Philip G. Morgan, MD

Morgan & Sedensky Laboratory
Philip G. Morgan, MD

• Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
• Principal Investigator, Seattle Children's Research Institute
• Director, Program in Mitochondrial Biology, Seattle Children's Hospital

Research

My present research centers around understanding the function of mitochondria in disease and in the mechanism of action of volatile anesthetics. The work in my lab has centered on mitochondrial function during the past two years. However, we also have a long-standing interest in the genetics of response to volatile anesthetics. Our work has generally involved using the nematode, C. elegans, as a model system. During the past year we have begun to extend those studies into the mouse. As a pediatric anesthesiologist, I have become increasingly aware that mitochondrial function likely plays a significant role the response to anesthetics. This is a fascinating notion, one that is quite amenable to biochemical studies of mitochondria. I am very committed to understanding this problem and identifying effectors of the process.

Honors and Awards

• 2009 Phythyon Lecturer, Vanderbilt University, Department of Anesthesiology
• 1993 Elected to Association of University Anesthesiologists
• 1980 Mosby Award (Outstanding Student in Pediatrics, University of Colorado)
• 1971 — 1972 NDEA Fellow (University of Colorado)
• 1970 Donald S. Clark Award (Engineering and Leadership, Caltech)
• 1969 — 1971 Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honor Society, Caltech)
• 1967 — 1971 Alfred P. Sloan Scholar (Caltech)

Current Memberships

• United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation
• International Society for Anaesthetic Pharmacology
• American Society of Anesthesiologists
• Washington Society of Anesthesiologists
• International Anesthesia Research Society
• American Heart Association (Neonatal Resuscitation Instructor)
• Society for Pediatric Anesthesia
• Association of University Anesthesiologists (elected)

Current Funding

• 09/01/91—06/30/12 National Institutes of Health, 5R01GM045402-13,
  "Mechanism of Action of Volatile Anesthetics"
• 05/1/06—05/31/11 National Institutes of Health, R01GM075184-01,
  "Anesthetic Effects in Mitochondrial Disease"
• 06/15/05—04/30/11 National Institutes of Health, 5R01AG026073-06,
  "Interaction of Ubiquinone & Complex I Control Longevity"
• 07/01/11—06/30/12 National Institutes of Health, 1R21HD068241-01,
  "Neurotoxic Effects of Volatile Anesthetics in C. Elegans"

Selected Publications

• Pfeiffer M, Kayser EB, Yang X, Abramson E, Kenaston MA, Lago CU, Lo HH, Sedensky MM, Lunceford A, Clarke CF, Su SJ, McLeod C, Finkel T, Morgan PG, Mills EM. Caenorhabditis elegans UCP4 controls complex II-mediated oxidative phosphorylation through succinate transport. J Biol Chem, In press, 2011. PMCID: PMC Journal - In Process
• Yang YY, Vasta V, Hahn S, Gangoiti JA, Opheim E, Sedensky MM, Morgan PG. The role of demethoxyubiquinone in the long-lived mutant clk-1. Mech Aging Dev. 132;331-9, 2011.
• Chen X, Thorburn DR, Wong LJ, Vladutiu GD, Haas RH, Chir B, Le T, Hoppel CL, Sedensky MM, Morgan PG Hahn SH. Quality improvement of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex enzyme assays using C. elegans. Gene Med 2011, In Press.
• Kayser EB, Suthammarak W, Morgan PG, Sedensky MM. Isoflurane selectively inhibits distal mitochondrial complex I in Caenorhabditis elegans. Anesth Analg. 112; 1321-1329, 2011.
• Vasta V, Sedensky MM, Morgan PG, Hahn SH. Altered redox status of coenzyme Q9 reflects mitochondrial electron transport chain deficiencies in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mitochondrion 11;136-8, 2011.
• Suthammarak W, Morgan PG, Sedensky MM. Mutations in mitochondrial complex III uniquely affect complex I in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Biol Chem. 285; 40724-31, 2010.
• Falk MJ, Rosenjack JR, Polyak E, Suthammarak W, Chen Z, Morgan PG, Sedensky MM. Subcomplex lambda specifically controls integrated mitochondrial functions in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS One. 4: E6607, 2009. PMCID: PMC2719872.
• Yang YY, Gangoiti JA, Sedensky MM, Morgan PG. The effect of different ubiquinones on lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans. Mech Aging Dev. 130:370-6, 2009. PMCID: PMC2684812.
• Suthammarak W, Yang, YY, Morgan PG, Sedensky MM. Complex I function is defective in Complex IV-deficient Caenorhabditis elegans. J Biol Chem. 2009; 284(10):6425-35. PMCID: PMC2649102.
• Falk MJ, Zhang Z, Rosenjack JR, Nissim I, Daikhin E, Nissim I, Sedensky MM, Yudkoff M, Morgan PG. Metabolic pathway profiling of mitochondrial respiratory chain mutants in C. elegans. Molec Genet Metab, 93; 388-397, 2008. PMCID: PMC2424222.
• Chandler RJ, Aswani V, Tsai MS, Falk M, Wehrli N, Stabler S, Allen R, Sedensky M, Kazazian HH, Venditti CP. Propionyl-CoA and adenosylcobalamin metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans: evidence for a role of methylmalonyl-CoA epimerase in intermediary metabolism. Mol Genet Metab. 2006;89:64-73. PMID: 16843692
• Humphrey JA, Hamming KS, Thacker CM, Scott RL, Sedensky MM, Snutch TP, Morgan PG, Nash HA. An Unusual Cation Channel and its Novel Regulator Show Cross-Species Conservation of Effects on General Anesthesia, Current Biol, 17; 624-629, 2007.
• Carroll BT, Sedensky MM, Morgan PG. Sulfonation of a signal from sensory neurons in C. elegans. J Biol Chem, 281, 35989-35996, 2006.
• Falk MJ, Kayser EB, Morgan PG, Sedensky MM. Mitochondrial complex I: A mechanism of action for volatile anesthetics. Curr Biol. 16: 1641-45, 2006.
• Kayser EB, Morgan PG, Sedensky MM, Hoppel CL. The long-lived mutant clk-1 has a novel defect in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. J Biol Chem. 2004 Dec 24; 279 (52): 54479-54486.
• Morgan PG, Hoppel CL, Sedensky MM. Mitochondrial defects and anesthetic sensitivity. Anesthesiology 96: 1268-1270, 2002.
• Kayser EB, Morgan PG, Hoppel CL, Sedensky MM. Mitochondrial Expression and Function of GAS-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans. J. Biol. Chem. 276: 20551-20558, 2001.
• Sedensky MM, Siefker J, Morgan PG. Model Organisms: new Insights Into Ion Channel and Transporter Function. Stomatin Homologues Interact in C. elegans. Am J. Phys. Cell Physiol. 280: C1340-C1348 2001.
• Rajaram S, Spangler, TL, Sedensky MM, Morgan PG. A Stomatin and a Degenerin Interact to Control Anesthetic Sensitivity in C. elegans. Genetics 153: 1673-1682,1999. PMCID: PMC1460880
• Kayser EB, Morgan PG, Sedensky MM. GAS-1, a mitochondrial gene affecting sensitivity to volatile anesthetics. Anesthesiology. 90: 545-554, 1999.
• Rajaram S, Sedensky MM, Morgan PG. unc-1, a stomatin homologue controls sensitivity to volatile anesthetics in C. elegans. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 1998; 95: 8761-8766. PMCID: PMC21150