Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences
Contact Information
Email:Biosketch
Ali Vural, PhD, is a molecular and cellular pharmacologist/biologist in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He is a graduate of Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. He earned his doctoral degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Pathobiology from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. He completed post-doctoral training in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation with the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland. After that, he was appointed as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Vural's research centers on a deeper understanding of physiological functions at the cellular, tissue and organ levels through uncovering the biochemistry and signal integration of the accessory signaling proteins. In particular, his research focuses on Activator of G protein Signaling 3 (AGS3), which is a potential therapeutic target with multiple key functions including the elimination of craving behavior upon reinstatement of substances of abuse (e.g., cocaine, heroine, ethanol, methamphetamine); resistance to high-fat diet-induced obesity, altered blood pressure, resistance to antibiotic-resistant bacteria infection and regulation of cyst progression in polycystic kidney disease.
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Education and Training
- Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 2016, Immunoregulation, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- PhD 2010, Molecular and Cellular Biology and Pathobiology, Medical University of South Carolina
- BSc 2005, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Middle East Technical University
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Research
- Pharmacology, Clinical
- Molecular Biology
- Cellular Immunology
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Publications
Vural A., Lanier S.M. Properties of biomolecular condensates defined by Activator of G-protein Signaling 3 Journal of Cell Science. 2024;137
Vural A., Lanier S.M. Intersection of two key signal integrators in the cell: activator of G-protein signaling 3 and dishevelled-2 Journal of Cell Science. 2020;133(17)
Vural A., Nabar N.R., Hwang I.Y., Sohn S., Park C., Karlsson M.C.I., Blumer J.B., Kehrl J.H. GA <inf>I2</inf> signaling regulates inflammasome priming and cytokine production by biasing macrophage phenotype determination Journal of Immunology. 2019;202(5):1510-1520.
Vural A., Fadillioglu E., Kelesoglu F., Ma D., Lanier S.M. Role of G-proteins and phosphorylation in the distribution of AGS3 to cell puncta Journal of Cell Science. 2018;131(23)
Robichaux W.G., Branham-O'Connor M., Hwang I.Y., Vural A., Kehrl J.H., Blumer J.B. Regulation of chemokine signal integration by activator of g-protein signaling 4 (AGS4) Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 2017;360(3):424-433.
Hu G., McQuiston T., Bernard A., Park Y.D., Qiu J., Vural A., Zhang N., Waterman S., Blewett N.H., Myers T.G., Kehrl J.H., Uzel G., Klionsky D.J., Williamson P.R. Tor-dependent post-transcriptional regulation of autophagy: Implications for cancer therapeutics Molecular and Cellular Oncology. 2016;3(5)
Vural A., Al-Khodor S., Cheung G., Shi C., Srinivasan L., McQuiston T., Hwang I., Yeh A., Blumer J., Briken V., Williamson P., Otto M., Fraser I., Kehrl J. Activator of G-protein signaling 3-induced lysosomal biogenesis limits macrophage intracellular bacterial infection Journal of Immunology. 2016;196(2):846-856.
Hu G., McQuiston T., Bernard A., Park Y.D., Qiu J., Vural A., Zhang N., Waterman S., Blewett N.H., Myers T.G., Maraia R.J., Kehrl J.H., Uzel G., Klionsky D.J., Williamson P.R. TOR-dependent post-transcriptional regulation of autophagy Autophagy. 2015;11(12):2390-2392.
Hu G., McQuiston T., Bernard A., Park Y.D., Qiu J., Vural A., Zhang N., Waterman S.R., Blewett N.H., Myers T.G., Kehrl J.H., Uzel G., Klionsky D.J., Williamson P.R. The role of transcriptional ‘futile cycles’ in autophagy and microbial pathogenesis Microbial Cell. 2015;2(8):302-304.
Hu G., McQuiston T., Bernard A., Park Y.D., Qiu J., Vural A., Zhang N., Waterman S.R., Blewett N.H., Myers T.G., Maraia R.J., Kehrl J.H., Uzel G., Klionsky D.J., Williamson P.R. A conserved mechanism of TOR-dependent RCK-mediated mRNA degradation regulates autophagy Nature Cell Biology. 2015;17(7):930-942.
Vural A., Shi C., Kehrl J. Toll-Like Receptors Serve as Activators for Autophagy in Macrophages Helping to Facilitate Innate Immunity Autophagy: Cancer, Other Pathologies, Inflammation, Immunity, Infection, and Aging. 2015;6:179-189.
Huang N., Becker S., Boularan C., Kamenyeva O., Vural A., Hwang I., Shi C., Kehrl J. Canonical and noncanonical G-protein signaling helps coordinate actin dynamics to promote macrophage phagocytosis of zymosan Molecular and Cellular Biology. 2014;34(22):4186-4199.
Williams-Bey Y., Boularan C., Vural A., Huang N., Hwang I., Shan-Shi C., Kehrl J. Omega-3 free fatty acids suppress macrophage inflammasome activation by inhibiting NF-κB activation and enhancing autophagy PLoS ONE. 2014;9(6)
Oner S.S., Vural A., Lanier S.M. Translocation of activator of g-protein signaling 3 to the golgi apparatus in response to receptor activation and its effect on the trans-golgi network Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2013;288(33):24091-24103.
Vural A., McQuiston T., Blumer J., Park C., Hwang I., Williams-Bey Y., Shi C., Dzwokai Zach M., Kehrl J. Normal autophagic activity in macrophages from mice lacking Gaα<inf>i3</inf>, AGS3, or RGS19 PLoS ONE. 2013;8(11)
Oner S.S., An N., Vural A., Breton B., Bouvier M., Blumer J.B., Lanier S.M. Regulation of the AGS3·Gα<inf>i</inf> signaling complex by a seven-transmembrane span receptor Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2010;285(44):33949-33958.
Vural A., Oner S., An N., Simon V., Ma D., Blumer J.B., Lanier S.M. Distribution of activator of G-protein signaling 3 within the aggresomal pathway: Role of specific residues in the tetratricopeptide repeat domain and differential regulation by the AGS3 binding partners Giα and mammalian inscuteable Molecular and Cellular Biology. 2010;30(6):1528-1540.
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Presentations
- Targeting activator of G-protein signaling 3 (AGS3) biomolecular condensates: In silico identification of modulators. Greenberg S, Vural A, 42nd Annual Kalamazoo Community and Health Sciences Research Day, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 04/2024
- Biomolecular Condensates Defined b Activator of G Protein Signaling 3 Exhibit Distinct Properties and Regulation. Vural A, Lanier S, 41st Annual Kalamazoo Community Medical and Health Sciences Research Day, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 05/2023