Quantitative Analysis of in vivo Energy Metabolism

Event details
Date | 27.11.2017 |
Hour | 10:30 |
Speaker | Sheng (Tony) Hui, Ph.D., Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (USA) |
Location | |
Category | Conferences - Seminars |
BIOENGINEERING SEMINAR
Abstract:
The primary biochemical activity of an adult mammal is energy metabolism, the constant burning of dietary carbons into CO2. Underlying this simple overall chemical reaction is diverse energy metabolism in individual tissues. Tissues take their fuels from the bloodstream, which carries not only nutrients directly from digestion but also metabolite intermediates released by tissues themselves. What are the important nutrients in the blood circulation? How are these nutrients selected by tissues for energy? And by which tissues are they produced? To answer these important questions, I first systematically quantify the turnover fluxes of the circulatory metabolites (Fcirc) in mice. The result reveals a short list of circulatory metabolites with significant turnover fluxes: only 15 metabolites have a Fcirc greater than 10% of the glucose Fcirc. Strikingly, the Fcirc of lactate exceeds those of glucose and other metabolites, and 13C-lactate extensively labels TCA cycle intermediates in all tissues. Quantitative analysis reveals that with the exception of the brain and (only in the fed state) muscle, glucose contributes to tissue TCA metabolism primarily indirectly via circulating lactate. This points to a new structure of glucose metabolism: glycolysis and the TCA cycle are uncoupled at the level of lactate. Next, I am working through the list of nutrients with high Fcirc to determine their contributions to tissue TCA metabolism, and quantifying tissue sources and sinks of important circulatory nutrients by an innovative approach of combining isotopic tracer infusion and arteriovenous difference measurement. These results will be integrated into a whole-body flux model of energy metabolism.
Bio:
Experience:
Jan 2015 – Present
Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (USA)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Jul 2014 – Dec 2014
University of California, San Diego
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Education:
2007 – 2014
University of California, San Diego
Ph.D. in Biophysics
2006 – 2007
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-Newark
Computational Biology
2003 – 2005
Hong Kong Baptist University
Master's Degree in Physics
Abstract:
The primary biochemical activity of an adult mammal is energy metabolism, the constant burning of dietary carbons into CO2. Underlying this simple overall chemical reaction is diverse energy metabolism in individual tissues. Tissues take their fuels from the bloodstream, which carries not only nutrients directly from digestion but also metabolite intermediates released by tissues themselves. What are the important nutrients in the blood circulation? How are these nutrients selected by tissues for energy? And by which tissues are they produced? To answer these important questions, I first systematically quantify the turnover fluxes of the circulatory metabolites (Fcirc) in mice. The result reveals a short list of circulatory metabolites with significant turnover fluxes: only 15 metabolites have a Fcirc greater than 10% of the glucose Fcirc. Strikingly, the Fcirc of lactate exceeds those of glucose and other metabolites, and 13C-lactate extensively labels TCA cycle intermediates in all tissues. Quantitative analysis reveals that with the exception of the brain and (only in the fed state) muscle, glucose contributes to tissue TCA metabolism primarily indirectly via circulating lactate. This points to a new structure of glucose metabolism: glycolysis and the TCA cycle are uncoupled at the level of lactate. Next, I am working through the list of nutrients with high Fcirc to determine their contributions to tissue TCA metabolism, and quantifying tissue sources and sinks of important circulatory nutrients by an innovative approach of combining isotopic tracer infusion and arteriovenous difference measurement. These results will be integrated into a whole-body flux model of energy metabolism.
Bio:
Experience:
Jan 2015 – Present
Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (USA)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Jul 2014 – Dec 2014
University of California, San Diego
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Education:
2007 – 2014
University of California, San Diego
Ph.D. in Biophysics
2006 – 2007
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-Newark
Computational Biology
2003 – 2005
Hong Kong Baptist University
Master's Degree in Physics
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
Contact
- Institute of Bioengineering (IBI, Dietrich Reinhard)