K. Adam Bohnert
Assistant Professor
CDIB Division
Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, 2013
Office: 220 Life Sciences Building
Lab: 265/273/277/279/383 Life Sciences Building
Phone: 225-578-3204
Lab Phone: 225-578-6230
Email: [email protected]
Area of Interest
My lab investigates a fundamental question in the field of aging biology: how are offspring, formed from the cells of even very old parents, born young? Germ cells, the reproductive cells of animals, have been proposed to undergo a rejuvenation event, which eliminates parental damage and resets age with each generation. The mechanisms responsible for germline rejuvenation remain largely mysterious. Using advanced imaging techniques, I am tracking age-related damage and quality control machinery in the germ cells of a transparent, genetically-tractable nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. Recently, I made the exciting discovery that protein aggregates, common hallmarks of aging, are eliminated from C. elegans oocytes just prior to fertilization. This renewal in protein homeostasis (‘proteostasis’) requires sperm-dependent activation of lysosomes, organelles with far-reaching implications for cellular health. By studying how age-related phenotypes are reset in the germline, I hope to understand the molecular basis for transgenerational age-resetting, and to ultimately uncover natural mechanisms by which something old can become young again.
Selected Honors and Awards
| Year | Honor/Award |
|---|---|
| 2020 | W. M. Keck Foundation Medical Research Grant |
| 2020 | AFAR & Glenn Foundation Junior Faculty Grant |
| 2014 - 2017 | Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellowship |
| 2014 | Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA F32 Fellowship, NIH (declined) |
| 2008 - 2010 | Integrated Biological Systems Training in Oncology T32 Training Grant, NIH and Vanderbilt University |
| 2007 | Phi Beta Kappa |
| 2006 - 2007 | Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship |
Selected Publications
Villalobos, T.V., Ghosh, B., Alam, S., Butsch, T.J., Mercola, B.M., Ramos, C.D., Das, S., Eymard, E.D., Bohnert, K.A.*, Johnson, A.E,*. (*co-corresponding) Tubular lysosome induction couples animal starvation to healthy aging. Deposited in bioRxiv, doi: 10.1101/2021.10.28.466256.
Ramos, C.D., Bohnert, K.A.*, Johnson, A.E.* (*co-corresponding) (2022) Reproductive tradeoffs govern sexually dimorphic tubular lysosome induction in C. elegans. Journal of Experimental Biology. doi: 10.1242/jeb.244282.
Butsch, T.J., Dubuisson, O., Johnson, A.E., Bohnert, K.A. (2022) A meiotic switch in lysosome activity supports spermatocyte development in young flies but collapse with age. iScience. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104382.
Bohnert, K.A.*, Johnson, A.E.* (*co-corresponding) (2022) Branching off: new insight into lysosomes as tubular organelles. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2022.863922.
Ghosh, B., Guidry, H.J., Johnston, M., Bohnert, K.A. (2022) A fat-promoting botanical extract from Artemisia scoparia exerts geroprotective effects on C. elegans lifespan and stress resistance. Journals of Gerontology, Series A. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glac040.
Dolese, D.A., Junot, M.P., Ghosh, B., Butsch, T.J., Johnson, A.E., Bohnert, K.A. (2021). Degradative tubular lysosomes link pexophagy to starvation and early aging in C. elegans. Autophagy. doi: 10.1080/15548627.2021.1990647.
Butsch, T.J., Ghosh, B., Bohnert, K.A. (2021). Organelle-specific autophagy in cellular aging and rejuvenation. Advances in Geriatric Medicine and Research, 3(2), e210010.
Samaddar, M., Goudeau, J., Sanchez, M., Hall, D.H., Bohnert, K.A., Ingaramo, M., Kenyon, C. (2021). A genetic screen identifies new steps in oocyte maturation that enhance proteostasis in the immortal germ lineage. eLife, 10, e62653.
Bohnert, A., Rossi, A., Jin, Q.-W., Chen, J.-S., Gould, K. L. (2020). Phosphoregulation of the cytokinetic protein Fic1 contributes to fission yeast growth polarity establishment. Journal of Cell Science, 133, jcs244392.
Willet, A. H., Bohnert, K. A., Gould, K. L. (2018). Cdk1-dependent phosphoinhibition of a formin-F-BAR interaction opposes cytokinetic contractile ring formation. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 29(6), 713-721.
Bohnert, K. A. (2018). Staining the Germline in Live Caenorhabditis elegans: Overcoming Challenges by Applying a Fluorescent-dye Feeding Strategy. Bio-Protocol, 8, e3077.
Bohnert, K. A., Kenyon, C. (2017). A lysosomal switch triggers proteostasis renewal in the immortal C. elegans germ lineage. Nature, 551(7682), 629.
Willet, A. H., McDonald, N. A., Bohnert, K. A., Baird, M. A., Allen, J. R., Davidson, M. W., Gould, K. L. (2015). The F-BAR Cdc15 promotes contractile ring formation through the direct recruitment of the formin Cdc12. J Cell Biol, 208(4), 391-399.
Perez-Rodriguez, I., Bohnert, K. A., Cuebas, M., Keddis, R., Vetriani, C. (2013). Detection and phylogenetic analysis of the membrane-bound nitrate reductase (Nar) in pure cultures and microbial communities from deep-sea hydrothermal vents. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 86(2), 256--267.
Bohnert, K. A., Willet, A. H., Kovar, D. R., Gould, K. L. (2013). Formin-based control of the actin cytoskeleton during cytokinesis. Biochemical Society Transactions, 41(6), 1750-1754.
Bohnert, K. A., Grzegorzewska, A. P., Willet, A. H., Vander Kooi, C. W., Kovar, D. R., Gould, K. L. (2013). SIN-dependent phosphoinhibition of formin multimerization controls fission yeast cytokinesis. Genes & Development, 27(19), 2164-2177.
Bohnert, K. A., Gould, K. L. (2012). Cytokinesis-based constraints on polarized cell growth in fission yeast. PLoS Genetics, 8(10), e1003004.
Bohnert, K. A., Gould, K. L. (2011). On the cutting edge: post-translational modifications in cytokinesis. Trends in Cell Biology, 21(5), 283-292.
Bohnert, K. A., Chen, J.-S., Clifford, D. M., Vander Kooi, C. W., Gould, K. L. (2009). A link between aurora kinase and Clp1/Cdc14 regulation uncovered by the identification of a fission yeast borealin-like protein. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 20(16), 3646-3659.