Alina Guna, PhD
Assistant Professor
Biochemistry and Biophysics
School of Medicine

The Guna lab focuses on how proteins get made in human cells. We use a combination of functional genomics and biochemistry to understand the molecular mechanisms that govern protein homeostasis in various organelles and across cell types.

Education & Training

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• PhD Cell Biology University of Cambridge 07/2018
• BSc Neuroscience University of Toronto 07/2014

Websites

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• Guna Lab (gunalab.org)

Publications (25)

Top publication keywords:
Nonsense Mediated mRNA DecayMembrane ProteinsMitochondrial MembranesEndoplasmic ReticulumSEC Translocation ChannelsClustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic RepeatsProtein TransportMitochondrial Membrane Transport ProteinsApoptosisMultiprotein ComplexesIntracellular MembranesWNK Lysine-Deficient Protein Kinase 1RNA VirusesCytosolProtein Domains

• Monitoring alpha-helical membrane protein insertion into the outer mitochondrial membrane in mammalian cells.
  Methods in enzymology 2024 Hazu M, Guna A, Stevens TA, Voorhees RM
• Role of a holo-insertase complex in the biogenesis of biophysically diverse ER membrane proteins.
  Molecular cell 2024 Page KR, Nguyen VN, Pleiner T, Tomaleri GP, Wang ML, Guna A, Hazu M, Wang TY, Chou TF, Voorhees RM
• Author Correction: Macromolecular condensation buffers intracellular water potential.
  Nature 2024 Watson JL, Seinkmane E, Styles CT, Mihut A, Krüger LK, McNally KE, Planelles-Herrero VJ, Dudek M, McCall PM, Barbiero S, Vanden Oever M, Peak-Chew SY, Porebski BT, Zeng A, Rzechorzek NM, Wong DCS, …
• Triaging of α-helical proteins to the mitochondrial outer membrane by distinct chaperone machinery based on substrate topology.
  Molecular cell 2024 Muthukumar G, Stevens TA, Inglis AJ, Esantsi TK, Saunders RA, Schulte F, Voorhees RM, Guna A, Weissman JS
• Role of a holo-insertase complex in the biogenesis of biophysically diverse ER membrane proteins.
  bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 2023 Page KR, Nguyen VN, Pleiner T, Tomaleri GP, Wang ML, Guna A, Wang TY, Chou TF, Voorhees RM

