Alison E. Ringel

Alison E. Ringel

Assistant Professor of Biology; Core Member, Ragon Institute

Alison E. Ringel seeks to understand the molecular adaptations that enable immune cells to function and survive within unfavorable environments.

857-268-7031

Phone

NE46-868

Office

aringel@mit.edu

Email

Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard

Location

Lab Website

Education

  • PhD, 2015, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
  • BA, 2009, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry/Physics, Wesleyan University

Research Summary

We investigate crosstalk between CD8+ T cells and their environment at a molecular level, by dissecting the biological and metabolic programs engaged under conditions of stress. Using an array of approaches to model and perturb the local microenvironment, our research aims to reveal both the adaptive molecular changes as well as intrinsic vulnerabilities in T cells that arise within the tumor niche. Our goal is to understand how disease states remodel the fundamental mechanisms that regulate immune cell function and contribute to pathogenesis.

Awards

  • Forbeck Scholar, 2021

Key Publications

  1. Obesity Shapes Metabolism in the Tumor Microenvironment to Suppress Anti-Tumor Immunity. Ringel, AE, Drijvers, JM, Baker, GJ, Catozzi, A, García-Cañaveras, JC, Gassaway, BM, Miller, BC, Juneja, VR, Nguyen, TH, Joshi, S et al.. 2020. Cell 183, 1848-1866.e26.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.11.009PMID:33301708
  2. Chemical and Physiological Features of Mitochondrial Acylation. Ringel, AE, Tucker, SA, Haigis, MC. 2018. Mol Cell 72, 610-624.
    doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2018.10.023PMID:30444998
  3. Nucleosome competition reveals processive acetylation by the SAGA HAT module. Ringel, AE, Cieniewicz, AM, Taverna, SD, Wolberger, C. 2015. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 112, E5461-70.
    doi: 10.1073/pnas.1508449112PMID:26401015
  4. Alternate deacylating specificities of the archaeal sirtuins Sir2Af1 and Sir2Af2. Ringel, AE, Roman, C, Wolberger, C. 2014. Protein Sci 23, 1686-97.
    doi: 10.1002/pro.2546PMID:25200501

Recent Publications

  1. Age-associated remodeling of T cell immunity and metabolism. Han, S, Georgiev, P, Ringel, AE, Sharpe, AH, Haigis, MC. 2023. Cell Metab 35, 36-55.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2022.11.005PMID:36473467
  2. Oncometabolite d-2HG alters T cell metabolism to impair CD8+ T cell function. Notarangelo, G, Spinelli, JB, Perez, EM, Baker, GJ, Kurmi, K, Elia, I, Stopka, SA, Baquer, G, Lin, JR, Golby, AJ et al.. 2022. Science 377, 1519-1529.
    doi: 10.1126/science.abj5104PMID:36173860
  3. Spatially resolved characterization of tissue metabolic compartments in fasted and high-fat diet livers. Stopka, SA, van der Reest, J, Abdelmoula, WM, Ruiz, DF, Joshi, S, Ringel, AE, Haigis, MC, Agar, NYR. 2022. PLoS One 17, e0261803.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261803PMID:36067168
  4. Development of a colorimetric α-ketoglutarate detection assay for prolyl hydroxylase domain (PHD) proteins. Wong, SJ, Ringel, AE, Yuan, W, Paulo, JA, Yoon, H, Currie, MA, Haigis, MC. 2021. J Biol Chem 296, 100397.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100397PMID:33571527
  5. Obesity Shapes Metabolism in the Tumor Microenvironment to Suppress Anti-Tumor Immunity. Ringel, AE, Drijvers, JM, Baker, GJ, Catozzi, A, García-Cañaveras, JC, Gassaway, BM, Miller, BC, Juneja, VR, Nguyen, TH, Joshi, S et al.. 2020. Cell 183, 1848-1866.e26.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.11.009PMID:33301708
  6. Pharmacologic Screening Identifies Metabolic Vulnerabilities of CD8+ T Cells. Drijvers, JM, Gillis, JE, Muijlwijk, T, Nguyen, TH, Gaudiano, EF, Harris, IS, LaFleur, MW, Ringel, AE, Yao, CH, Kurmi, K et al.. 2021. Cancer Immunol Res 9, 184-199.
    doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-20-0384PMID:33277233
  7. Astrocyte deletion of α2-Na/K ATPase triggers episodic motor paralysis in mice via a metabolic pathway. Smith, SE, Chen, X, Brier, LM, Bumstead, JR, Rensing, NR, Ringel, AE, Shin, H, Oldenborg, A, Crowley, JR, Bice, AR et al.. 2020. Nat Commun 11, 6164.
    doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-19915-2PMID:33268780
  8. Adaptation of Human iPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Reduces Acute Cardiotoxicity via Metabolic Reprogramming. Wang, H, Sheehan, RP, Palmer, AC, Everley, RA, Boswell, SA, Ron-Harel, N, Ringel, AE, Holton, KM, Jacobson, CA, Erickson, AR et al.. 2019. Cell Syst 8, 412-426.e7.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cels.2019.03.009PMID:31078528
  9. Histone demethylase KDM6A directly senses oxygen to control chromatin and cell fate. Chakraborty, AA, Laukka, T, Myllykoski, M, Ringel, AE, Booker, MA, Tolstorukov, MY, Meng, YJ, Meier, SR, Jennings, RB, Creech, AL et al.. 2019. Science 363, 1217-1222.
    doi: 10.1126/science.aaw1026PMID:30872525
  10. Chemical and Physiological Features of Mitochondrial Acylation. Ringel, AE, Tucker, SA, Haigis, MC. 2018. Mol Cell 72, 610-624.
    doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2018.10.023PMID:30444998
More Publications
Photo credit: Raleigh McElvery