Radical View | December 2023

Ting Ting Huang, PhD
Stanford University

Prepared by: Nathalia Rocco Machado

Congratulations for being selected as a 2023 SfRBM Fellow inductee! How did you initially become interested in redox biology? Can you tell us about your first SfRBM meeting?

My postdoctoral training was in human genetics, and in essence, I was using genetic tools to investigate redox biology. My mentor, Charles Epstein, MD, had devoted his career in understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of Down Syndrome, which was caused by an extra copy of human chromosome 21. SOD1, the gene encoding CuZnSOD, falls within the Down Syndrome region. When I started in Charles Epstein’s laboratory, human genomic SOD1 was cloned and several new strains of SOD1 transgenic mice were generated in the Epstein Lab. My initial project was to understand how higher levels of CuZnSOD contributed to a subset of Down Syndrome phenotypes. I quickly came to see that in addition to investigating the consequences of having too much CuZnSOD, it would be important to examine the biological effects of having reduced or no CuZnSOD. Overtime, the project expanded to including the generation of MnSOD transgenic and knockout mice, as well as EC-SOD transgenic mice.

My first SfRBM meeting was in 1995 in Pasadena, CA. It was memorable at several levels – Charles Epstein and I presented our findings in MnSOD knockout mic and it was my first chance to meet several well-known redox biologists in person.

What has been thus far your most exciting discovery in research?

Identification of nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT) as the genetic modifier for MnSOD knockout mice. My training was in genetics, and as mentioned earlier, my approach to redox biology research relied heavily on using genetic tools. It was gratifying that our research in the phenotypic differences in MnSOD knockout mice on different genetic backgrounds led us back to a genetic endeavor that identified a genetic defect in the NNT gene with significant impact on how mitochondria handle redox metabolism.

Who has been your greatest teacher/mentor? What are the most important factors that have shaped your career?

I spent my early childhood in the countryside. The living things around me, especially the insets and domestic animals I encountered, fascinated me. It was my first biology teacher in middle school who helped me making the connections between what I observed in nature and knowledge learned in text books and in biology labs. He was actually a substitute teach, fresh out of college, and only taught me for one semester. But he definitely had a strong impact on my love for biological sciences and all the subsequent choices in my education.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Teaching and mentoring.
 

What are your hobbies outside the laboratory?

Travel, hiking, baking, and photography.