Contact Information
About Me
Courses
Research
Chemistry Department
We work in the newly finished Guehler Biochemistry Laboratory. Click on the link to learn more!
RESEARCH FOCUS 
My research is aimed at understanding the coordination of metabolic pathways, specifically fatty acid degradation and respiration, that occur in separate compartments, organelles, within a cell. To study this I use Baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) as a model cellular system. The techniques I use include biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology and genetics. These studies involve the regulation of genes encoding proteins that reside in different organelles, as well as the transport of metabolic intermediates between them. Presently, I am studying the four proteins, called Odc1p, Odc2p, Ymc1p and Ymc2p, that are thought to transport intermediates of the citric acid cycle, primarily alpha-ketoglutarate, in and out of the mitochondrial compartment. Additionally, we are examining the role(s) of enzymes which metabolize alpha-ketoglutarate, the glutamate dehydrogenases Gdh1p, Gdh2p and Gdh3p.

 
Summer Research Group 2009

Left to Right: Dr. Pam Trotter; Dr. Lori Scott (Prof. of Biology); Justine Nguyen ('11; biochem/pre-med);                       Evan Stoner ('11; psychology/biochem); Stephanie Aeschliman ('12; bio/pre-med)

POSTERS presented at Experimental Biology/ ASBMB Undergraduate Research Competitions
2008
Zak Rajput: "13C-NMR studies on the glutamate metabolism of glutamate dehydrogenase mutants of yeast"
2006
Brad Carter: "Effects of mitochondrial transport protein mutations on retrograde signaling"

2004

Amy Adamson: "13C-NMR studies on glutamate metabolism of two mitochondrial transport mutants"
Aaron West: "Glutamate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase and isocitrate dehydrogenase activity in yeast with mitochondrial transporter deletions"

2003

Nicole Stites: “Alpha-ketoglutarate levels and glutamate dehydrogenase activity in yeast oxodicarboxylate carrier mutants”

Megan Wadington: "Metabolism of 13C-pyruvate and 13C-acetate in yeast mitochondrial transport mutants"

EXTRAMURAL FUNDING  

National Institutes of Health – Academic Research Enhancement Award, R15-GM6937-02: “Mitochondrial Transporters Involved in Glutamate and Fatty Acid Metabolism”, April 2008- March 2011, $142,500 direct, PI: Pamela J. Trotter.

 

Merck/AAAS Undergraduate Science Research Program, Student/faculty research support for Augustana biology and chemistry departments, 2007-2009, $60,000 direct, Co-PIs: Mary Ellen Biggin, Patrick A. Crawford, C. Kevin Geedey,  Lori R. Scott, Jason Singer and Pamela J. Trotter.
 

National Institutes of Health – Academic Research Enhancement Award, R15-GM69372-01: “Yeast Fatty Acid Metabolism and the Role of Mitochondrial Transporters”, April 2004- March 2007, PI: Pamela J. Trotter.

National Science Foundation – MRI/RUI Award, CHE-020267: “Acquisition of a 400 MHz NMR to Enhance Faculty and Undergraduate Research and Chemistry Education at Augustana College”, July 15, 2003-June 30, 2006, PI: Pamela J. Trotter, Co-PIs: Dell W. Jensen and Richard M. Narske.

National Institutes of Health; R01-DK55525: “Fatty Acid Transport in Eukaryotes”, September 1998-August 2004: PI: Pamela J. Trotter
 
PUBLICATIONS
Refereed Articles
1.
 
 
 
 Trotter, P.J., A.L. Adamson, A.C. Ghrist, L. Rowe, L.R. Scott, M.P. Sherman, N.C. Stites, Y.Sun, M.A. Tawiah-Boateng, A.S. Tibbetts, M.C. Wadington, A.C. West (2005). Mitochondrial transporters involved in oleic acid utilization and glutamate metabolism in yeast. Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 442:21-32.
 
2.
 
 
 
 Tibbetts, A.S, Y. Sun, N.A. Lyon, A.C. Ghrist and P.J. Trotter (2002). The yeast mitochondrial oxodicarboxylate transporters are important for growth on oleic acid. Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 406:96-104..
 
3.
 
 
 Hagerman, R.A., P.J. Trotter and R.A. Willis (2002). The regulation of COQ5 gene expression by energy source. Free Rad. Res. 36:485-490.
 
