Asst. Prof. Wichit Suthammarak ,MD,PhD

  • M.D. (first class honor), Faculty of Medicine Siriraj hospital, Mahidol University
  • Ph.D. (Genetics), Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
  • Postdoctoral research fellowship, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America

Office : 1008 Srisavarindira Bldg. 10th Fl. Department of Biochemistry. Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Bangkoknoi, Bangkok 107000

Laboratory : 925 Srisavarindira Bldg. 9th Fl.

Phone : (02) 419-5360

E-Mail : wichit.sut@mahidol.ac.th

Research profile

The research focus of my laboratory is to understand molecular mechanism that underlies primary mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) deficiency, the most common cause of inborn errors of metabolism, with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 5,000 births worldwide. MRC deficiency is also implicated in the etiology of many common diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Ultimately, a better understanding of MRC deficiency will be beneficial for clinical application, especially diagnosis and management of respiratory chain deficiencies, in the future.

We use Ceanorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a free-living, non-pathogenic soil nematode, as a study model. C. elegans has become a widely used animal model because of its physical, genetic simplicities, low maintenance, and short life cycle. This nematode has also been successfully used to study the mechanisms of several human diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Friedreich’s ataxia, muscular dystrophy, as well as respiratory chain deficiencies.

Two funded projects that are going to be carried on in my laboratory are listed below.

Project #1: The development of an enzymatic activity assay for the mitochondrial electron transport chain enzymes using C. elegans as a study tool

Project’s objectives

  1. To develop a standard protocol for measuring enzymatic activities of the respiratory enzyme complexes by using C. elegans as a model.
  2. To develop respiratory chain enzyme assay that can be used for diagnosis of MRC deficiency in patients clinically suspected MRC deficiency.

Project #2: Effect of fatty acid oxidation on the mitochondrial respiratory chain through the respiratory chain supercomplex formation in C. elegans

Project’s objectives

  1. To characterize the physical interaction between acyl-CoA dehydrogenases of fatty acid oxidation and the respiratory chain supercomplexes in C. elegans.
  2. To study the effect of fatty acid oxidation deficiency on respiratory chain function and supercomplex formation in C elegans
Molecular biology techniques used in my laboratory include:
  • RNA interference
  • UV/visible spectrophotometric measurement
  • Mitochondrial isolation
  • Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE)
  • Blue Native PAGE (1D, 2D)
  • Western blot analysis
  • PCR, PCR/RFLP
  • RT-qPCR
  • ect

Nuclear localization of DAF16::GFP observed in L3 of Caenorhabditis elegans after 3 hours starvation

1.

Demeekul K, Suthammarak W, Petchdee S. Bioactive Compounds from Germinated Brown Rice Protect Cardiomyocytes Against Simulated Ischemic/Reperfusion Injury by Ameliorating Mitochondrial Dysfunction. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2021 Mar 9;15:1055-1066. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S294779.

2.

Chuaijit S, Boonyatistan W, Boonchuay P, Metheetrairut C, Suthammarak W. Identification of a novel mitochondrial complex I assembly factor ACDH-12 in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mitochondrion. 2018 Mar 11. pii: S1567-7249(17)30244-1. doi: 10.1016/j.mito.2018.02.010.

3.

Suthammarak W, Numpraphrut P, Charoensakdi R, Neungton N, Tunrungruangtavee V, Jaisupa N, Charoensak S, Moongkarndi P, Muangpaisan W.Antioxidant-Enhancing Property of the Polar Fraction of Mangosteen Pericarp Extract and Evaluation of Its Safety in Humans.Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2016;2016:1293036.

4.

Burman JL, Itsara LS, Kayser EB, Suthammarak W, Wang AM, Kaeberlein M, Sedensky MM, Morgan PG, Pallanck LJ.
A Drosophila model of mitochondrial disease caused by a complex I mutation that uncouples proton pumping from electron transfer. Dis Model Mech. 2014 Aug 1. pii: dmm.015321.

