Natalia Peunova, PhD

My research background is in molecular and developmental biology.  My main interest has been in the development and neuronal differentiation and the biological role of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Much of my work focused on the molecular mechanisms of nitric oxide (NO) action, with a particular emphasis on neurogenesis, stem cells, and ciliogenesis.  I discovered that NO is a crucial negative regulator of cell division in various development contexts, particularly during neuronal differentiation. I continue to develop these findings further, concentrating on the mechanisms of NO and ROS action on stem cells of the developing and adult brain. My work on NO, development, and stem cells served as the main foundation of multiple grants for our group through the last two decades, including RO1 and R21 grants from NICHD, NINDS, NIA, NIEHS, NIMH, and NHLBI. More recently, I found that NO also serves as an essential regulator of ciliogenesis and cilia function. I first made this observation on the model of Xenopus embryo, but, given that ciliopathies of different genetic origins are characterized by decreased production of NO, we realized that our studies might be relevant to several inborn and acquired human ciliopathies.  This was an important reason for re-incorporating mouse models in my research program, and I am currently focusing on the role of NO in cilia activity in the ciliated epithelium of the mouse brain ventricles and airways. This transition to the studies of ciliogenesis in mice required developing new methods of live imaging of the brain and quantitative analysis of the images and recordings.

 The transition to a new model slowed down the pace of research and caused a lag in the publication record, but we have now gotten on solid ground: we have most recently published a comprehensive article paper on the role of NO signaling in the ciliogenesis of mouse trachea, and have several more manuscripts at the final stages of preparation for publication.  In addition, the potential clinical relevance of our findings became a basis for two large grants that our group received from NHLBI and NIA and a large supplement from NIA to study the action of SARS-CoV-2 on cilia in the brain and airways.

 For the last decades, since I arrived in the US, I have worked as a Visiting Scientist and Research Investigator at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.  Through these years, I initiated several independent projects, collaborated with research groups at CSHL, SBU, and elsewhere, mastered several developmental models, helped run a large laboratory, supervised undergraduate and graduate students, and described my findings in high-impact publications.  Currently, with my transition to an independent Associate Professor position at Stony Brook University, I am working to further develop my research directions, apply for independent funding, and build my research group.

Research Associate Professor
Department of Anesthesiology
631-632-1631
Natalia.Peunova@stonybrookmedicine.edu
https://renaissance.stonybrookmedicine.edu/anesthesiology/faculty/peunova