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Kris DeMali, PhD

Contact Information

Office: 4-470 BSB
Phone: 335-7882
Faculty Profile

Brief description of current research: 

Shear or frictional forces induced by the flow of blood endothelial cells are critical for maintaining vascular health and function. Research in the DeMali laboratory is aimed at better understanding how endothelial cells (and their counterparts in epithelial tissues) respond to the shear stresses. The DeMali laboratory has discovered that cells respond to shear forces by activating a master regulator of cell metabolism, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK).  Stimulation of AMPK has two effects: (1) it enhances reinforcement of the actin cytoskeleton so that cells can withstand force, and (2) it stimulates an increase in the uptake of glucose and its oxidation to ATP.  The ATP provides the fuel for the actin cytoskeletal reinforcements, thereby forming a bridge between cell mechanics and cell metabolism. Having established this link, many exciting questions linking cellular mechanics and metabolism are actively been investigated.  The laboratory is identifying mechanisms for how shear stress stimulates the uptake of glucose and how glycolysis and cytoskeletal rearrangements are coordinated in cells and animal models. Through this research, the DeMali laboratory seeks to define mechanisms that can be used to treat diabetes and other diseases characterized by a defective endothelium. The identification of agents that provide protection against endothelial damage could be used in conjunction with other therapies to improve the outcomes of diabetic patients and the quality of their lives.

3 most influential diabetes/obesity/metabolism publications:

  • Bays JL, Campbell HK, Heidema C, Sebbagh M, DeMali KA. Linking E-cadherin mechanotransduction to cell metabolism through force-mediated activation of AMPK. Nat Cell Biol. 2017 Jun;19(6):724-731. doi: 10.1038/ncb3537. Epub 2017 May 29. PMID: 28553939; PMCID: PMC5494977.
  • DeWane G, Salvi AM, DeMali KA. Fueling the cytoskeleton - links between cell metabolism and actin remodeling. J Cell Sci. 2021 Feb 8;134(3):jcs248385. doi: 10.1242/jcs.248385. PMID: 33558441; PMCID: PMC7888749.
  • Campbell HK, Salvi AM, O'Brien T, Superfine R, DeMali KA. PAK2 links cell survival to mechanotransduction and metabolism. J Cell Biol. 2019 Jun 3;218(6):1958-1971. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201807152. Epub 2019 Apr 2. PMID: 30940647; PMCID: PMC6548143.