Natalia Krupenko, PhD
Associate Professor of Nutrition
natalia_krupenko@unc.edu
704-250-5054
Natalia Krupenko, PhD, Associate Professor of Nutrition, joined the UNC Nutrition Research Institute in April 2014. Dr. Krupenko’s research is focused on the role of folate (vitamin B9) in promoting health and preventing disease in humans. Folate deficiency has been connected with increased risk for neural tube defects, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Recently, however, concerns have been raised regarding the adverse effects of over-supplementation with the vitamin. Dr. Krupenko’s goal is to determine the best ways to utilize health-protective properties of folate and prevent the possibility of its adverse effects in humans. Dr. Krupenko’s work is covered in 35 peer-reviewed publications in high impact journals and numerous presentations at national and international conferences and meetings. Dr. Krupenko earned her doctorate degree in bioorganic chemistry from the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Byelorussian Academy of Sciences, in Minsk, Belarus. She was a recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship in Population Sciences and served on the faculty of the Medical University of South Carolina. Currently, in addition to her role at the NRI, Dr. Krupenko holds her appointment as an Associate Professor with the Department of Nutrition at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC-Chapel Hill.
Krupenko’s Team
Publications
2020
Sphingolipids and the link between alcohol and cancer.
2019
Cytosolic 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase regulates glycine metabolism in mouse liver.
Deleterious mutations in ALDH1L2 suggest a novel cause for neuro-ichthyotic syndrome.
Loss of ALDH1L1 folate enzyme confers a selective metabolic advantage for tumor progression.
2018
ALDH1L1 and ALDH1L2 Folate Regulatory Enzymes in Cancer.
C16-ceramide is a natural regulatory ligand of p53 in cellular stress response.
Ceramide Synthase 6: Comparative Analysis, Phylogeny and Evolution.
Ceramide Signaling and p53 Pathways.
2016
CerS6 Is a Novel Transcriptional Target of p53 Protein Activated by Non-genotoxic Stress.