Kelsey Nolden, PhD

Protein structure and function, structure-based drug design, mitochondrial dynamics, and cellular metabolism

Research Experience

Medical College of Wisconsin, 2019-2023
Advisor: Blake Hill, PhD
Project: Human Fis1 directly interacts with Drp1 in an evolutionarily conserved manner to promote mitochondrial fission

University of Alaska-Anchorage, 2015-2016
Advisor: Jason Burkhead, PhD
Project: The prevalence and role of copper deficiency in clinical liver disease

University of Alaska-Anchorage, 2014-2016
Advisor: Jason Burkhead, PhD
Project: Altered zinc ion levels and transporter expression indicate that high liver copper disrupts zinc metabolism in the Atp7b -/- mouse model of Wilson Disease.

Publications

Nolden KA, Harwig MC, Hill RB. Human Fis1 directly interacts with Drp1 in an evolutionarily conserved manner to promote mitochondrial fission. J Biol Chem. 2023 Dec;299(12):105380. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105380. Epub 2023 Oct 20. PMID: 37866629; PMCID: PMC10694664.

Egner JM, Nolden KA, Harwig MC, Bonate RP, De Anda J, Tessmer MH, Noey EL, Ihenacho UK, Liu Z, Peterson FC, Wong GCL, Widlansky ME, Hill RB. Structural studies of human fission protein FIS1 reveal a dynamic region important for GTPase DRP1 recruitment and mitochondrial fission. J Biol Chem. 2022 Dec;298(12):102620. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102620. Epub 2022 Oct 20. PMID: 36272645; PMCID: PMC9747602.

Nolden KA*, Egner JM*, Collier JJ, Russell OM, Alston CL, Harwig MC, Widlansky ME, Sasorith S, Barbosa IA, Douglas AG, Baptista J, Walker M, Donnelly DE, Morris AA, Tan HJ, Kurian MA, Gorman K, Mordekar S, Deshpande C, Samanta R, McFarland R, Hill RB, Taylor RW, Oláhová M. Novel DNM1L variants impair mitochondrial dynamics through divergent mechanisms. Life Sci Alliance. 2022 Aug 1;5(12):e202101284. doi: 10.26508/lsa.202101284. PMID: 35914810; PMCID: PMC9354038. * co-first authors

Nolden, KA, Kakarla, M, Egner, JM, Wang, J, Harwig, MC, Puppala, VK, Hofeld, BC, Arnold, LA, Trykall, DZ, Hill, RB, Widlansky, ME. Suppressing or blocking Fis1 reverses diabetic endothelial dysfunction in human resistance arteries. bioRxiv. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.16.385054

Nolden KA, Harwig MC, Hill RB. Human Fis1 directly interacts with Drp1 in an evolutionarily conserved manner to promote mitochondrial fission. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2023 May 3:2023.05.03.539292. doi: 10.1101/2023.05.03.539292. PMID: 37205551; PMCID: PMC10187221.

Ihenacho UK, Meacham KA, Harwig MC, Widlansky ME, Hill RB. Mitochondrial Fission Protein 1: Emerging Roles in Organellar Form and Function in Health and Disease. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2021 Mar 25;12:660095. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2021.660095. PMID: 33841340; PMCID: PMC8027123.

Meacham, KA, Cortes, MP, Wiggins, EM, Maass, A, Latorre, M, Ralle, M, Burkhead, JL. (2018). Altered zinc balance in the Atp7b−/− mouse reveals a mechanism of copper toxicity in Wilson disease. Metallomics, 2018(11), 1595-1606. doi: 10.1039/C8MT00199E. PMID: 30277246; PMCID: PMC6310031. 

Meeting Abstracts

Meacham KA, Kakarla M, Egner JM, Wang J, Harwig MC, Jensen DM, Peterson FC, Hill, RB, Widlansky ME. A novel Fis1 inhibitor reverses diabetic endothelial dysfunction in human resistance arteries through inhibition of the Fis1-Drp1 interaction. St. Jude National Graduate Student Symposium, Memphis, TN, March 2023. [Poster]

Meacham KA, Kakarla M, Egner JM, Wang J, Paintsil E, Harwig MC, Jensen DM, Peterson FC, Hill, RB, Widlansky ME. A novel Fis1 inhibitor reverses diabetic endothelial dysfunction in human resistance arteries. 37th Annual MD-PhD National Student Conference, Copper Mountain, CO, July 2022. [Oral]

Meacham KA, Egner JM, Harwig MC, Tessmer MH, Noey EL, Ihenacho UK, Peterson FP, Widlansky ME, Hill RB. Structural studies of human Fis1 reveal a dynamic region important for Drp1 recruitment and mitochondrial fission. Biophysical Society Meeting, San Francisco, CA, February 2022. [Oral]

Meacham KA, Kakarla M, Egner JM, Wang J, Harwig MC, Jensen DM, Peterson FP, Hill RB, Widlansky ME. A novel Fis1 inhibiting peptide reverses diabetic endothelial dysfunction in human resistance arteries. Association for Clinical and Translational Science, Chicago, IL, April 2022. [Poster]

Meacham KA, Kakarla M, Egner JM, Wang J, Harwig MC, Jensen DM, Peterson FP, Hill RB, Widlansky ME. A novel Fis1 inhibiting peptide reverses diabetic endothelial dysfunction in human resistance arteries. Keystone Symposia: Mitochondrial Biochemistry in Health and Disease, Breckenridge, CO, March 2022. [Poster]

Meacham KA, Egner JM, Harwig MC, Tessmer MH, Noey EL, Ihenacho UK, Peterson FP, Widlansky ME, Hill RB. Structural studies of human Fis1 reveals a dynamic region important for Drp1 recruitment and mitochondrial fission. PDB50: A Special Symposium Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Protein Data Bank, May 2021. [Virtual Poster]

Meacham KA, Paintsil E, Egner, JM, Wang J, Puppala V, Hofeld B, Hill RB, Widlansky ME. Suppressing or blocking Fis1 reverses diabetic endothelial dysfunction in human resistance arteries. 2021 Association for Clinical and Translational Science, March 2021. [Virtual Poster]

Meacham KA, Paintsil E, Egner, JM, Wang J, Puppala V, Hofeld B, Hill RB, Widlansky ME. Suppressing or blocking Fis1 reverses diabetic endothelial dysfunction in human resistance arteries. 2021 Annual Graduate School Research Poster Session, Milwaukee, WI, February 2021. [Poster]

Meacham KA, Egner JM, Harwig MC, Widlansky ME, Hill RB. (2019, November). Fis1 regulation of mitochondrial fission. 2019 Annual Graduate School Research Poster Session, Milwaukee, WI. [Poster]

Meacham KA, Posey A, Bagheri M, Harwig M, Kennedy N, Hilser V, Harden J, Hill B. (2019, September). The variable domain of the mitochondrial fission mechanoenzyme Drp1 promotes liquid-liquid phase separation. NHLBI Mitochondrial Biology Symposium, Bethesda, MD. [Poster]

Meacham KA, Cortes MP, Maass A, Latorre M, Ralle M, Burkhead J L. (2016, July). Multi-metal dyshomeostasis in the Atp7b -/- mouse model of Wilson disease. St. Jude National Undergraduate Research Symposium, Memphis, TN, July 2016. [Poster]

Meacham KA, Burkhead, J. Altered zinc ion levels and transporter expression indicate that high liver copper disrupts zinc metabolism in the Atp7b -/- mouse model of Wilson Disease. American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Annual Meeting, April 2016 San Diego, CA. [Poster]

General Interests

Cooking, baking, home-brewing and gardening