Prof. Ma's lab has studied mechanisms by which ubiquitin dependent proteins regulate cellular activation and survival. They have focused on a protein called A20 and its binding partners, as these proteins are strongly linked to human diseases, including inflammatory diseases and lymphomas. They have utilized genetic engineering, cellular, and biochemical approaches to understand the mechanisms by which these proteins prevent inflammation. Their studies have revealed critical roles of A20 in restricting NFkB signals derived from different ligands, including microbial as well as innate immune (e.g., TNF and TLR) ligands. In addition to restricting NFkB signals, they have found that A20 restricts ubiquitination of IL1 during inflammasome activity. Most recently, they have found that A20 restricts RIP3 ubiquitination during necroptosis. Finally, they have uncovered roles for A20 in suppressing Wnt signaling and colon carcinogenesis. The impact of their work is partly reflected by an h-index of 52 (52 papers cited over 52 times) and a total of ~14,500 citations.

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