Garrison "Sonny" Komaniecki
- Assistant Professor
- Chemistry Department
- Ph.D., Cornell University, 2022
- EMAIL: komaniec@uwp.edu
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
- Biochemistry
- Protein lipidation
- Bacterial toxins
- Biorthogonal chemistry
Most people know me by my nickname, Sonny. My interest in science was originally piqued by my high school chemistry and biology teacher while growing up in Eyota, MN (near Rochester, MN). I followed this interest at the University of Minnesota - Morris, a small liberal arts school, where I again had inspiring educators in chemistry and biology courses. I decided to follow in their footsteps as an educator at a small university and sought out a PhD in Biochemistry from Cornell University. From there, I went directly to my position at UWP! I am also the proud dad to two rambunctious daughters (6 months and 2.5 years as of 1/2023)!
Teaching, Research/Creative & Consulting Interests
Teaching Interests
I enjoy teaching chemistry at all levels and challenging my students to think critically about how course material applies to new situations and their everyday life. I especially enjoy teaching topics in biochemistry. Understanding the chemistry of biological systems is the most detailed and intimate way to understand how life works.
Research Interests
My research interests revolve around topics of protein lipidation, which is when a protein is chemically modified by a fat molecule. Bacterial pathogens have been found to modify host proteins with a unique lipidation known as a lysine fatty acylation to cause toxicity in the host. I am studying the bacterial enzymes that catalyze this modification and how this effects the modified host proteins. Another area of research interest involves how a different type of lipidation, cysteine palmitoylation, controls signaling proteins in mammalian cells.
Consulting Interests
Publications
Selected Publications
2022: Astrocyte Elevated Gene-1 Cys75 S-Palmitoylation by ZDHHC6 Regulates Its Biological Activity., Biochemistry
2022: Golgi stress induces SIRT2 to counteract Shigella infection via defatty-acylation, Nature Communications (1-13 pp.)
2022: Development of a NanoBRET assay to validate inhibitors of Sirt2-mediated lysine deacetylation and defatty-acylation that block prostate cancer cell migration., RSC chemical biology (468-485 pp.)
2021: Lysine Fatty Acylation: Regulatory Enzymes, Research Tools, and Biological Function, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology (18 pp.)
2020: A STAT3 palmitoylation cycle promotes T(H)17 differentiation and colitis, Nature (434-439 pp.)
2020: NMT1 and NMT2 are lysine myristoyltransferases regulating the ARF6 GTPase cycle, Nature Communications (1-17 pp.)
Courses Taught
CHEM 104 - General Chemistry Lab II
CHEM 115 - Chemical Science
CHEM 215 - Organic and Biochemistry
CHEM 323 - Organic Chemistry Lab
CHEM 324 - Chemistry of Biological Systms
CHEM 410 - Advanced Biochemistry
CHEM 499 - Independent Study:
CHEM 620 - Advanced Biochemistry