Institut Laue-Langevin

Massive enzyme footballs control sugar metabolism

Neutrons have shown how massive enzyme complexes inside cells might determine whether sugar is burnt for energy or stored as fat. These findings will improve understanding of diabetes and a range of metabolic diseases.

Scientists using neutrons at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) have shown how pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes (PDCs) could control the rate of sugar metabolism by actively changing their own composition.  The research is published in the Biochemical Journal. [more]