About Me

Alex Sheftel

When you submit a manuscript to me for editing, I will be the one editing it. It will not be delegated to a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow.

  • I am obsessed with details, be they of grammar, punctuation, or formatting.
  • I use proper grammar and punctuation in emails and SMS messages.
  • I have a favourite dictionary.
  • My first ever abstract (as a summer student) was suggested for oral presentation at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting.
  • I majored in Classical Language, in addition to Physiology.
  • I have received a “well written” comment from just about every manuscript I’ve ever authored.

Below is an abbreviated version of my CV.

Education

McGill University, Physiology & Classical Civilization (dbl. major), BSc., 1998 McGill University, Physiology, PhD., 2007

Relevant Work Experience

2012-present    Editor, High Impact Editing
2010-2013        Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Ottawa Heart Institute
2007-2010        Postdoctoral Fellow, Philipps-Universität-Marburg
2001                  Consistency Editor, Project Collaboration, McGill University

Publications

  1. Garcia-Santos D, Schranzhofer M, Bergeron R, Sheftel AD, Ponka P., “Extracellular glycine is necessary for optimal hemoglobinization of erythroid cells”, Haematologica 102(8): 1314-1323, 2017.
  2. Ponka P, Sheftel AD, English AM, Scott Bohle D, Garcia-Santos D., “Do Mammalian Cells Really Need to Export and Import Heme?”, Trends Biochem Sci. 42(5): 395-406, 2017.
  3. Hamdi A, Roshan TM, Kahawita TM, Mason AB, Sheftel AD, Ponka P., “Erythroid cell mitochondria receive endosomal iron by a “kiss-and-run” mechanism”, Biochim Biophys Acta 1863(12): 2859-2867, 2016.
  4. Gandhi PU, Gaggin HK, Sheftel AD, Belcher AM, Weiner RB, Baggish AL, Motiwala SR, Liu P, Januzzi JL Jr., “Prognostic Usefulness of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-Binding Protein 7 in Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: A Novel Biomarker of Myocardial Diastolic Function?”, Am J Cardiol 114(10): 1543-9, 2014.
  5. Shi ZH, Shi FF, Wang YQ, Sheftel AD, Nie G, Zhao YS, You LH, Gou YJ, Duan XL, Zhao BL, Xu HM, Li CY, Chang YZ, “Mitochondrial ferritin, a new target for inhibiting neuronal tumor cell proliferation”, Cell Mol Life Sci 72(5): 983-97, 2014.
  6. Zhang L, Chen X, Sharma P, Moon M, Sheftel AD, Dawood F, Nghiem MP, Wu J, Li RK, Gramolini AO, Sorensen PH, Penninger JM, Brumell JH, Liu PP, “HACE1-dependent protein degradation provides cardiac protection in response to haemodynamic stress”, Nat Commun 5: 3430, 2014.
  7. Garcia-Santos D, Schranzhofer M, Horvathova M, Jaberi MM, Bogo Chies JA, Sheftel AD, Ponka P, “Heme oxygenase 1 is expressed in murine erythroid cells where it controls the level of regulatory heme, Blood 123(14): 2269-77, 2014.
  8. Stehling O, Mascarenhas J, Vashisht AA, Sheftel AD, Niggemeyer B, Rösser R, Pierik AJ, Wohlschlegel JA, Lill R, “Human CIA-FAM96A and CIA2B-FAM96B integrate iron homeostasis and maturation of different subsets of cytosolic-nuclear iron-sulfur proteins”, Cell Metab 18(2): 187-198, 2013.
  9. Sheftel AD, Wilbrecht C, Stehling O, Niggemeyer B, Elsässer H-P, Mühlenhoff U, Lill R, “The human mitochondrial ISCA1, ISCA2, and IBA57 proteins are required for [4Fe-4S] protein maturation”, Molecular Biology of the Cell 23(7):1157-1166, 2012.Sheftel AD, Mason AB, Ponka P, “The long history of iron in the Universe and in health and disease”, Biochem Biophys Acta 1820(3): 161-187, 2012.
  10. Sheftel AD, Stehling O, Pierik AJ, Elsässer HP, Mühlenhoff U, Webert H, Hobler A, Hannemann, F, Bernhardt R, Lill R, “Humans possess two mitochondrial ferredoxins, Fdx1 and Fdx2, with distinct roles in steroidogenesis, heme, and Fe/S cluster biosynthesis”, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107(26): 11775-11780, 2010.
  11. Mikhael M, Sheftel AD, Ponka P, “Ferritin does not donate its iron for haem sysnthesis in macrophages”, Biochem J 429(3): 463-471, 2010.
  12. Richardson DR, Lane DJ, Becker EM, Huang ML, Whitnall M, Rahmanto YS, Sheftel AD, Ponka P, “Mitochondrial iron trafficking and the integration of iron metabolism between the mitochondrion and cytosol”, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107(26): 10775-10782, 2010.
