Speaker: Isabel Sáez,
IRB Barcelona, Spain

Organizer: Molecular Medicine Programme, IRB Barcelona
Date: Wednesday, 25 January 2012, 13:00h
Place: Aula Fèlix Serratosa, Parc Cièntific de Barcelona, Spain

Abstract

Glycogen is the single largest energy reserve in mammals. In the brain, its location has been reported to be almost entirely astrocytic and its degradation provides neuroprotection under conditions with a high neuronal energetic demand. Surprisingly, neurons have the full machinery to synthesize glycogen and they have been described to accumulate glycogen under pathogenic conditions. However, the significance of the presence of Glycogen Synthase in neurons has not been addressed so far. Thus, it has been our aim to elucidate which function Glycogen Synthase has in neurons and whether it may play a role in the neuronal response towards energy demanding situations. We have focused our studies in hypoxia, in which the cell shifts its metabolism to anaerobic glycolysis in order to survive. Our results strongly suggest that, contrary to what has been widely accepted, neurons have a basal glycogen turnover, which is regulated during oxygen decrease. Moreover, glycogen and Glycogen Synthase have emerged as key factors in the survival of the neuron during the stress episode.