overexpressing or knockdown adenoviral vectors, enzyme activity assays, protein synthesis and degradation assays using radiolabeled amino acids, fluorescent microscopy, western blotting, isolated mouse muscle contractile studies, and transgenic mouse genotyping.