Torres, Eric (2014 - 2017)
Eric is in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He joined the training program in 2014. He received a B.S. degree in 2013 from CSU San Bernardino.
Mentor: Dr. Carla Koehler
The role of the mitochondrial matrix processing protease in mitochondrial biogenesis.
Defects in mitochondrial function contribute to a wide range of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and degenerative neural and muscular disorders. Protein import and assembly pathways are highly conserved and vital for mitochondrial function. My research focuses on matrix processing peptidase (MPP), an essential gene that encodes for a matrix-localized peptidase that mediates the first cleavage of precursor proteins. I hypothesize that MPP may associate with core import machinery complexes and affect both import and cleavage of several precursors.
