Fields of Research
- Intracellular Signaling
- Molecular Basis of Diseas
Research Summary
Understanding mitochondria and their regulation by calcium signaling.
Research Statement
The Sancak Lab is interested in mitochondria, organelles that play central roles in metabolism, calcium signaling, innate immunity and cell death. Our main focus is understanding how these diverse mitochondrial functions are regulated to answer cellular needs, particularly by calcium signaling. We use cultured cells and animal models to study the function of mitochondrial calcium uptake in these processes.
Awards and Honors
Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award
Abraham J. Siegel Fellowship Award

Yasemin Sancak
Assistant Professor
Affiliations
UW Department of Pharmacology
UW Molecular & Cellular Biology Graduate Program

Yasemin Sancak
Assistant Professor
Affiliations
UW Department of Pharmacology
UW Molecular & Cellular Biology Graduate Program
Faculty
- Building:
- Health Sciences Building K Wing
- Room:
- K-536B
- Box:
- 357280
- Phone:
- (206)-5430269
Lab
- Building:
- Health Sciences Building K Wing
- Room:
- K -526
- Phone:
- (206)543-8232
- Web Link:
- https://sites.uw.edu/sancaklb

Yasemin Sancak
Assistant Professor
Affiliations
UW Department of Pharmacology
UW Molecular & Cellular Biology Graduate Program
PHOL514

Yasemin Sancak
Assistant Professor
Affiliations
UW Department of Pharmacology
UW Molecular & Cellular Biology Graduate Program
Melissa MacEwen
Tim Locke

Yasemin Sancak
Assistant Professor
Affiliations
UW Department of Pharmacology
UW Molecular & Cellular Biology Graduate Program
Select Publications
Flicker D, Sancak Y, Mick E, Goldberger O, Mootha VK. Exploring the In Vivo Role of the Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter in Brown Fat Bioenergetics. Cell Rep. 2019 Apr 30;27(5):1364-1375.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.04.013. PubMed PMID: 31042465.
Kamer KJ, Sancak Y, Fomina Y, Meisel JD, Chaudhuri D, Grabarek Z, Mootha VK. MICU1 imparts the mitochondrial uniporter with the ability to discriminate between Ca2+ and Mn2+. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Aug 21;115(34):E7960-E7969. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1807811115. Epub 2018 Aug 6. PubMed PMID: 30082385; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6112746
Kovács-Bogdán E, Sancak Y, Kamer KJ, Plovanich M, Jambhekar A, Huber RJ, Myre MA, Blower MD, Mootha VK.Reconstitution of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter in yeast. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Jun 17;111(24):8985-90. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1400514111. Epub 2014 Jun 2. PubMed PMID: 24889638; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4066498
Sancak Y, Markhard AL, Kitami T, Kovács-Bogdán E, Kamer KJ, Udeshi ND, Carr SA, Chaudhuri D, Clapham DE, Li AA, Calvo SE, Goldberger O, Mootha VK. EMRE is an essential component of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter complex.Science. 2013 Dec 13;342(6164):1379-82. doi: 10.1126/science.1242993. Epub 2013 Nov 14. PubMed PMID: 24231807; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4091629.
Publications

Yasemin Sancak
Assistant Professor
Affiliations
UW Department of Pharmacology
UW Molecular & Cellular Biology Graduate Program