Tilbake til søkeresultatene

IS-DAAD-Forskerutveksl. Norge-Tyskland

Modelling NAD metabolism and its connection to the circadian clock

Tildelt: kr 35 141

Prosjektleder:

Prosjektnummer:

207832

Prosjektperiode:

2011 - 2013

Most biological processes require energy and are tightly regulated. Energy is extracted from food supplies and eventually transformed into ATP, the universal energy carrier of the cell. These pathways consist of many reactions which involve NAD or NADP, s mall molecules which serve as intermediate energy transmitters. NAD and its derivatives also have multiple signalling functions that are important for the regulation of all vital cellular activities. Altered levels of NAD or intermediates of NAD-synthesis play a role in several different neuronal dysfunctions or necrotic cell death following stroke. NAD metabolism is connected to the internal circadian clock in mammals, which allows organisms to anticipate daily changes in their environment. Disturbances of the circadian rhythm due to inherited diseases or social influences, such as shift work or repeated jet lag, can cause metabolic diseases like obesity and diabetes. The two main scientific aims of the proposed project are: 1) to build a kinetic model of human tryptophan metabolism in order to investigate whether the amino acid tryptophan can be used as the primary or sole source for NAD production in human cells, and 2) to construct a dynamic mathematical model that links NAD-metabolism with existing circadian clock models. Both aims will be pursued by combining theoretical modelling and experimentation. The project will be executed as a collaboration between one German and two Norwegian research groups. This collaboration brings together internatio nally recognized expertise in three different research fields: biomathematical modelling, molecular biology, and integrative bioinformatics. Funding from the DAADppp mobility programme will allow us to boost our existing collaboration considerably, by fac ilitating training and competence building on both sides.

Budsjettformål:

IS-DAAD-Forskerutveksl. Norge-Tyskland