BIOENERGETICS

CELLULAR ENERGY PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION AND EXPENDITURE

In every living cell, ATP is the most ubiquitous substrate for biological reactions, serving as key energy metabolite or allosteric regulator of protein conformation in more molecular associations than any other compound, except water. Via metabolic pathways like mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis and phosphotransfer reactions ATP is produced, stored, and distributed across the many ATPases and ATP-binding proteins that determine the functions of life. Intrinsic disturbances in ATP production, distribution or consumption are associated with a plethora of clinical problems, ranging from orphan diseases to myo-and neurodegenerative (e.g. Parkinson) or ischemia-anoxia- and ageing-related disorders. Numerous environmental conditions also have direct relation to cell energetics via failing ATP metabolism, explaining the well-known adverse effects of some antibiotics and anti-convulsive drugs or the life-style- induced cardio-vascular and pulmonary obstruction problems.

Within the CSBB all participating groups have joint efforts to come to a systems biology approach of which the knowledge will be used to model cellular bioenergetic responses to genetic or drug/compound-induced energy disturbances and predict metabolic intervention measures to improve health and disease.

The Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre has a long tradition in the study of the (patho)physiology of mitochondrial energy metabolism. The combination of broad multidisciplinary expertise of more than thirty PI groups with knowledge in mathematics, physics, biology and medicine present at one physical location,  all working on the study of one system -"mitochondrial bioenergetics"  - offers unique opportunities for future progress in this area.   

Video of the ATP synthase