Meet the expert: Dr Erika Fernández-Vizarra

Metabolic adaptions of OXPHOS organization and function to glycolytic switch


The structural and functional organization of the mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) remains intensely debated. In this talk we will demonstrate the co-existence of two separate MRC organizations in human cells and postmitotic tissues. We show a link between the metabolic signatures converging at the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and the structural and functional organization of the MRC, challenging the widespread notion of the MRC as a single functional unit and concluding that its structural heterogeneity warrants optimal adaptation to metabolic function.