Theresa Kouril

Up-regulation of glycolytic flux (glucose to lactate conversion), also known as the “Warburg effect”, has been associated with 90% of cancers. We implemented a systems biology approach in order to improve the overall understanding of the “Warburg effect” as well as identifying drug targets within the glycolytic pathway.

Silicon cell model for the central carbohydrate metabolism of the archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus under temperature variation

Within the e:Bio - Innovationswettbewerb Systembiologie (Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)), the SulfoSYSBIOTECH consortium (10 partners), aim to unravel the complexity and regulation of the carbon metabolic network of the thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus (optimal growth at 80°C and pH 3) in order to provide new catalysts ‘extremozymes’ for utilization in White Biotechnology.

Based on the available S. solfataricus genome scale metabolic model (Ulas et al., 2012) ...

Integrated systems biology approach including transcriptome, metabolome, proteome analyses and modelling to elucidate amino acid degradation in S. solfataricus P2.

The gluconeogenic conversion of 3-phosphoglycerate via 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate was compared at 30 C and at 70 C. At 30 C it was possible to produce 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate from 3-phosphoglycerate with phosphoglycerate kinase, but at 70 C, 1,3- bisphosphoglycerate was dephosphorylated rapidly to 3-phosphoglycerate, effectively turning the phosphoglycerate kinase into a futile cycle. At both temperatures it was possible to convert 3-phosphoglycerate to glyceraldehyde ...

Integrated systems biology approach including transcriptome, metabolome, biochemistry, proteome analyses and modelling to elucidate the catabolic pathway for L-fucose in S. solfataricus P2.

To investigate amino acid degradation pathways in Sulfolobus solfataricus transcriptome, proteome and metabolome analyses were performed on cells grown on caseinhydrolysate as carbon source. Cells grown with glucose served as reference condition. Metabolic modelling was used to compare the efficiency of different degradation routes.

PGK-GAPDH reactions were studied in vitro at 30 and 70 using yeast or Sso enzymes

SED-ML: https://jjj.bio.vu.nl/models/experiments/kouril2017_fig4b/simulate https://jjj.bio.vu.nl/models/experiments/kouril2017_fig4c/simulate

PGK reaction at 30 C. Yeast PGK was incubated at 30 C, in the presence or absence of the ATP recycling system, and the conversion of 3 PG to BPG was followed. SED-ML simulations Fig. 1A: https://jjj.bio.vu.nl/models/experiments/kouril2017_fig1a/simulate

PGK reaction at 70C. Sulfolobus solfataricus PGK was incubated at 70C in presence and absence of an ATP recycling system. Changes in metabolite concentrations was followed via 31P NMR or enzymatic analyses.

SED-ML: https://jjj.bio.vu.nl/models/experiments/kouril2017_fig3b/simulate https://jjj.bio.vu.nl/models/experiments/kouril2017_fig3c/simulate https://jjj.bio.vu.nl/models/experiments/kouril2017_fig3d/simulate

BPG produced with yeast PGK was incubated at 70 C,upon which BPG rapidly dephosphorylates to 3PG. SED-ML: https://jjj.bio.vu.nl/models/experiments/kouril2017_fig2b/simulate

Experimental data for the yeast PGK incubations at 30C, with and without recycling of ATP.

Changes in metabolite concentrations were either quantified via 31P NMR or enzymatically

BPG degradation at 70C

Experimental data for 3PG conversion to fructose-6-phosphase in reconstituted systems of gluconeogenesis of S. solfataricus

Simulation results of TPI experimental data for GAP and DHAP saturation.

Simulation results of temperature degradation of gluconeogenic intermediates

Simulation results of experimental data of the reconstituted gluconeogenic system

Simulation results of GAPDH experimental data for BPG, NADPH, NADP, GAP, and Pi

incubations with yeast enzymes at 30C

metabolite quantification via enzymatic analysis

PGK yeast without recycling of ATP

Protein extraction, iTRAQ labeling, peptides separation, mass spectrometry and data analysis

Preparation of cell free extracts of the recombinant E. coli strains expressing the gluconeogenic S. solfataricus enzymes.

Cloning and heterologous expression of gluconeogenic enzymes from S. solfataricus in E. coli

Purification of gluconeogenic enzymes from S. solfataricus in recombinant E.coli extracts