Dr. Simon received her Ph.D. in endocrine physiology with the support of an Indian Council of Agricultural Research fellowship and did her postdoctoral training at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in stem cell/endocrine physiology. She was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Tuskegee University from 2010-2013. She also held an adjunct faculty position, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 2012-2013. She joined the Department of Physiology at LSUHSC, NO in July 2013.

Research Interests

Research in our laboratory focuses on studying epigenomic interactions that impair cell function contributing to dysregulated repair, regeneration and metabolic function. We are specifically interested in the dysregulation of skeletal muscle stem cell signaling that alters the fate of these cells in insults including alcohol use and HIV. Our laboratory utilizes in vivo approaches, including models of alcohol administration; cell culture systems; and a wide array of molecular biology techniques to study genetic and epigenetic changes that contribute to dysfunction. Our focus is on microRNAs and histone modifications that regulate gene and protein expression and function. The lab has also developed close collaborations within the department and at LSUHSC to investigate epigenomic mechanisms in metabolic dysregulation mediated by alcohol and HIV disease.

Teaching Activities

Endocrine Physiology - Dental Program

Interdisciplinary Graduate Program
Physical Therapy & Physician Assistant Programs

Cell biology - Interdisciplinary Graduate Program

Selected Publications

Simon L, Ferguson T, Vande Stouwe C, Brashear M, Primeaux SD, Theall KP, Welsh DA, Molina PE (2020). Prevalence of Insulin Resistance in Adults Living with HIV: Implications of Alcohol Use. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. PMID: 32449647
Levitt DE, Yeh AY, Prendergast MJ, Jr RGB, Adler KA, Cook G, Molina PE, Simon L (2020). Chronic Alcohol Dysregulates Skeletal Muscle Myogenic Gene Expression after Hind Limb Immobilization in Female Rats. Biomolecules. PMID: 32178412
Adler K.A, Molina P. E, Simon L (2019). Epigenomic mechanisms of alcohol-induced impaired differentiation of skeletal muscle stem cells; role of Class IIA histone deacetylases. Physiological Genomics. PMID 31398085.
Duplanty AA, Siggins RW, Allerton T, Simon L, Molina PE. (2018). Myoblast mitochondrial respiration is decreased in chronic binge alcohol administered simian immunodeficiency virus-infected antiretroviral-treated rhesus macaques. Physiological Reports. PMID:29504290
Simon L, Ford SM Jr, Song K, Berner P, Vande Stouwe C, Nelson S, Bagby G. J, Molina P. E (2017). Decreased myoblast differentiation in chronic binge alcohol and antiretroviral therapy administered simian immunodeficiency virus-infected macaques: role of miR-206. American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Comparative and Integrative Physiology PMID:28637658
Duplanty AA, Simon L, Molina PE. (2017) Chronic Binge Alcohol-Induced Dysregulation of Mitochondrial-Related Genes in Skeletal Muscle of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Rhesus Macaques at End-Stage Disease. . Jan 8. PMID: 28069597
Ford SM Jr, Simon L, Stouwe CV, Allerton T, Mercante DE, Byerley LO, Dufour JP, Bagby GJ, Nelson S, Molina PE (2016) Chronic Binge Alcohol Administration Impairs Glucose-Insulin Dynamics and Decreases Adiponectin in Asymptomatic Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Macaques. American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Comparative and Integrative Physiology. PMID: 27605560
Simon L, Hollenbach AD, Zabaleta J and Molina PE. (2015) Chronic binge alcohol administration dysregulates global regulatory gene networks associated with skeletal muscle wasting in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected macaques. BMC Genomics Dec 23;16(1):1097 PMID: 26699868

Additional Info

Curriculum Vitae

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