Joshua C. Drake, PhD

Program Focus

By the year 2035, it is projected that the number of people over the age of 65 will exceed the number of people under the age of 18. This expanding aged population presents several challenges, particularly since the number one risk factor for the development of chronic disease (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, etc.) is aging. Our bodies possess a remarkable capacity to respond to changes in the availability of energy, however with aging, flexibility to changes in energy availability decreases. In my lab, we are interested in the molecular mechanisms responsible for monitoring changes in cellular energy, such as the energetic stress imposed by exercise or fasting, and how these mechanisms change with age. We are particularly interested in energetic sensing within skeletal muscle as it is essential for functional independence and healthy metabolism. 

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Reviewed Journals

• Brisendine, M.H., Drake, J.C. Early Stage Alzheimer’s Disease: Are Skeletal Muscle and Exercise the Key?  J Appl Physiol. 2023; 134: 515-520. PMID: 36656981
• Greico, J.P., Compton, S.L.E., Bano, N., Brookover, L., Nichenko, A.S., Drake, J.C., Schmelz, E.M. Mitochondrial plasticity supports proliferative outgrowth and invasion of ovarian cancer spheroids during adhesion. Front Oncol. 2023; 12: 1043670. PMID: 36727073
• Nichenko, A.S., Specht, K.S., Craige, S.M., Drake, J.C. Sensing local energetics to regulate mitophagy in skeletal muscle. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2022; 10:987317. PMID: 36105350
  
• Salvati, K., Ritger, M., Davoudian, P., Michael, O., Souza, G., Lu, A., Drake, J.C., Yan, Z., Beenhakker, M. AMPK-mediated potentiation of GABAergic signaling drives hypoglycemia-provoked spike-wave seizures. Brain. 2022; 145: 2332-2346. PMID: 35134125
  
• Drake, J.C.^#, Wilson, R.J., Laker, R.C., Guan, Y., Spaulding, H.R., Nichenko, A.S., Shen, W., Shang, H., Dorn, M.V., Huang, K., Zhang, M., Bandara, A.B., Brisendine, M.H., Kashatus, J.A., Sharma, P.R., Young, A., Gautam, J., Cao, R., Wallrabe, H., Chang, P.A., Wong, M., Desjardins, E.M., Hawley, S.A., Christ, G.J., Kashatus, D.F., Miller, C.L., Wolf, M.J., Periasamy, A., Steinberg, G.R., Hardie, D.G., Yan, Z.^# Mitochondria-localized AMPK responds to local energetics and contributes to exercise and energetic stress-induced mitophagy.  PNAS. 2021; 118: e2025932118. PMID: 34493662 (^# denotes co-corresponding author)
• Bandara, A.B., Drake, J.C., Brown, D.A. Complex II subunit SDHD is critical for cell growth and metabolism, which can be partially restored with a synthetic ubiquinone anolog. BMC Mol Cell Biol. 2021: 22:35. PMID: 34118887
• Bandara, A.B., Brown, D.A., Drake, J.C., James, C.C., Smyth, J.W. Complex I protein NDUFS2 is vital for growth, ROS generation, membrane integrity, apoptosis, and mitochondrial energetics. Mitochondrion. 2021; 58:160-168. PMID: 33744462

Oral Presentations

• Title: Connecting muscle and brain: considerations for exercise in Alzheimer’s Disease. 51^st Annual American Aging Association Meeting. Part of “Exercise, aging and intra-organ communication” session. Oklahoma City, OK. June 9, 2023.
• Title: Regulation of mitochondrial quality control in skeletal muscle and its implications for metabolic health. Center for Computational and Integrative Biology Seminar Series. Rutgers University. Camden, NJ. March 7, 2023
  
• Title: Phosphorylation of Ulk1 at S555 is required for metabolic adaptations to caloric restriction. Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting. Part of “Proteostasis: Novel Insights and Technologies” session. Indianapolis, IN. November 6, 2022
  
• Title: Animal Research Ethics. 2^nd Annual Virginia Tech Ethics Week. Blacksburg, VA. April 7, 2022.
  
• Title: Mitochondria-localized AMPK responds to local energetics and contributes to exercise and energetic stress-induced mitophagy. Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) Monthly Muscle Task Group. Oklahoma City, OK. Oct 2021. (*virtual due to COVID-19 pandemic)
  
• Title: Energetic sensing and mitochondrial quality control in healthy aging of skeletal muscle. Division of Aging Biology New Investigators Forum – National Institutes on Aging, NIH. Bethesda, MD. June 2021. (*virtual due to COVID-19 pandemic)

Poster Presentations

** mentored post-doctoral fellow

*  mentored graduate student

^  mentored undergraduate student

• Willoughby, O.S.*^,#, Nichenko, A.S.**, Brisendine, M.*, Amiri, N.*, McMillan, R. Specht, K. Craige, S., Drake, J. Regulation of skeletal muscle glucose metabolism by Ulk1(S555). Advances in skeletal muscle biology in health and disease conference. Gainsville, FL 03/15-17/2023. (^#Best pre-doctoral poster award)
• Brisendine, M.H.*, Nichenko, A.S.**, Bandara, A., Specht, K., Addington, A., Grange, R., Craige, S., Drake, J.C. Aerobic exercise training does not improve skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s Disease. Advances in skeletal muscle biology in health and disease conference. Gainsville, FL. 03/15-17/2023.
• Nichenko, A.S.**^,#, Wiloughby, O.S.*, Brisendine, M.H.*, Hays, G.^, DiGirolamo, G.^, Weingrad, Z.L.^, McMillan, R., Drake, J.C. Phosphorylation of Ulk1 at S555 is Required for Metabolic Adaptations to Caloric Restriction. Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting. Indianapolis, IN 11/2022 (# Selected for Oral Presentation)
• Nichenko, A.S.**^,#, Wiloughby, O.S.*, Brisendine, M.H.*, Hays, G.^, DiGirolamo, G.^, Weingrad, Z.L.^, McMillan, R., Drake, J.C. Phosphorylation of Ulk1 at S555 is Required for Metabolic Adaptations to Caloric Restriction. 2022 Oklahoma Geroscience Symposium: The Role of Proteostasis in Aging and Age-Related Diseases. Oklahoma City, OK 04/2022 (^#Received Travel Award)