Leslie Rowland, PhD

Assistant Professor of Molecular Medicine

PhD in Biomedical Science - The Ohio State University
Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Joslin Diabetes Center (Goodyear Lab)

Investigating the role of adipose (fat) tissue in regulating energy balance & glucose levels throughout the body. 

Dr. Rowland's research is focused on the contribution of adipose tissue to improving whole-body glucose homeostasis, insulin sensitivity, and metabolism. Current projects include the browning of adipocytes as a potential therapy for obesity and other metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes. 

Selected Publications 

De novo lipogenesis fuels adipocyte autophagosome and lysosome membrane dynamics

Rowland LA, Guilherme A, Henriques F, DiMarzio C, Munroe S, Wetoska N, Kelly M, Reddig K, Hendricks G, Pan M, Han X, Ilkayeva OR, Newgard CB, Czech MP. Nat Commun. 2023 Mar 13;14(1):1362. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37016-8.PMID: 36914626 

When the gene for the enzyme fatty acid synthase (Fasn) is deleted in adipocytes, autophagy is severely disrupted. The autophagosomes cannot properly fuse with lysosomes, which are needed to break down and recycle cellular components. Loss of Fasn reduces certain lipids in the autophagosome and lysosome membranes that are required for their fusion. Providing extra fatty acids from outside the cell does not fully fix the autophagy problem in Fasn-deficient adipocytes.  This suggests that the local production of fatty acids by DNL is critical to support the membrane expansions needed for proper autophagy in fat cells. Overall, these findings identified a new role for DNL in fueling the membrane dynamics of the autophagy process in adipocytes.

Fatty acid availability controls autophagy and associated cell functions

Rowland LA, Czech MP. Autophagy. 2023 Dec;19(12):3242-3243. doi: 10.1080/15548627.2023.2246357. Epub 2023 Aug 21.PMID: 37602798 

Blocking autophagy by limiting fatty acid availability promotes a "thermogenic" state in fat cells, where they burn more energy. This illustrates how autophagy can control important cellular behaviors. This study indicates that the membrane expansion required for autophagy relies on the cell's ability to synthesize its own fatty acids, rather than using external sources. Disrupting this lipid supply impacts the autophagy process and can have broader effects on cell function.

Collaborative Research 

Re-engineering “Bad Fat” into “Good Fat” as a Therapeutic Approach to Type 2 Diabetes in the Czech & Corvera Labs

The Czech and Corvera laboratories, in collaboration with other labs on campus, have combined recent successes to develop a therapy which they hope to soon bring to clinical trials. Brown and beige adipose tissue burn fat and improve metabolism, as opposed to white adipose tissue that stores fat. 

Type 2 Diabetes Research in the Czech Lab Investigating Beige Fat to Potentially Increase Metabolism

Studying the behavior and function of various fat cells, with the goal of improving metabolism.