Metals for life – tracking exchange of bioessential elements between cells and their environment
Every organism in the world gain energy through metabolism by transferring electrons between the cell and the environment. This function is carried out by enzymes utilizing specific metals, such as copper and molybdenum. How organisms ensure to populate their metalloenzymes with the right metals is a mystery, but the machinery that has governed metal homeostasis in the earliest anaerobic microorganisms is still present in cells today. This project investigates how different metal species are exchanged between cells and their surroundings. The distribution of metals in cells may elucidate the origin of life and serve as biosignatures of early life – even on Mars. Further, many diseases are associated with disturbed metal homeostasis in cells, but methods to quantify metal transport between different compartments in the human body are lacking. This project develops such tools and illuminate how metal speciation affects fundamental biological processes with implications for human health.
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Imported from OpenAIRE | Grant NNF24OC0090253.
Open sourceOverview
Grant agreement NNF24OC0090253
Open sourceEvery organism in the world gain energy through metabolism by transferring electrons between the cell and the environment. This function is carried out by enzymes utilizing specific metals, such as copper and molybdenum. How organisms ensure to populate their metalloenzymes with the right metals is a mystery, but the machinery that has governed metal homeostasis in the earliest anaerobic microorganisms is still present in cells today. This project investigates how different metal species are exchanged between cells and their surroundings. The distribution of metals in cells may elucidate the origin of life and serve as biosignatures of early life – even on Mars. Further, many diseases are associated with disturbed metal homeostasis in cells, but methods to quantify metal transport between different compartments in the human body are lacking. This project develops such tools and illuminate how metal speciation affects fundamental biological processes with implications for human health.