Select Publications
Kenny TC, Khan A, Son Y, Yue L, Heissel S, Sharma A, Pasolli HA, Liu Y, Gamazon ER, Alwaseem H, Hite RK, Birsoy K. Integrative genetic analysis identifies FLVCR1 as a plasma-membrane choline transporter in mammals. Cell Metabolism, 2023
Son Y, Kenny TC, Khan A, Birsoy K, & Hite RK. Structural Basis of Lipid Head Group Entry to the Kennedy Pathway by FLVCR1. Nature, 2024
Khan A, Unlu G, Lin P, Liu Y, Kilic E, Kenny TC, Birsoy K, Gamazon ER. Metabolic gene function discovery platform GeneMAP identifies SLC25A48 as necessary for mitochondrial choline import. Nature Genetics, 2024
Kenny TC, Scharenberg S, Monther A, Birsoy K. Cellular and organismal function of choline metabolism. Nature Metabolism, 2025
Khan A, Liu Y, Gad M, Kenny TC, Birsoy K. Solute carriers: The gatekeepers of metabolism. Cell, 2025
The Kenny Lab has a longstanding interest in choline metabolism and discovered the molecular identity of the mammalian high affinity choline transporter. Inspired by the fact that eggs are one of the most choline rich foods, this drawing shows a soft boiled egg in an ornate stand. The egg is adorned with the molecular structure of choline while the stand contains key metabolic fates of choline – a mitochondrion and a phospholipid bilayer, as well as a Manhattan plot characteristic of GWAS data which was instrumental in our discovery. The image is painted in the style of the “Old Masters” who regularly mixed egg yolk into their paint to create some of the most recognizable paintings in history. Original artwork created by DrawImpacts.