Nika Danial

Nika Danial, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Medicine (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)
Affiliate Member of Cell Biology (HMS)

Nika Danial, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Cancer Biology and Medicine (DFCI) , and an affiliate member of the Cell Biology Department (HMS). She received an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular and Biophysical Studies from Columbia University. Her postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Stanley J. Korsmeyer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute focused on the role of BCL-2 family proteins in mitochondrial apoptosis, where she discovered a molecular link between cell survival/death regulatory pathways and metabolism. She joined the faculty of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in 2005.

The Danial Lab focuses on molecular mechanisms and biologic consequences of cellular fuel choices. Different cell states have distinct anabolic and catabolic needs that are fulfilled by processing specific metabolic substrates. As such, cells’ fuel choice can influence transitions in and out of quiescence, resistance/sensitivity to oxidative stress, metabolic adaptations to nutrient changes, and cell identity, including epigenetic regulation. Understanding how these fuel preferences are controlled and defining their specific metabolic outputs will provide a molecular handle on modulating cell behavior in normal physiology and in pathologic conditions. The Danial lab uses multi-disciplinary in vitro and in vivo approaches that draw on mitochondrial metabolism, biochemistry, chemical biology, proteomics, metabolomics and genetically engineered mouse models to identify molecular determinants of cellular fuel choices and their effects on cell fate and function. This research program has led to discoveries linking fuel utilization pathways to cellular stress outcomes in diseases such as cancer, diabetes and seizure disorders.

Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Dept. of Cell Biology, LC-6313

360 Longwood Avenue

Boston, MA 02115

Lab Phone: 617-632-6436

Lab Fax: 617-632-5363

Glucose-dependent partitioning of arginine to the urea cycle protects ß-cells from inflammation.
Authors: Authors: Fu A, Alvarez-Perez JC, Avizonis D, Kin T, Ficarro SB, Choi DW, Karakose E, Badur MG, Evans L, Rosselot C, Bridon G, Bird GH, Seo HS, Dhe-Paganon S, Kamphorst JJ, Stewart AF, James Shapiro AM, Marto JA, Walensky LD, Jones RG, Garcia-Ocana A, Danial NN.
Nat Metab
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Partitioning of MLX-Family Transcription Factors to Lipid Droplets Regulates Metabolic Gene Expression.
Authors: Authors: Mejhert N, Kuruvilla L, Gabriel KR, Elliott SD, Guie MA, Wang H, Lai ZW, Lane EA, Christiano R, Danial NN, Farese RV, Walther TC.
Mol Cell
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Fibroblastic reticular cells enhance T cell metabolism and survival via epigenetic remodeling.
Authors: Authors: Brown FD, Sen DR, LaFleur MW, Godec J, Lukacs-Kornek V, Schildberg FA, Kim HJ, Yates KB, Ricoult SJH, Bi K, Trombley JD, Kapoor VN, Stanley IA, Cremasco V, Danial NN, Manning BD, Sharpe AH, Haining WN, Turley SJ.
Nat Immunol
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HCF-1 Regulates De Novo Lipogenesis through a Nutrient-Sensitive Complex with ChREBP.
Authors: Authors: Lane EA, Choi DW, Garcia-Haro L, Levine ZG, Tedoldi M, Walker S, Danial NN.
Mol Cell
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Grasping for aspartate in tumour metabolism.
Authors: Authors: Fu A, Danial NN.
Nat Cell Biol
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BAD and KATP channels regulate neuron excitability and epileptiform activity.
Authors: Authors: Martínez-François JR, Fernández-Agüera MC, Nathwani N, Lahmann C, Burnham VL, Danial NN, Yellen G.
Elife
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BAD knockout provides metabolic seizure resistance in a genetic model of epilepsy with sudden unexplained death in epilepsy.
Authors: Authors: Foley J, Burnham V, Tedoldi M, Danial NN, Yellen G.
Epilepsia
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Differential contribution of the mitochondrial translation pathway to the survival of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma subsets.
Authors: Authors: Norberg E, Lako A, Chen PH, Stanley IA, Zhou F, Ficarro SB, Chapuy B, Chen L, Rodig S, Shin D, Choi DW, Lee S, Shipp MA, Marto JA, Danial NN.
Cell Death Differ
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Regulation of mitochondrial nutrient and energy metabolism by BCL-2 family proteins.
Authors: Authors: Giménez-Cassina A, Danial NN.
Trends Endocrinol Metab
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Phospho-BAD BH3 mimicry protects ß cells and restores functional ß cell mass in diabetes.
Authors: Authors: Ljubicic S, Polak K, Fu A, Wiwczar J, Szlyk B, Chang Y, Alvarez-Perez JC, Bird GH, Walensky LD, Garcia-Ocaña A, Danial NN.
Cell Rep
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