Plafker Lab

Selected Publications

  1. Plafker, KS; Singer, JD; Plafker, SM (2009) The ubiquitin conjugating enzyme, UbcM2, engages in novel interactions with components of cullin-3 based E3 ligases. Biochemistry. 48:3527-3537. PMCID: PMC2680606.
  2. Plafker, KS; Nguyen, L; Barneche, M; Mirza, S; Crawford, D; Plafker, SM (2010) The ubiquitin conjugating enzyme, UbcM2, can regulate the stability and activity of the anti-oxidant transcription factor, Nrf2. J Biol Chem., 285:23064-23074. PMCID: PMC 2906300.
  3. Mirza, S; Plafker, KS; Aston, C; Plafker, SM (2010) Expression and distribution of the class III ubiquitin conjugating enzymes in the retina. Mol Vis., 16:2425-2437. PMCID: PMC2994761.
  4. Ziady, AG; Sokolow, A; Shank, SL; Corey, DA; Myers, R; Plafker, SM; Kelly, TJ (2012) Interaction with creb binding protein modulates the activities of Nrf2 and NF-kB in cystic fibrosis airway epithelial cells. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, 302:L1221-L1231. PMCID: PMC3379036.
  5. Rindler, PM, Plafker, SM, Szweda, LI, Kinter M (2013) High dietary fat selectively increases catalase expression within cardiac mitochondria. J Biol Chem, 288:1979-1990. PMCID: PMC 3548505.
  6. Nguyen, L; Plafker KS; Starnes, A; Cook, M; Klevit, RE; Plafker, SM (2014) The ubiquitin conjugating enzyme, UbcM2, is restricted to monoubiquitylation by a two-fold mechanism that involves backside residues of E2 and Lys48 of ubiquitin. Biochemistry, Jun 24;53(24):4004-14. PMCID: PMC4072368.
  7. Plafker, KS; Plafker, SM (2014) The ubiquitin conjugating enzyme, UBE2E3 and its import receptor, Importin-11 regulate the localization and activity of the anti-oxidant transcription factor Nrf2. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 2014 Nov 5. pii: mbc.E14-06-1057. [Epub ahead of print]

  8. Plafker KS, Plafker SM (2015) The ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme UBE2E3 and its import receptor importin-11 regulate the localization and activity of the antioxidant transcription factor NRF2.Mol Biol Cell. 2015 Jan 15;26(2):327-38. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E14-06-1057. Epub 2014 Nov 5.

  9. Larabee CM, Georgescu C, Wren JD, Plafker SM (2015) Expression profiling of the ubiquitin conjugating enzyme UbcM2 in murine brain reveals modest age-dependent decreases in specific neurons. BMC Neurosci. 2015 Nov 13;16(1):76. doi: 10.1186/s12868-015-0194-y.

  10. Larabee CM, Hu Y, Desai S, Georgescu C, Wren JD, Axtell RC, Plafker SM.  Myelin-specific Th17 cells induce severe relapsing optic neuritis with irreversible loss of retinal ganglion cells in C57BL/6 mice. Mol Vision,  2016; 22:332-341.
  11. Larabee, CM; Desai, S; Agnieshka, A; Georgescu, C; Wren, JD; Axtell, RC; Plafker, SM. Loss of Nrf2 exacerbates the visual deficits and optic neuritis elicited by experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.. Mol Vis. 2016 Dec 30;22:1503-1513. eCollection 2016.
  12. Chen M, Nowak DG, Narula N, Robinson B, Watrud K, Ambrico A, Herzka TM, Zeeman ME, Minderer M, Zheng W, Ebbesen SH, Plafker KS, Stahlhut C, Wang VM, Wills L, Nasar A, Castillo-Martin M, Cordon-Cardo C, Wilkinson JE, Powers S, Sordella R, Altorki NK, Mittal V, Stiles BM, Plafker SM, Trotman LC. The nuclear transport receptor Importin-11 is a tumor suppressor that maintains PTEN protein. J Cell Biol. 2017 Mar 6;216(3):641-656. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201604025. Epub 2017 Feb 13.
  13. O’Mealey GB, Berry WL, Plafker SM. Sulforaphane is a Nrf2-independent inhibitor of mitochondrial fission. Redox Biol. 2017 Apr;11:103-110. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2016.11.007. Epub 2016 Nov 21.
  14. O’Mealey GB, Plafker KS, Berry WL, Janknecht R, Chan JY, Plafker SM. A PGAM5-KEAP1-Nrf2 complex is required for stress-induced mitochondrial retrograde trafficking. J Cell Sci. 2017 Oct 15;130(20):3467-3480. doi: 10.1242/jcs.203216. Epub 2017 Aug 24.
  15. Plafker KS, Zyla K, Berry WL, Plafker SM (2018). Loss of the ubiquitin conjugating enzyme UBE2E3 induces cellular senescence. Redox Biol. Jul;17:411-422. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2018.05.008.
  16. Chen C, Zhong Y, Wang JJ, Yu Q, Plafker KS, Plafker SM, Zhang SX (2018). Regulation of Nrf2 by X box-binding protein 1 in retinal pigment epithelium. Frontiers in Genetics. Dec 20;9:658. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00658.
  17. Borcherding D, Siefert M, Lin S, Brewington J, Sadek H, Clancy JP, Plafker SM, Ziady AG (2019). Clinically-approved CFTR modulators rescue Nrf2 dysfunction in cystic fibrosis airway epithelia. J Clin Investig. May 30;130. pii: 96273. doi: 10.1172/JCI96273.
  18. Zyla K, Larabee CM, Georgescu C, Berkley C, Reyna T, Plafker SM (2019) Dimethyl fumarate mitigates optic neuritis. (in press, Molecular Vision).

Book chapters/reviews

  1. Plafker, SM (2010) Oxidative stress and the ubiquitin proteolytic system in age-related macular degeneration. Adv Exp Med Biol., 664:447-456.
  2. Plafker, SM; O’Mealey, GB; Szweda, LI (2012) Mechanisms for countering oxidative stress and damage in retinal pigment epithelium. Int Rev Cell Mol Biol, 298:135-177. PMCID: PMC 3564215.
  3. Lambros, M; Plafker, SM (2016) Oxidative Stress and the Nrf2 Anti-Oxidant Transcription Factor in Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2016;854:67-72. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-17121-0_10.
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