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• A dual sgRNA library design to probe genetic modifiers using genome-wide CRISPRi screens.
  BMC genomics 2023 Guna A, Page KR, Replogle JM, Esantsi TK, Wang ML, Weissman JS, Voorhees RM
• Macromolecular condensation buffers intracellular water potential.
  Nature 2023 Watson JL, Seinkmane E, Styles CT, Mihut A, Krüger LK, McNally KE, Planelles-Herrero VJ, Dudek M, McCall PM, Barbiero S, Vanden Oever M, Peak-Chew SY, Porebski BT, Zeng A, Rzechorzek NM, Wong DCS, …
• Triaging of α-helical proteins to the mitochondrial outer membrane by distinct chaperone machinery based on substrate topology.
  bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 2023 Muthukumar G, Stevens TA, Inglis AJ, Esantsi TK, Saunders RA, Schulte F, Voorhees RM, Guna A, Weissman JS
• A dual sgRNA library design to probe genetic modifiers using genome-wide CRISPRi screens.
  bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 2023 Guna A, Page KR, Replogle JM, Esantsi TK, Wang ML, Weissman JS, Voorhees RM
• Coupled protein quality control during nonsense-mediated mRNA decay.
  Journal of cell science 2023 Inglis AJ, Guna A, Gálvez-Merchán Á, Pal A, Esantsi TK, Keys HR, Frenkel EM, Oania R, Weissman JS, Voorhees RM
• A genome-wide optical pooled screen reveals regulators of cellular antiviral responses.
  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2023 Carlson RJ, Leiken MD, Guna A, Hacohen N, Blainey PC
• A TAle of Two Pathways: Tail-Anchored Protein Insertion at the Endoplasmic Reticulum.
  Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology 2023 Guna A, Hazu M, Pinton Tomaleri G, Voorhees RM
• Maximizing CRISPRi efficacy and accessibility with dual-sgRNA libraries and optimal effectors.
  eLife 2022 Replogle JM, Bonnar JL, Pogson AN, Liem CR, Maier NK, Ding Y, Russell BJ, Wang X, Leng K, Guna A, Norman TM, Pak RA, Ramos DM, Ward ME, Gilbert LA, Kampmann M, Weissman JS, Jost M
• MTCH2 is a mitochondrial outer membrane protein insertase.
  Science (New York, N.Y.) 2022 Guna A, Stevens TA, Inglis AJ, Replogle JM, Esantsi TK, Muthukumar G, Shaffer KCL, Wang ML, Pogson AN, Jones JJ, Lomenick B, Chou TF, Weissman JS, Voorhees RM
• Mapping information-rich genotype-phenotype landscapes with genome-scale Perturb-seq.
  Cell 2022 Replogle JM, Saunders RA, Pogson AN, Hussmann JA, Lenail A, Guna A, Mascibroda L, Wagner EJ, Adelman K, Lithwick-Yanai G, Iremadze N, Oberstrass F, Lipson D, Bonnar JL, Jost M, Norman TM, Weissman JS
• Publisher Correction: Compensatory ion transport buffers daily protein rhythms to regulate osmotic balance and cellular physiology.
  Nature communications 2021 Stangherlin A, Watson JL, Wong DCS, Barbiero S, Zeng A, Seinkmane E, Chew SP, Beale AD, Hayter EA, Guna A, Inglis AJ, Putker M, Bartolami E, Matile S, Lequeux N, Pons T, Day J, van Ooijen G, Voorhees …
• Compensatory ion transport buffers daily protein rhythms to regulate osmotic balance and cellular physiology.
  Nature communications 2021 Stangherlin A, Watson JL, Wong DCS, Barbiero S, Zeng A, Seinkmane E, Chew SP, Beale AD, Hayter EA, Guna A, Inglis AJ, Putker M, Bartolami E, Matile S, Lequeux N, Pons T, Day J, van Ooijen G, Voorhees …
• WNK1 is an assembly factor for the human ER membrane protein complex.
  Molecular cell 2021 Pleiner T, Hazu M, Tomaleri GP, Januszyk K, Oania RS, Sweredoski MJ, Moradian A, Guna A, Voorhees RM
• Differential Modes of Orphan Subunit Recognition for the WRB/CAML Complex.
  Cell reports 2020 Inglis AJ, Page KR, Guna A, Voorhees RM
• EMC Is Required to Initiate Accurate Membrane Protein Topogenesis.
  Cell 2018 Chitwood PJ, Juszkiewicz S, Guna A, Shao S, Hegde RS
• Transmembrane Domain Recognition during Membrane Protein Biogenesis and Quality Control.
  Current biology : CB 2018 Guna A, Hegde RS
• Elucidating the diagnostic odyssey of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.
  American journal of medical genetics. Part A 2018 Palmer LD, Butcher NJ, Boot E, Hodgkinson KA, Heung T, Chow EWC, Guna A, Crowley TB, Zackai E, McDonald-McGinn DM, Bassett AS
• The ER membrane protein complex is a transmembrane domain insertase.
  Science (New York, N.Y.) 2017 Guna A, Volkmar N, Christianson JC, Hegde RS
• Comparative mapping of the 22q11.2 deletion region and the potential of simple model organisms.
  Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders 2015 Guna A, Butcher NJ, Bassett AS
• Response to clozapine in a clinically identifiable subtype of schizophrenia.
  The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science 2015 Butcher NJ, Fung WL, Fitzpatrick L, Guna A, Andrade DM, Lang AE, Chow EW, Bassett AS