Research subject Mitochondria
Living cells are dependent on the conversion of energy that originates from digested material and light. This conversion delivers a chemical representation of this energy to the cell and it takes place inside the membrane systems of compartments inside the cell - either chloroplasts or mitochondria.
Naturally, the understanding of the bioenergetics steps underlying this process is of great importance and interest. The mitochondria have a set of dedicated genes, that have evolved into assembly machineries by which the chemical components in the conversion process is distributed from one component to another in a particular series of reactions.
In mitochondria, the process of energy conversion is called oxidative phosphorylation - it is a process that is intently studied at the department using methods spanning from experimental procedures as well as structural, functional and evolutionary analysis. These studies have included the determination of the molecular mechanisms of some of the most complex multi-protein assemblies driving key bioenergetic processes of mitoribosomes and ATP synthases - important steps in ultimately illuminating how cells obtain energy and maintain their bioenergetic balance.
Related research subject
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