第1464回生物科学セミナー
Metabolism, Cellular Decisions and the Language That Unites Them
Jared Rutter, PhD（Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry University of Utah School of Medicine）
2023年07月04日(火) 9:00-10:30 Zoomによるweb講義
Mitochondria are dynamic and complex organelles that play a central role in all aspects of biology, including energy production, intermediary metabolism, and apoptosis. These broad cellular functions also place mitochondria as a central player in human health and disease. We have focused recently on deciphering the biochemical and cellular functions of conserved uncharacterized mitochondrial proteins. This has revealed new mechanisms for several critical aspects of mitochondrial function, including the Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carrier (MPC), which is required for efficient mitochondrial pyruvate uptake. By perturbing the metabolic program of cells, MPC manipulation profoundly affects cellular decisions impacting stem cell homeostasis and uncontrolled proliferation. This observation suggests that metabolism is not a passive bystander in determining the behavior of cells, but instead plays a decisive role. One of our current areas of focus, which will be discussed, is to determine the mechanisms whereby metabolism and metabolites affect behaviors via direct modulation of proteins involved in signaling, transcription and other regulatory mechanisms. As we discover these mechanisms, which we hypothesize to be extensive within biology, we will be enabled to impinge on such phenomena for therapeutic benefit in many disease states.
担当： 理学系研究科 生物科学専攻 生物情報科学科 黒田研究室
