Alireza Ghanbarpour, PhD

Research Interest

ATP-dependent AAA+ proteases play a central role in maintaining mitochondrial protein quality control by selectively degrading damaged, misfolded, or unnecessary proteins. In addition to removing defective proteins, these proteases regulate the turnover of key regulatory proteins and metabolic enzymes, thereby shaping the mitochondrial proteome to support specific cellular functions. Their activity is particularly critical in cancer cells, where elevated oxidative stress increases protein misfolding and promotes the accumulation of toxic proteins that must be eliminated to sustain tumor growth and survival. My research focuses on understanding how mitochondrial AAA+ proteases recognize and process their substrates, with particular emphasis on the human ClpXP (hClpXP) protease. Mutations in hClpXP are linked to developmental disorders, and this protease has emerged as a promising therapeutic target in cancers such as acute myeloid leukemia. By identifying protein substrates, defining the degron sequences that target proteins for degradation, and uncovering the structural mechanisms underlying substrate recognition, my lab aims to elucidate how mitochondrial protein quality control is regulated in both normal and cancer cells.

Education

• 2012: BS, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran Iran
• 2014: MS, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
• 2019: PhD , Michigan State Universit, East Lansing, MI

Training

• 2014 - 2019: Graduate research Assistant, Geiger Lab , Michigan Sate University
• 2019 - 2021: Postdoc Fellow, NRSA F32 General Medical Sciences, Reinisch Lab , Yale School of Medicine
• 2021 - 2024: Postdoc Associate, Department of Biology, The Sauer and Davis Labs , Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Selected Research Publications