Assistant Researcher, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
University of California, Berkeley
Background
My group's research focuses on how aging affects mitochondrial heterogeneity and proteomic composition. We work primarily with the invertebrate nematode C. elegans, an organism well suited for genetic manipulation and aging studies. Our group is interested in developing and applying emergent technologies with which we can dissect out subcellular proteomes so that we can understand how they may fluctuate temporally and spatially within the organism. We believe that plasticity in the composition of the mitochondrial proteome is adaptive, but that changes in the mitochondrial proteome in aging organisms are often causative sources of cellular dysfunction. We are actively collaborating with multiple labs to apply emergent techniques, including spatially restricted enzymatic tagging, microfluidic analyses against single mitochondria, and the introduction of human mitochondrial disease variants, into our studies in C. elegans.
Prior to my appointment at UC Berkeley, I received a Ph.D. in the Biological Sciences from the University of California, San Diego, working with Dr. Dillin to study the effects of metabolic pathways on aging. After my graduate studies, I worked at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California as a post-doctoral fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Jeffery Kelly. There, I helped to build and characterize a model system with which we could study the dynamics of aggregation of destabilized, amyloidogenic proteins in C. elegans. I rejoined the Dillin group in 2012 as it relocated to the Bay Area. I additionally hold a degrees in English from Dartmouth College and in Biology from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Our group welcomes undergraduates that would like to complete an independent study through MCB or IB. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly if you are interested!
Current Group Members
- Hope Henderson, Ph.D. Candidate
- Nan Xin, Postdoctoral Researcher
- Meaghan McConlogue, Undergraduate Researcher
- Naznin Jahan, Undergraduate Researcher
- Anastasiia Zhelokhovtseva, Undergraduate Researcher
Current Collaborations
- Dr. Edgar Arriaga, Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota
- Dr. Amy Herr, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley
- Dr. Anu Wartiovaara, Program for Molecular Neurology, University of Helsinki
Awards
- Glenn Award for Aging Research, 2013
- Hewitt Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, 2010-2012
Publications
Baird NA, Douglas PM, Simic MS, Grant AR, Moresco JJ, Wolff SC, Yates JR 3rd, Manning G, Dillin A. HSF-1-mediated cytoskeletal integrity determines thermotolerance and life span. Science. 2014 Oct 17;346(6207):360-3. doi:10.1126/science.1253168. PubMed PMID: 25324391.
Wolff S, Dillin A. Cell biology: The stressful influence of microbes. Nature. 2014 Apr 17;508(7496):328-9. doi: 10.1038/nature13220. Epub 2014 Apr 2. PubMed PMID: 24695220.
Wolff S, Weissman JS, Dillin A. Differential scales of protein quality control. Cell. 2014 Mar 27;157(1):52-64. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.03.007. Review. PubMed PMID: 24679526.
Wolff S, Dillin A. Ageing: beneficial miscommunication. Nature. 2013 May 23;497(7450):442-3. doi: 10.1038/497442a. PubMed PMID: 23698438.
Durieux J, Wolff S, Dillin A. The cell-non-autonomous nature of electron transport chain-mediated longevity. Cell. 2011 Jan 7;144(1):79-91. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2010.12.016. PubMed PMID: 21215371; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3062502.
Panowski SH, Wolff S, Aguilaniu H, Durieux J, Dillin A. PHA-4/Foxa mediates diet-restriction-induced longevity of C. elegans. Nature. 2007 May 31;447(7144):550-5. Epub 2007 May 2. PubMed PMID: 17476212.
Wolff S, Dillin A. The trifecta of aging in Caenorhabditis elegans. Exp Gerontol. 2006 Oct;41(10):894-903. Epub 2006 Aug 21. Review. PubMed PMID:16919905.
Wolff S, Ma H, Burch D, Maciel GA, Hunter T, Dillin A. SMK-1, an essential regulator of DAF-16-mediated longevity. Cell. 2006 Mar 10;124(5):1039-53. PubMed PMID: 16530049.