Tudor Moldoveanu, PhD

Research Program: Cancer Biology Faculty Rank: Associate Professor Campus: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College: College of Medicine Department: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Cancer Research Interest

• Disease Site Focus: No Specific Disease Site, Multiple Myeloma, Breast, Gynecology, Hematologic Malignancies, Leukemia/ Lymphoma
• Research Focus Area: Carcinogenesis, Treatment, Informatics
• Type of Research: Basic, Translational
• Research Keywords: Programmed cell death; apoptosis; necroptosis; ferroptosis; structural and chemical biology; membrane and signaling proteins
• Research Interest Statement: Programmed cell death plays a central role in normal biology and cancer pathogenesis. Our laboratory uses structural and chemical biology to explore the mechanisms underlying cell death. We are interested in identifying and understanding how programmed cell death pathways can be targeted as a therapeutic approach. The mechanisms that manipulate programmed cell death play critical roles in regulating homeostasis but are often deregulated in cancer, which leads to chemotherapy resistance. Our research encompasses elucidation of the regulatory mechanisms responsible for apoptosis initiation as well as necroptosis and ferroptosis execution, all of which involve membrane permeabilization events. Additionally, we are designing small molecule chemical probes for key targets in these pathways for use in preclinical cancer research broadly applicable to many types of cancer.

Contact Information

• Email Address: TMoldoveanu@uams.edu
• Profiles Research Networking Software: View Profile

Publications

• Moldoveanu T. Apoptotic mitochondrial poration by a growing list of pore-forming BCL-2 family proteins. BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology. 2023:e2200221. PMID: 36650950. PMCID: PMC9975053.
• Sekar G, Singh G, Qin X, [et al., including Moldoveanu T]. Small molecule SJ572946 activates BAK to initiate apoptosis. iScience. 2022 25(10):105064. PMID: 36147946. PMCID: PMC9485059.
• Chen PC, Han X, Shaw TI, [et al., including Moldoveanu T]. Alzheimer's disease-associated U1 snRNP splicing dysfunction causes neuronal hyperexcitability and cognitive impairment. Nature aging. 2022 2(10):923-940. PMID: 36636325. PMCID: PMC9833817.
• Sekar G, Ojoawo A, Moldoveanu T. Protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions of pore-forming BCL-2 family proteins in apoptosis initiation. Biochemical Society transactions. 2022 50(3):1091-1103. PMID: 35521828. PMCID: PMC9310348.
• Singh G, Guibao CD, Seetharaman J, [et al., including Moldoveanu T]. Structural basis of BAK activation in mitochondrial apoptosis initiation. Nature communications. 2022 13(1):250. PMID: 35017502. PMCID: PMC8752837.
• Ojoawo AM, Moldoveanu T. A killer metamorphosis: catching BAK in action at the membrane. The EMBO journal. 2021 40(20):e109529. PMID: 34542920. PMCID: PMC8521302.
• Schnetler R, Fanucchi S, Moldoveanu T, Koorsen G. Linker Histone H1.2 Directly Activates BAK through the K/RVVKP Motif on the C-Terminal Domain. Biochemistry. 2020 59(36):3332-3346. PMID: 32786407.
• Moldoveanu T, Czabotar PE. BAX, BAK, and BOK: A Coming of Age for the BCL-2 Family Effector Proteins. Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology. 2020 12(4). PMID: 31570337. PMCID: PMC7111251.
• Guibao CD, Petrinjak K, Moldoveanu T. Uncovering human mixed lineage kinase domain-like activation in necroptosis. Future medicinal chemistry. 2019 11(21):2831-2844. PMID: 31713433.
• McNamara DE, Dovey CM, Hale AT, [et al., including Moldoveanu T]. Direct Activation of Human MLKL by a Select Repertoire of Inositol Phosphate Metabolites. Cell chemical biology. 2019 26(6):863-877.e7. PMID: 31031142. PMCID: PMC6588482.
• Singh G, Moldoveanu T. Methods to Probe Conformational Activation and Mitochondrial Activity of Proapoptotic BAK. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.). 2019 1877:185-200. PMID: 30536007.
• McNamara DE, Quarato G, Guy CS, [et al., including Moldoveanu T]. Characterization of MLKL-mediated Plasma Membrane Rupture in Necroptosis. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE. 2018(138). PMID: 30148498. PMCID: PMC6126679.
• Moldoveanu T, Zheng JH. Metastability, an emerging concept governing BOK-mediated apoptosis initiation. Oncotarget. 2018 9(57):30944-30945. PMID: 30123418. PMCID: PMC6089559.
• Dovey CM, Diep J, Clarke BP, [et al., including Moldoveanu T]. MLKL Requires the Inositol Phosphate Code to Execute Necroptosis. Molecular cell. 2018 70(5):936-948.e7. PMID: 29883610. PMCID: PMC5994928.
• Zheng JH, Grace CR, Guibao CD, [et al., including Moldoveanu T]. Intrinsic Instability of BOK Enables Membrane Permeabilization in Apoptosis. Cell reports. 2018 23(7):2083-2094.e6. PMID: 29768206. PMCID: PMC6500462.
• Ponnusamy S, Coss CC, Thiyagarajan T, [et al., including Moldoveanu T]. Novel Selective Agents for the Degradation of Androgen Receptor Variants to Treat Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer. Cancer research. 2017 77(22):6282-6298. PMID: 28978635. PMCID: PMC5890913.
• Wu X, Zhang LS, Toombs J, [et al., including Moldoveanu T]. Extra-mitochondrial prosurvival BCL-2 proteins regulate gene transcription by inhibiting the SUFU tumour suppressor. Nature cell biology. 2017 19(10):1226-1236. PMID: 28945232. PMCID: PMC5657599.
• Zheng JH, Viacava Follis A, Kriwacki RW, Moldoveanu T. Discoveries and controversies in BCL-2 protein-mediated apoptosis. The FEBS journal. 2016 283(14):2690-700. PMID: 26411300.