Metabolism

Valhalla Fellow Lindsey Backman explains what the microbiome is and the roles that different members of our microbiomes play in health and disease. She also discusses how her lab studies adaptations that some microbes have evolved to tolerate oxygen-containing environments, and how researchers may be able to use what she learns to create better antibiotics and probiotics.

A new Whitehead Institute study investigates the role a family of proteins called Sestrins plays in sensing the presence of the essential amino acid leucine, as well as adapting to its absence. The presence of Sestrin allows fruit flies to choose foods rich in leucine over foods without the nutrient.

Researchers at Whitehead Institute uncover the 3-D structure of GATOR2, a protein complex that plays a critical role in a signaling pathway that regulates cell growth.

The amino acid leucine is necessary to build and maintain muscle. Researchers at Whitehead Institute reveal how the presence or absence of leucine is communicated to a key metabolic pathway in mice.

When we take in energy as food or drink, a complex suite of chemical reactions allow us to turn it into usable fuel. The sum of these reactions, within each cell and throughout the body, makes up our metabolism. In this multimedia collection, learn how Whitehead Institute researchers are delving into the mechanisms behind metabolism from a variety of angles. Click here to explore the series!

Institute researchers continue to pioneer a deeper understanding of how metabolic processes contribute to health and disease – with long-term implications that could range from new treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes to methods for slowing the aging process. Here are a few examples of Whitehead Institute scientists’ creative and pioneering work in the field of metabolism.

A cartoon explainer illustrating the metabolic basis of diabetes and work being done at the Institute to work toward better therapies and improved understanding. 

Research by Whitehead Institute scientists reveals new ways small molecule therapeutics are metabolized and provides techniques to refine existing treatments

Whitehead Institute Member Jing-Ke Weng studies plant metabolism, the set of processes plants use to produce thousands of unique molecules, many of which have potent medicinal properties. The Weng lab is hunting for more of these molecules in the wild, and developing strategies to sustainably produce plant molecules already of interest at scale.