Research Interests

• Organelle maintenance
• Peroxisome biogenesis and degradation
• Neurodegeneration
• Membrane protein trafficking
• High-resolution light microscopy

Research Activities

The aim of Kim’s research is to understand the mechanisms involved in maintaining the metabolic organelles, peroxisomes and mitochondria and how dysregulation of these mechanisms contributes to various diseases ranging from neurodegenerative disorders to cancer.  

Presently, he and his team are focusing on the mechanisms of peroxisome formation and degradation in the mammalian cell. Peroxisomes can be formed from two distinct mechanisms: de novo from the endoplasmic reticulum and by growth and division of pre-existing peroxisomes. How these two mechanisms are regulated is not known. The object of their studies is to determine the molecular and structural events involved in these two processes. With this knowledge, they will be able to understand the regulatory events that govern peroxisomes numbers.

Peroxisomes are selectively degraded by the cellular recycling process, called selective autophagy. Peroxisomes are designated for degradation by being tagged with a small polypeptide called ubiquitin. Kim’s research examines the molecular events preceeding and following the ubiquitination of peroxisomes. As dysfunction in selective autophagy is linked to both neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, these studies will provide insight into the relationship between selective autophagy and disease and aid in the future therapeutic treatment of these diseases.

External Funding

• Canadian Foundation for Innovation
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
• Ontario Innovation Trust

Publications

Hailey DW, Rambold AS, Satpute-Krishnan P, Mitra K, Sougrat R, Kim, PK, Lippincott-Schwartz J. Mitochondria supply membranes for autophagosome biogenesis during starvation. (2010) Cell, 141(4): 656-67.

Kim PK, Hailey DW, Mullen RT, Lippincott-Schwartz J. Ubiquitin signals autophagic degradation of cytosolic proteins and peroxisomes. (2008) PNAS . 105 (52): 20567-74.

Henderson MP, Billen LP, Kim PK, Andrews DW. Cell-free analysis of tail-anchor protein targeting to membranes. (2007) Methods . 41 (4): 427-38.

Kim PK. , Mullen RT, Schemann U, Lippincott-Schwartz J. The origin and maintenance of mammalian peroxisomes involves a de novo PEX16-dependent pathway from the ER. (2006) J.Cell Biol . 173 (4): 521-32 .

Brocard CB, Jedeszko C, Boucher KK, Kim PK, Walton PA. Requirement for microtubules and dynein-motors in the earliest stages of peroxisome biogenesis. (2005) Traffic 6 (5): 386-95.

Kim PK, Annis MG, Dlugosz PJ, Leber B, Andrews DW. During apoptosis Bcl-2 changes membrane topology at both the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. (2004) Molecular Cell . 14 (4): 523-9.

McCartney AW, Dyer JM, Dhanoa PK, Kim PK, Andrews DW, McNew JA, Mullen RT. Membrane-bound fatty acid desaturases are inserted co-translationally into the ER and contain different ER retrieval motifs at their carboxy termini. (2004) Plant J . 37 (2): 156-73.