4.
 
 
 
 Hagerman, R.A. and P.J. Trotter (2001). A mutation in the yeast mitochondrial ribosomal protein Rml2p is associated with a defect in catalase gene expression. Mol. Cell Biol. Res. Commun. 4:299-306.
 
5.
 
 
 Trotter, P.J. (2000). A novel pathway for transport and metabolism of a fluorescent phosphatidic acid analog in yeast. Traffic 5:425-434.
 
6.
 
 
 Trotter, P.J., R.A. Hagerman and D.R. Voelker (1999). A yeast strain defective in oleic acid utilization has a mutation in the RML2 gene. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1438:223-238.
7.
 
 
 
 
 Trotter, P.J., W.-I. Wu, J. Pedretti, R. Yates, and D.R.Voelker. (1998). A genetic screen for mutants defective in aminophospholipid transport identifies the phosphatidylinositol-4-kinase, Stt4p, as an essential component in phosphatidylserine metabolism. J. Biol. Chem. 273:13189-13196.
 
8.
 
 
 Trotter, P.J., S. Y. Ho and J. Storch (1996). Fatty acid uptake by Caco-2 human intestinal cells. J. Lipid Res 37:336-346.
 
9.
 
 
 
 Achleitner, G., D. Zweytick, P. J. Trotter, D. R. Voelker and G. Daum. (1995). Synthesis and intracellular transport of aminoglycerophospholipids in permeabilized cells of the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J. Biol. Chem. 270:29836-29842.
 
10.
 
 
 
 Trotter, P.J., J. Pedretti, R. Yates and D. R. Voelker. (1995). Phosphatidylserine decarboxylase 2 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Cloning and mapping of the gene, heterologous expression and creation of the null allele. J. Biol. Chem. 270:6071-6080.
 
11.
 
 
 
 Trotter, P.J. and D. R. Voelker (1995). Identification of a non-mitochondrial phosphatidylserine decarboxylase activity (PSD2) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J. Biol. Chem. 270:6062-6070.
 
12.
 
 
 
 Trotter, P.J., J. Pedretti and D. R. Voelker. (1993). Phosphatidylserine decarboxylase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Isolation of mutants, cloning of the gene and creation of the null allele. Biol. Chem. 268:21416-21424.
 
13.
 
 
 Trotter, P.J. and J. Storch (1993). Fatty acid esterification during differentiation of the human intestinal cell line Caco-2. J. Biol. Chem. 268:10017-10023.
 
14.
 
 
 
 Trotter, P.J. and J. Storch (1993). Nutritional control of fatty acid esterification in differentiating Caco-2 intestinal cells is mediated by cellular diacylglycerol concentrations. J. Nutrition 123:728-736.
 
15.
 
 
 
 Trotter, P.J. and J. Storch (1991). Fatty acid uptake and metabolism in a human intestinal cell line (Caco-2): Comparison of apical and basolateral incubation. J. Lipid Res. 32:293-304.
 
16.
 
 
 
 Trotter, P.J. and J. Storch (1989). 3-[p-(Phenyl)-1,3,5-hexatrienyl]-phenylpropionic acid (PA-DPH): Characterization as a fluorescent membrane probe and binding to fatty acid binding proteins. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 982:131-139.
 
Invited Reviews
1.
 
 
 
Freeland-Graves, J. and P.J. Trotter (2000). Minerals-Dietary importance. In: Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition, B. Cabellero, L. Trugo and P. Finglas (eds), Academic Press, London. In Press.
 
2.
 
 
 
 Freeland-Graves, J. and P.J. Trotter (2000). Minerals-Dietary importance. In: Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition, B. Cabellero, L. Trugo and P. Finglas (eds), Academic Press, London. In Press.
 
3.
 
 
 
 Trotter, P.J., and D. R. Voelker. (1996). Phosphatidylserine dynamics and membrane biogenesis. In: Advances in Molecular and Cell Biology: Lipobiology, R. Gross (ed), JAI Press, Inc., Greenwich, Conn., Vol. 1:299-335.
 
4.
 
 
 Trotter, P.J. and D. R. Voelker (1994). Lipid transport processes in eukaryotic cells. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1213:242-262.