Gary Thomas, PhD

  • Professor

Education & Training

  • PhD in Biochemistry, The Biozentrum of the University of Basel (Switzerland)
  • BSc in Chemistry, Boise State University

Research Interests

We investigate signaling pathways that integrate membrane traffic with the regulation of cellular proteostasis and the onset of disease, including obesity and autism. Our studies are grounded by our discovery of the PACS family of multi-functional sorting proteins and how recurrent mutations in PACS1 and PACS2 cause debilitating neurodevelopmental disorders: PACS1 syndrome and PACS2 syndrome. Currently, we are investigating how the PACS proteins regulate key deacetylases, including SIRT1 and HDAC6, and ion channels to control signaling pathways impacting metabolism, apoptosis, and autism, and we leverage these discoveries to develop targeted therapeutic strategies to combat these disorders.

Publications

Villar-Pazos S, Thomas L, Yang Y, Chen K, Lyles JB, Deitch BM, Ochaba S, Ling K, Powers B, Gingras S, Kordasiewicz, HB, Grubisha MJ, Huang YH, Thomas G. RNA-targeted therapy corrects neuronal deficits in PACS1 syndrome mice (2023) Res Sq, doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-2440581/v1. (PMID: 36747781).

Nhung TTM, Long NP, Nghi TD, Suh Y, Anh NH, Jung CW, Hong MT, Jung M, Woo Y, Noh S, Kim SJ, Lee SB, Park S, Thomas G, Simmen T, Mun J, Rhee HW, Kwon SW, Park SK. (2023) Genome-wide kinase-MAM interactome screening reveals the role of CK2A1 in MAM Ca2+ dynamics linked to DEE66. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA  120(32):e2303402120. (PMID: 37523531)

Olson HE, Jean-Marçais N, Yang E, Heron D, Tatton-Brown K, van der Zwaag PA,  Bijlsma EK, Krock BL, Backer E, Kamsteeg EJ, Sinnema M, Reinders MRF, Bearden D, Begtrup A, Telegraphi A, Lunsing RJ, Burglen L, Gaetan L, Cho MT, Smith LA, Sheidley BR, El Achkar CM, Pearl PL, Skraban CM, Tarpinian J, Nesbitt AI, Fransen van de Putte DE, Ruivenkamp CA, Rump P, Chatron N, Sabatier I, De Bellescize J, Giabaud L, Sweetser DA, Waxler JL, DDD Study, Donadieu J, Narayanan V, Ramsey KM, C4RCD Research Group, Nava C, Rivière JB, Vitobello A, Tran Mau-Them F, Philippe C, Bruel AL, Duffourd Y, Thomas L, Lelieveld S, Schuurs-Hoeijmakers J, Brunner H, Keren B, Thevenon J, Faivre L, Thomas G, Thauvin-Robinet C. (2018) A recurrent de novo PACS2 heterozygous missense variant causes neonatal-onset developmental epileptic encephalopathy, facial dysmorphism and cerebellar dysgenesis  Am J Human Gen 102:995-1007. (PMID: 29656858).

Krzysiak TC, Thomas L, Choi YJ, Auclair S, Qian Y, Luan S, Krasnow SM, Thomas LL, Khoharudin LMI, Benos PV, Marks DL, Gronenborn AM, Thomas G. (2018) An insulin responsive sensor in the SIRT1 disordered region binds DBC1 and PACS-2 to control enzyme activity Mol. Cell 72:985-998.( PMID: 30415949).

Atkins KM, Thomas LL, Barroso-González J, Thomas L, Auclair, S, Yin J, Kang H, Chung JH, Dikeakos JD, Thomas G. (2014) The multi-functional sorting protein PACS-2 regulates SIRT1-mediated deacetylation of p53 to modulate p21-dependent cell cycle arrest. Cell Reports 8:1545-1577. (PMID: 25159152).

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