Project description

The cellular cytoplasm is a highly crowded environment, with proteins and other biomolecules packed tightly together. This raises an intriguing question: How do vital biomolecular processes continue to function in such a dense environment, where molecules are constantly interacting and may even form clumps? The key might lie in the constant energy conversion within the cell, which helps keep molecules in motion. In fact, the cytoplasm is often referred to as ‘active matter,’ and we have recently proposed that metabolism plays an essential role in ‘agitating the cytoplasm’ (https://doi.org/10.15252/msb.202110822).

The challenge of understanding how cellular metabolism organizes the structure of the cytoplasm presents an exciting scientific opportunity. This project combines biochemistry and biophysics to investigate this question. The results could not only advance our understanding of diseases such as Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s, but also offer new insights for biotechnology and metabolic engineering.

This project includes the use of cutting-edge techniques, such as super-resolution microscopy (PALM, Smdm), single-particle tracking, machine learning, and latest state-of-the-art techniques for biochemical analysis. We explore how active enzymes drive cytoplasmic motion and how this influences cellular function and life itself.