  13. Sheftel A, Stehling O, Lill R, “Iron-sulfur proteins in health and disease”, Trends Endocrinol Metab 21(5): 302-314, 2010.
  14. Sheftel AD, Richardson DR, Prchal JT, Ponka P., “Mitochondrial iron metabolism and sideroblastic anemia”, Acta Haematol 122(2-3), 2009.
  15. Sheftel AD, Stehling O, Pierik AJ, Netz DJA, Kerscher S, Elsässer H-P, Wittig I, Balk J, Brandt U, Lill R, “Human Ind1, an iron-sulfur cluster assembly factor for respiratory complex I”, Mol Cel Biol 29(22): 6059-6073, 2009.
  16. Ponka P & Sheftel AD, “Erythroid Iron Metabolism”, in Iron Physiology and Pathophysiology in Humans, Anderson GJ & McLaren G eds., Humana Press (In press).
  17. Stehling O, Sheftel AD, Lill R, “Controlled expression of iron-sulfur cluster assembly components for respiratory chain complexes in mammalian cells”, Methods Enzymol 456: 209-231, 2009.
  18. Sheftel AD & Lill R., “The power plant of the cell is also a smithy: The emerging role of mitochondria in cellular iron homeostasis”, Ann Med 41(2): 82-99, 2009.
  19. Soe-Lin S, Sheftel AD, Wasyluk B, Ponka P, “Nramp1 equips macrophages for efficient iron recycling”, Exp Hematol 36(8): 929-937, 2008.
  20. Sheftel AD, Zhang AS, Brown C, Shirihai OS, Ponka P, “Direct interorganellar transfer of iron from endosome to mitochondrion”, Blood 110(1): 125-132, 2007.
  21. Sheftel, AD, Kim S, Ponka P, “Non-heme induction of heme oxygenase-1 does not alter cellular iron metabolism”, JBC 282(14): 10480-10486, 2007.
  22. Ponka P and Sheftel A, “It’s hepcidin again; but is it the only master?”, Blood 108(12): 3631-3632, 2006.
  23. Mikhael M, Kim SF, Schranzhofer M, Soe-Lin S, Sheftel AD, Müllner E, Ponka P, “IRP-independent regulation of ferritin synthesis by nitrogen monoxide”, FEBS J 273: 3828-3836, 2006.
  24. Nie G, Chen G, Sheftel AD, Pantopoulos K, Ponka P, “In vivo tumor growth is inhibited by cytosolic iron deprivation caused by the expression of mitochondrial ferritin”  Blood 108(7): 2428-2434, 2006.
  25. Zhang A-S*, Sheftel AD*, Ponka P, “The anemia of ‘hemoglobin deficit’ (hbd/hbd) mice is caused by a defect in transferrin cycling”, Exp. Hematol 34(5): 593-598, 2006. *co-first author
  26. Priwitzerova M, Nie G, Sheftel AD, Pospisilova D, Divoky V, Ponka P, “Functional consequences of the human DMT1 (SLC11A2) mutation on protein expression and iron uptake”, Blood 106(12): 3985-3987, 2005.
  27. Nie G, Sheftel AD, Kim SF, Ponka P, “Overexpression of mitochondrial ferritin causes cytosolic iron depletion and changes cellular iron homeostasis”, Blood 105(5): 2161-2167, 2005.
  28. Zhang AS, Sheftel AD, Ponka P, “Intracellular kinetics of iron in reticulocytes: evidence for endosome involvement in iron targeting to mitochondria”, Blood 105(1): 368-375, 2004.
  29. Ponka P, Sheftel AD, Zhang AS, “Iron targeting to mitochondria in erythroid cells”, Biochem Soc Trans. 30(4):735-8, Aug., 2002.
  30. Ponka P, Zhang AS, Sheftel A, Lok CN, “Metabolism and transport of iron: distinct control mechanisms in erythroid cells”, in Iron Chelators: New Development Strategies, editors, Badman, D.G., Bergeron, R.J., Brittenham, G.M.; Ponte Verde, 2000.

Expert Reviewer

  1. FASEB Journal
  2. Biological Bulletin
  3. EMBO Reports
  4. PLOS One
  5. Haematologica
  6. Blood

Invited Speaker

  1. Dept. of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles (2012).
  2. Keynote speaker, East Coast Iron Club, Toronto (2011).
  3. Dept. of Biochemistry, University of Vermont, Burlington (2011).
  4. Mitochondria Affinity Research Collaborative, Boston (2011).
  5. Sanford Children’s Health Research Center, Sioux Falls (2011).
  6. Brain, Blood and Iron; Joint International Symposium on Neuroacanthocytosis and Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation, Bethesda (2010).
  7. Gordon Conference: Red Cells, Biddeford, ME (2009).
  8. Gordon Conference: Chemistry and Biology of Tetrapyrroles, Newport, RI (2006).
  9. Institut für Zytobiologie, Philipps-Universität-Marburg, Germany (2006).
  10. Dept. Of Pathology and Physiology, CharlesUniversity, Prague, Czech Republic (2006).
  11. Dept. of Genetics, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa (2005).