Janos Kerner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Email:
janos.kerner@case.edu
Phone:
(216) 368-5358
Fax:
216-368-1300
W147C
Janos Kerner graduated from Humboldt University in Berlin (Germany) where he received
his M.S. in Biology/Plant Biochemistry. He accepted a teaching/research position
in the Department of Biochemistry at Medical University of Pecs (Hungary) where
he received his Ph.D. in biochemistry. He held a faculty position at Medical University
at Pecs until 1994. During his faculty appointment in the Department of Biochemistry
at the Medical University of Pecs, he worked for several years as a visiting faculty
in the Department of Biochemistry at Michigan State University. He joined the faculty
in the Department of Nutrition at CWRU in 1995.
RESEARCH INTEREST:
The elucidation of the functions of carnitine acyltransferases and acylcarnitines
in intermediary metabolism and the investigation of the regulation of mitochondrial
malonyl-CoA sensitive carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT-I).
My past research focused in method and assay developments for identification and
quantitation of individual acylcarnitines. Since then I have shown that carnitine
is involved in specific detoxification reactions, and in modulating the acyl-CoA/CoASH
ratio in cellular compartments.
My current research is in the area of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation with special
emphasis on the malonyl-CoA sensitive carnitine palmitoyltransferase. CPT-I exists
in two isoforms, the liver and muscle specific isoform, and catalyzes the rate controlling
step of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation.
Consequently, its regulation (allostericaly by malonyl-CoA and covalently by phosphorylation)
is central to several pathological conditions. Our aim is to elucidate how the two
isoforms are regulated in vivo under physiological and pathological conditions using
a multifaceted approach which involves enzymological and immunological methods as
well as proteomics.