Department of Nutrition: Massillon

Duna Massillon received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Montreal. While completing her Ph.D., she performed research in the Department of Biochemistry at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. She then held a postdoctoral position in the Department of Endocrinology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY in the laboratory of Dr. L. Rossetti. In 1997, Dr. Massillon joined the Department of Nutrition of CWRU as an Instructor. She has been the recipient of several fellowships including those from the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International, the Ministry of Education from the Government of Quebec, and the University of Toronto.

Research Interests

Publications

Contacting Dr. Massillon
email: dxm71@po.cwru.edu

Research Interests
In terms of research, I am mostly interested in the nutrientregulation of gene expression. The regulation of theglucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) gene expression influences glucosehomeostasis, particularly under conditions of nutrient imbalanceas occur in obesity and diabetes. One of my main foci is toidentify the mechanisms by which glucose or lipids signal theireffects on G6Pase gene expression.

Another project aims at discerning the role of acetyl-CoAcarboxylase (ACC) gene regulation of fuel partitioning (i.e. thebalance of fatty acid synthesis, oxidation, esterification, andglucose oxidation). Energy partitioning is controlled by thefluxes regulated by ACC and carnitine palmotyl-CoA I (CPT I).Alterations in the activity of these enzymes affect both glucoseand fat metabolism. In normal conditions, availability of glucosecauses a switch of fuel from fatty acid to glucose throughinhibition of CPTI by malonyl-CoA. The major factor thatregulates the concentration of malonyl-CoA is ACC. ACC activitychanges rapidly in response to the energetic needs of the cellreflecting its unique involvement in both FA synthesis anddegradation.

1. Massillon D. Regulation of the glucose-6-phosphatase gene by glucose occurs by transcriptional and
post-trancriptional mechanisms. Differential effect of glucose and xylitol.
J Biol Chem. 2000 Nov 21 [epub ahead of print]

2. Massillon D, Chen W, BarzilaiN, Prus-Wertheimer D, Hawkins M, Liu R, Taub R, and Rossetti L.Carbon flux via the pentose pathway regulates the hepaticexpression of the glucose-6-phosphatase and phosphoenolpyruvatecarboxykinase genes in conscious rats. J. Biol. Chem. 273:228-34, 1998.

3. Rossetti L, Massillon D,Barzilai, N, Vuguin, P, Chen W, Hawkins, M, Wu J, and Wang J.Short term effect of leptin on hepatic gluconeogenesis and invivo insulin action. J. Biol. Chem. 272: 27758-63, 1997.

4. Massillon, D, Barzilai, N,Hawkins, M, Prus-Wertheimer, D, and Rossetti, L. Induction ofhepatic glucose-6-phosphatase gene expression by lipid infusion.Diabetes 46: 153-57, 1997.

5. Massillon D, Barzilai N, ChenW, Hu M, Rossetti L. Glucose regulates in vivoglucose-6-phosphatase gene expression in the liver of diabeticrats. J. Biol. Chem. 271:9871-4, 1996.

6. Massillon D, Bollen M, DeWulf H, Overloop K, Vanstapel F, Van Hecke P, Stalmans W.Demonstration of a glycogen/glucose 1-phosphate cycle inhepatocytes from fasted rats. Selective inactivation ofphosphorylase by 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-alpha-D-glucopyranosylfluoride. J. Biol.Chem. 270:19351-6, 1995.

7. Barzilai N, Massillon D,Rossetti L. Effects of fasting on hepatic and peripheral glucosemetabolism in conscious rats with near-total fat depletion.Biochem. J. 310:819-26, 1995.

8. Massillon D, Chen W, HawkinsM, Liu R, Barzilai N, Rossetti L. Quantitation of hepatic glucosefluxes and pathways of hepatic glycogen synthesis in consciousmice. Am. J. Physiol. 269: E1037-43, 1995.

9. Massillon D, Stalmans W, vande Werve G, Bollen M. Identification of the glycogenic compound5-iodotubercidin as a general protein kinase inhibitor. BiochemJ. 299:123-8, 1994.

10. Garcia-Sainz JA, Alcantara-HernandezR, Robles-Flores M, Torres-Marquez ME, Massillon D, AnnabiB., Van de Werve G.Modulation by protein kinase C of the hormonalresponsiveness of hepatocytes from lean (Fa/Fa) and obese (fa/fa)Zucker rats. Biochim. et Biophys. Acta. 1135:221-5, 1992.

11.van de Werve G, Massillon D.Altered regulation of glycogen metabolism by vasopressin andphenylephrine in hepatocytes from insulin-resistant obese (fa/fa)rats. Role of protein kinase C. Biochem. J. 269:795-9, 1990.

Duna Massillon, Ph.D.