Dr. Kelekar studies mechanisms of apoptosis, focusing on pathways of cell survival and death with special emphasis on Bcl-2 family proteins as regulators of these pathways. Interactions between multi-domain Bcl-2 proteins and members of the BH3-only Bcl-2 family sub-class are pivotal in promoting cell death. Recently, her studies on human BH3-only protein, Noxa, have revealed a post-translational regulatory pathway that suppresses its pro-apoptotic function and imparts to it a novel metabolic and pro-survival role in human hematological malignancies. She and her colleagues are currently investigating the role of this protein and its binding partner, Mcl-1L, in regulating glucose metabolism in leukemia cells.
