Contact Information:
Office: BRC1364A
Lab: BRC1364
Mailing Address:
975 NE 10th St, BRC 1364
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Phone: 405-271-8000 x47817
carlosmanlio-diazgarcia@ouhsc.edu
Education:
- B.Sc. Biochemistry, University of Havana, Cuba, 2006
- M.Sc. Animal Physiology, University of Havana, Cuba, 2008
- Ph.D. Biological Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico, 2014
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 2014-2021
Research Interests:
- Brain energy metabolism
- Calcium dynamics
- Neurotransmission
- Metabolic dysregulation and cognitive decline
- Brain insulin signaling
The brain requires large amounts of energy to sustain its exquisite morpho-functional organization. These energy needs are highly variable across brain areas, neural cell types, and even within a cell (or part of its anatomy) depending on the degree of stimulation. Although the pathways involved in energy metabolism are extensively described in Biochemistry textbooks, there is, unfortunately, so much that we still do not understand about the behavior of such complex system, especially when excitable cells need to adjust to changes in activity.
My laboratory will seek to provide answers to long-standing challenges in the field of brain metabolism like: How do neurons upregulate their energy metabolism to cope with moment-to-moment energy demands? What are the mechanisms that ensure the metabolic tuning in different cell types—for example, neurons and astrocytes? We will also address the fuel flexibility of neural cells, as well as the potential metabolic cooperation among them. In addition, we will focus on the effects that systemic metabolism exerts on the brain, mainly through hormones and circulating metabolites. We are particularly interested in the potential role of brain insulin signaling on the hypometabolic states associated with cognitive decline, which are hallmarks of the natural process of aging, as well as several neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases.
Projects in the laboratory involve measuring the concentration of several metabolites in live brain tissue with high temporal and spatial resolution, combining genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors with multiphoton excitation and fluorescence lifetime imaging.
Selected Publications:
Díaz-García CM, Meyer DJ, Nathwani N, Rahman M, Martínez-Francois JR and Yellen G. (2021) The distinct roles of calcium in rapid control of neuronal glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. eLife; 10:e64821. doi: 10.7554/eLife.64821.
Díaz-García CM, Lahmann C, Martínez-Francois JR, Li B, Koveal D, Nathwani N, Rahman M, Keller JP, Marvin JS, Looger LL and Yellen G. (2019) Quantitative in vivo imaging of neuronal glucose concentrations with a genetically encoded fluorescence lifetime sensor. J Neurosci Res; 97(8):946-960. doi: 10.1002/jnr.24433. PMID: 31106909.
Díaz-García CM*, Mongeon R*, Lahmann C*, Koveal D, Zucker H and Yellen G. (2017) Neuronal stimulation triggers neuronal glycolysis and not lactate uptake. Cell Metabolism, 26(2):361-374.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2017.06.021. *equal contributions. PMID: 28768175.
Link to full publication list >