Dr. Bradley Webb

Cell Biology of Metabolism: Structural and Functional Insights into a Glycolytic Enzyme: The enzymes and pathways that control intermediary metabolism - governing energy production, nutrient utilization, and biomass synthesis - play critical roles in cellular homeostasis. Dysregulated metabolic enzymes and pathways are now considered central to diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and blinding diseases. While many metabolic enzymes have been extensively characterized at enzymological, biochemical, and structural levels, their cell biology remains relatively understudied. In particular, the organization and dynamics of metabolic enzymes within cells is poorly understood but is critical for understanding metabolic flexibility in normal cells and aberrant metabolism in diseases. In this talk, I will present our recent insights into the structure and organization of the glycolytic “gatekeeper” enzyme, phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK1). Our findings provide a molecular framework for understanding the allosteric regulation and cellular organization of this critical enzyme, shedding light on how metabolic enzymes are spatially and functionally integrated within the cellular environment.