Biology Biology Monday Seminar: "Near Infrared Red Light Exposure Is Associated with Elevations in Nitric Oxide and cGMP"

Join Tiffany Oliver, Ph.D, associate professor of biology at Spelman College for a discussion titled "Near Infrared Red Light Exposure Is Associated with Elevations in Nitric Oxide and cGMP."

Research in the Oliver Lab aims to identify the biological pathways that prevent cell death upon exposure to red light and to determine how the inhibition of cell death can be prolonged. Exposure to 2.88 J/cm2 of red light (632 nm), 24 hours prior, induces resistance to cell killing in RPE cells exposed to a 1-second pulse of 2 μm laser radiation. The initiating event in the cellular response to red light involves the absorption of photons by Complex IV of the electron transport chain. However, alteration of Complex IV also facilitates mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in response to oxidative stress. Completion of the proposed work will further our understanding of novel aspects of cellular respiration, a fundamental process by which mitochondria, a major cellular organelle, use oxygen to make energy (i.e., ATP). Specifically, it will provide insight into the effects of red light on cellular respiration, a fundamental cellular process.