Johnson Lab
Dr. Johnson received his doctorate in Molecular Biology from Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH). His post-doctoral work at Fox Chase Cancer Center (Philadelphia, PA) used a liposarcoma model system to investigate the maintenance of telomeres, important nucleoprotein structures with roles in aging and cancer. Dr. Johnson then joined the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), where his early work explored cellular defects in patients with Werner and Bloom’s syndromes, genetic diseases characterized by accelerated aging and cancer predisposition. Dr. Johnson’s recent work has focused on exploring the mechanistic basis of the benefits of methionine restriction in S. cerevisiae and cultured mouse and human cells.
Jay E. Johnson, Ph.D.
Associate Scientist
The dual aims of Dr. Johnson’s research are characterizing the cellular mechanisms underlying the benefits of methionine restriction (MR), and identification of novel MR-interventions that improve healthspan. Because many of the mechanisms that regulate mammalian longevity were first identified as mechanisms that promote longevity in yeast, Dr. Johnson’s group uses yeast models as well as mammalian cells and laboratory mice in his multifaceted approach.
| 2012-2015 | Research Associate University of Pennsylvania |
| 2007-2012 | Postdoctoral Fellowship University of Pennsylvania |
| 2004-2007 | Postdoctoral Fellowship Fox Chase Cancer Center & Memorial Health University Medical Center |
| 1998-2004 | Ph.D., Molecular Biology Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine |
| 1998 | Research Rotations Case Western Reserve University |
| 1997 | B.S., Biotechnology Rochester Institute of Technology |
- Intermittent methionine restriction reduces IGF-1 levels and produces similar healthspan benefits to continuous methionine restriction
Plummer JD, Johnson JE
Aging Cell 2022; 21: e13629| PubMed ID: 35570387Selenium supplementation inhibits IGF-1 signaling and confers methionine restriction-like healthspan benefits to mice
Plummer JD, Postnikoff SDL, Tyler JK, Johnson JE
ELife 2021; 10: e62483| PubMed ID: 33783357Extension of cellular lifespan by methionine restriction involves alterations in central carbon metabolism and is mitophagy-dependent
Plummer JD, Johnson JE
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology 2019; 7 (301): | PubMed ID: 31850341The role of autophagy in the regulation of yeast life span
Tyler JK, Johnson JE
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2018; 1418 (1): 31-43| PubMed ID: 29363766The integrated stress response in budding yeast lifespan extension
Postnikoff SDL, Johnson JE, Tyler JK
Microbial Cell (Graz, Austria) 2017; 4 (11): 368-375| PubMed ID: 29167799Pleiotropic responses to methionine restriction
Ables GP, Johnson JE
Experimental Gerontology 2017; (94): 83-88| PubMed ID: 28108330Methionine restriction activates the retrograde response and confers both stress tolerance and lifespan extension to yeast, mouse and human cells
Johnson JE, Johnson FB
PLoS One 2014; : e97729| PubMed ID: 24830393Validating a gene expression signature proposed to differentiate liposarcomas that use different telomere maintenance mechanisms
Doyle KR, Mitchell MA, Roberts CL, James S, Johnson JE, Zhou Y, von Mehren M, Lev D, Kipling D, Broccoli D
Oncogene 2012; 31 (2): 265-6| PubMed ID: 21706060MYST protein acetyltransferase activity requires active site lysine autoacetylation
Yuan H, Rossetto D, Mellert H, Dang W, Srinivasan M, Johnson J, Hodawadekar S, Ding EC, Speicher K, Abshiru N, Perry R, Wu J, Yang C, Zheng YG, Speicher DW, Thibault P, Verreault A, Johnson FB, Berger SL, Sternglanz R, McMahon SB, Côté J, Marmorstein R
EMBO Journal 2012; 31 (1): 58-70| PubMed ID: 22020126Altered gene expression in the Werner and Bloom syndromes is associated with sequences having G-quadruplex forming potential
Johnson JE, Cao K, Ryvkin P, Wang L-S, Johnson FB
Nucleic Acids Research 2010; 38 (4): 1114-22| PubMed ID: 19966276Doxorubicin resistance in a novel in vitro model of human pleomorphic liposarcoma associated with alternative lengthening of telomeres
Mitchell MA, Johnson JE, Pascarelli K, Beeharry N, Chiourea M, Gagos S, Lev D, von Mehren M, Kipling D, Broccoli D
Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 2010; 9 (3): 682-92| PubMed ID: 20197395In vivo veritas: using yeast to probe the biological functions of G-quadruplexes
Johnson JE, Smith JS, Kozak ML, Johnson FB
Biochimie 2008; 90 (8): 1250-63| PubMed ID: 18331848Whole-genome profiling in liposarcomas reveals genetic alterations common to specific telomere maintenance mechanisms
Johnson JE, Gettings EJ, Schwalm J, Pei J, Testa JR, Litwin S, von Mehren M, Broccoli D
Cancer Research 2007; 67 (19): 9221-8| PubMed ID: 17909028Telomere maintenance in sarcomas
Johnson JE, Broccoli D
Cancer Research 2007; 19 (4): 377-82| PubMed ID: 17545803Structure and function at the telomere
Johnson JE, Broccoli D
In: Apoptosis and Senescence in Cancer Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy. New York: Humana Press 2007; : | PubMed ID: Multiple mechanisms of telomere maintenance exist in liposarcomas
Johnson JE, Varkonyi RJ, Schwalm J, Cragle R, Klein-Szanto A, Patchefsky A, Cukierman E, von Mehren M, Broccoli D
Clinical Cancer Research 2005; 11 (15): 5347-55| PubMed ID: 16061847ZipA is required for targeting of DMinC/DicB, but not DMinC/MinD, complexes to septal ring assemblies in Escherichia coli
Johnson JE, Lackner LL, Hale CA, de Boer PAJ
Journal of Bacteriology 2004; 186 (8): 2418-29| PubMed ID: 15060045Targeting of (D)MinC/MinD and (D)MinC/DicB complexes to septal rings in Escherichia coli suggests a multistep mechanism for MinC-mediated destruction of nascent FtsZ rings
Johnson JE, Lackner LL, de Boer PAJ
Journal of Bacteriology 2002; 184 (11): 2951-62| PubMed ID: 12003935
Jason Plummer, Senior Research Associate
Dr. Johnson will present at the webinar, “Sulfur Amino Acid Restriction – Moving from Animals to Humans”, for Aging Science Talks on October 20-21, 2021. The complete program, including information on attending the Zoom sessions, is available here.
Selenium supplementation protects against obesity and may extend lifespan