Katsuhiko Funai, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
| Office Location: | 829K SW Tower | |
| Mailing Address: | 660 S. Euclid Ave. Campus Box 8127 St. Louis, MO 63110 |
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| Phone: | (314) 747-8282 | |
| Fax: | (314) 362-7641 | |
| E-mail address: |
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Biography
Katsu Funai was born in Kumamoto, Japan. At age 9 his family moved to Switzerland for his father to attend graduate school. He moved to the United States after graduating from high school in Switzerland and received his Bachelor and Master degrees in Physiology from Boston University. He subsequently attended the University of Michigan to earn his PhD in Kinesiology, working under the direction of Dr. Greg Cartee to study the molecular mechanisms whereby a single bout of exercise increases insulin-independent and insulin-dependent glucose transport in skeletal muscle. In 2010 he joined Dr. Clay Semenkovich’s laboratory as a postdoctoral research fellow to study lipid metabolism.
Research Interests
In addition to its well-known role in de novo lipogenesis, Fatty acid synthase (FAS) appears to function as a lipid signaling module in various tissues. In liver, for example, FAS is involved in synthesizing a ligand for PPAR-alpha. I am studying the role of FAS in skeletal muscle.
Research Mentor
