Project name: Investigating alternative pathways of sulfur metabolism and its redox biological aspects

Project number: VENDEGKUTATO2023-26

Total budget: 15.000.000 HUF

Funding rate: 100%

Project manager: Dr. Péter Nagy
Guest scientist: Prof Edward Eric Schmidt (Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana USA)

Duration:
from 1st July 2023. to 31st December 2023. (6 months)

Summary:

The main focus of our research group is hitherto unexplored aspects of redox homeostasis related to sulfur metabolism. In mammalian cells, the two key players of this system are the NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase (TR) and glutathione reductase (GR) – enzymes that control vital cellular functions.
The research group of Prof. Edward Schmidt had previously created a viable mouse model in which these two key enzymes are mutually absent in the liver (TR/GR-null). The survival of these animals is grounded in the metabolic reprogramming of transsulfuration pathways. Throughout the project, we expect to gain comprehensive knowledge of transsulfuration metabolic pathways, their regulation, and the defensive role played by their enzymes against oxidative stress, which are, based on our previous research, crucial in developing novel therapeutic aproaches for cancer.