Mitochondria and energy metabolism

 Mitochondria and energy metabolism

We study how mitochondria integrate and generate metabolic signals controlling the coupling of glucose recognition to insulin exocytosis. Current work investigates generation, intracellular transport, and mechanism of action of glutamate in beta-cells and brain; related to energy homeostasis. We are particularly interested in the Glud1 gene that encodes for glutamate dehydrogenase. Beside tissue-specific knockouts, we study Glud1 activating mutations giving rise to hyperinsulinemia (beta-cell), hyperammonemia (liver), and epilepsy (brain).