
Benjamin Tu, Ph.D.
Professor
Endowed Title Martha Steiner Professorship in Medical Research; UT Southwestern Presidential Scholar; W.W. Caruth, Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research
School Medical School
Department Biochemistry
Graduate Programs Biological Chemistry
Biography
***Updated Lab Website: tulab.science
EDUCATION
2003 University of California-San Francisco. PhD, biochemistry and biophysics
1998 Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. AB and AM, chemistry
1994 State College Area High School, State College, PA
POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING
2004-2006 UT Southwestern, Postdoctoral Fellow
CURRENT POSITION
2018 – Professor, Department of Biochemistry, UT Southwestern
2021 - Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Education
- Graduate School
- Harvard University , Chemistry
- Graduate School
- Uni of California-Sfrancisco (2003), Biochemistry
Research Interest
- Mechanisms by which cellular processes are coupled to metabolic state
- Metabolic cycles
- Oxidative stress, nutritional stress
- Regulation of cell growth versus survival
Publications
Featured Publications
- Acetate dependence of tumors.
- Comerford SA, Huang Z, Du X, Wang Y, Cai L, Witkiewicz AK, Walters H, Tantawy MN, Fu A, Manning HC, Horton JD, Hammer RE, McKnight SL, Tu BP Cell 2014 Dec 159 7 1591-602
- Npr2 inhibits TORC1 to prevent inappropriate utilization of glutamine for biosynthesis of nitrogen-containing metabolites.
- Laxman S, Sutter BM, Shi L, Tu BP Sci Signal 2014 7 356 ra120
- Sulfur Amino Acids Regulate Translational Capacity and Metabolic Homeostasis through Modulation of tRNA Thiolation.
- Laxman S, Sutter BM, Wu X, Kumar S, Guo X, Trudgian DC, Mirzaei H, Tu BP Cell 2013 Jul 154 2 416-29
- Methionine Inhibits Autophagy and Promotes Growth by Inducing the SAM-Responsive Methylation of PP2A.
- Sutter BM, Wu X, Laxman S, Tu BP Cell 2013 Jul 154 2 403-15
- Acetyl-CoA induces cell growth and proliferation by promoting the acetylation of histones at growth genes.
- Cai L, Sutter BM, Li B, Tu BP Mol. Cell 2011 May 42 4 426-37
- Selective regulation of autophagy by the Iml1-Npr2-Npr3 complex in the absence of nitrogen starvation.
- Wu X, Tu BP Mol. Biol. Cell 2011 Nov 22 21 4124-33
Honors & Awards
- Finalist, Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists
(2019) - Finalist, Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists
(2018) - Finalist, Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists
(2017) - Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research
(2014) - Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award
(2010) - Packard Fellowship
(2010) - W. W. Caruth, Jr. Scholar in Biomedical Research
(2007) - Burroughs Wellcome Fund
Career Award in Biomedical Sciences (2006) - AAAS & GE Healthcare
Young Scientist Award Regional Winner - North America (2004)