Prof. Sven Enerbäck, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

15.4. 2024, start: 15:00 

The ability to use several different sources of energy substrates is an essential adaptive quality for survival. We have accumulated a lot of information regarding metabolic fates of different nutrients. However, we still lack a detailed understanding of how cells adapt in their use of different substrates. Here we present data supporting a role for the forkhead transcription factors Foxk1 and Foxk2 as important regulators of aerobic glycolysis. They are upregulated during fasting/starvation and act by interacting with promoters of several of the genes encoding crucial glycolytic enzymes and subsequently upregulate their expression and at the same time suppressing further oxidation of pyruvate in the mitochondria. Taken together this leads to increased lactate production which in turn provides energy substrates for other cell types/organs such as the liver. This also has interesting implications for systemic energy regulation and opens up for the use of lactate derived pyruvate instead of glucose derived pyruvate – as an alternative energy source – during severe insulin resistance in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Biography

Sven Enerbäck received his MD 1984 and PhD 1992 from University of Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1993 he received his license to practice medicine. For postdoctoral training Dr Enerbäck joined the laboratory of Leslie P. Kozak during 1993 - 94, at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. He was appointed full professor of Medical Genetics at the Medical faculty of University of Gothenburg in 2000. His research focuses on metabolism particularly on white and brown adipose tissue and its role in systemic energy turn-over. More recently, this has entailed studies on how transcription factors regulate intermediate metabolism particularly aerobic glycolysis and its role in systemic energy turn-over. He was a Pfizer visiting professor at University of Michigan 2004 and was awarded The Söderberg Foundation Chair in Medicine 2009. In 2010 Dr Enebäck was awarded The Anniversary Medical Prize of The Swedish Medical Society. He is an elected member of The Royal Society of Arts and Sciences and he served as chair of the medical class of The Swedish Royal Academy of Science between 2015-2019. Since 1 Jan. 2020 he is A Distinguished Professor in Medicine at the Swedish Research Council.

IPHYS contact person: Jan Kopecký, jan.kopecky@fgu.cas.cz