5.

Georgios Karamanlidis, Chi Fung Lee, Lorena Garcia-Menendez, Stephen C. Kolwicz, Wichit Suthammarak, Guohua Gong, Margaret M. Sedensky, Philip G. Morgan, Wang Wang, Rong Tian.Mitochondrial Complex I Deficiency Increases Protein Acetylation and Accelerates Heart Failure. Cell Metabolism, Volume 18, Issue 2, 239-250, 6 August 2013 doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2013.07.002

6.

Suthammarak W, Somerlot BH, Opheim E, Sedensky M, Morgan PG.Novel Interactions between Mitochondrial Superoxide Dismutases and the Electron Transport Chain.Aging Cell. 2013 Jul 29. doi: 10.1111/acel.12144.

7.

Kayser BE, Suthammarak W, Morgan PG, Sedensky MM. Isoflurane Selectively Inhibits Distal Mitochondrial Complex I in Caenorhabditis elegans. Anesth Analg. 2011;112(6):1321-9.

8.

Suthammarak W, Morgan PG, Sedensky MM. Mutations in mitochondrial complex III uniquely affect complex I in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Biol Chem 2010;285(52):40724-31.

9.

Phasukkijwatana N, Kunhapan B, Stankovich J, Chuenkongkaew WL, Thomson R, Thornton T, Bahlo M, Mushiroda T, Nakamura Y, Mahasirimongkol S, Tun AW, Srisawat C, Limwongse C, Peerapittayamongkol C, Sura T, Suthammarak W, Lertrit P. Genome-wide linkage scan and association study of PARL to the expression of LHON families in Thailand. Hum Genet 2010;128(1):39-49.

10.

Suthammarak W, Yang YY, Morgan PG, Sedensky MM. Complex I function is defective in complex IV-deficient Caenorhabditis elegans. J Biol Chem 2009;284(10):6425-35.

11.

Falk MJ, Rosenjack JR, Polyak E, Suthammarak W, Chen Z, Morgan PG, et al. Subcomplex Ilambda specifically controls integrated mitochondrial functions in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS One 2009;4(8):e6607.

1.

Karamanlidis G, Menendez LG, Kolwicz S, Suthammarak W, Sedensky M, Morgan P, Palmiter R, Tian R. Reduced Complex I Function of the Mitochondria Accelerates Heart Failure in Mice. The NHLBI Mitochondrial Biology Symposium 2011- Advances in Mitochondrial Dynamics and Mitochondrial-Cytosolic Communications. NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

2.

Suthammarak W, Somerlot B, Morgan P, and Sedensky M. Effect of sod-2 on the lifespan of mitochondrial mutants in Ceanorhabditis elegans. Mitochondrial Medicine Symposium June 2011, Chicago, Illinois, USA by the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation.

3.

Suthammarak W, Morgan P, Sedensky M. When mitochondrial supercomplexes lose integrity: two wrongs do not quite make a right. Conference: Mitochondrial Medicine Symposium June 2010, Scottdale, Arizona, USA by the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation.

4.

Suthammarak W, Morgan P, Sedensky M. Modulation of mitochondrial function in C. elegans by modification of supercomplexes – two wrongs almost make a right. Mitochondrial Medicine Symposium 2009, United Mitochondrial DIsease Foundation Annual Meeting 2009.

5.

Suthammarak W, Sedensky M, Morgan P. Complex IV defects alter supercomplex formation in C. elegans. Mitochondrial Medicine Symposium 2007, United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation Annual Meeting. 2007.

6.

Suthammarak W, Falk M, Sedensky M, Morgan P. Effects of complex IV defects on rtyle13>, Somerlot B, Morgan P, and Sedensky M. Effect of sod-2 on the lifespan of mitochondrial mutants in Ceanorhabditis elegans. Mitochondrial Medicine Symposium June 2011, Chicago, Illinois, USA by the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation.