Research
I earned my Ph. D. in Brian Kennedy’s lab at the University of Washington (now at the Buck Institute) where I studied molecular mechanisms that govern yeast replicative lifespan. In the Dillin Lab, I use sequencing technologies to probe the process of translation during aging in C. elegans.
Publications
Steffen, KK, Dillin A. A Ribosomal Perspective on Proteostasis and Aging. Cell Metabolism. 2016 Jun 14;23(6):1004-12
Steffen KK, McCormick MA, Pham KM, MacKay VL, Delaney JR, Murakami CJ, Kaeberlein M and Kennedy BK. Ribosome deficiency protects against ER stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetics, 2012 May;191(1):107-18
Mair W, Steffen KK, Dillin A. SIP-ing the elixir of youth. Cell, 2011 Sep 16;146(6):859-60.
Delaney JR, Sutphin GL, Dulken B, Sim S, Kim JR, Robison B, Schleit J, Murakami CJ, Carr D, An EH, Choi E, Chou A, Fletcher M, Jelic M, Liu B, Lockshon D, Moller RM, Pak DN, Peng Q, Peng ZJ, Pham KM, Sage M, Solanky A, Steffen KK, Tsuchiya M, Tsuchiyama S, Johnson S, Raabe C, Suh Y, Zhou Z, Liu X, Kennedy BK, Kaeberlein M. Sir2 deletion prevents lifespan extension in 32 long-lived mutants. Aging Cell, 2011 Dec;10(6):1089-1091.
Steffen KK, Kennedy BK, Kaeberlein M. Measuring replicative lifespan in the budding yeast. JoVE: Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2009 Jun 25;(28).
Dang W, Steffen KK, Perry R, Dorsey J, Shilatifard A, Kaeberlein M, Kennedy BK, Berger SL. Histone H4 lysine-16 acetylation regulates cellular lifespan. Nature, 2009 Jun 11; 459(7248):751-880.
Steffen KK, MacKay VL, Kerr EO, Tsuchiya M, Hu D, Fox LA, Dang N, Johnston ED, Oakes JA, Tchao BN, Pak DN, Fields S, Kennedy BK, Kaeberlein M. Yeast life span extension by depletion of 60S ribosomal subunits is mediated by Gcn4. Cell, 2008 Apr 18; 133(2):292-302.
Kennedy BK, Steffen KK, Kaeberlein M. Ruminations on Dietary Restriction and Aging. Cell and Molecular Life Sciences, 2007 Jun:64(11):1323-8. Review.
Tsuchiya M, Dang N, Kerr EO, Hu D, Steffen KK, Oakes JA, Kennedy BK, Kaeberlein M. Sirtuin-independent effects of nicotinamide on lifespan extension from calorie restriction. Aging Cell, 2006 Dec 5; (6):505-14.
Kaeberlein M, Steffen KK, Hu D, Dang N, Kerr EO, Tsuchiya M, Fields S, Kennedy BK. Comment on "HST2 mediates SIR2-independent life-span extension by calorie restriction". Science, 2006 Jun 2; 312(5778):1312; author reply 1312.
Kaeberlein M, Powers RW 3rd, Steffen KK, Westman EA, Hu D, Dang N, Kerr EO, Kirkland KT, Fields S, Kennedy BK. Regulation of yeast replicative life span by TOR and Sch9 in response to nutrients. Science, 2005 Nov 18; 310(5751):1193-6.