Studies of the Thermodynamics, Physiological Role(s) and Intracellular Compartmentation of Phosphagen/Phosphokinase Reactions

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Muscles are biological tranducers which convert chemical energy into mechanical energy-tension development during contraction. The higher the force and speed of contraction of a given muscle, the greater the amount of chemical energy that is needed to sustain these contractions. The major focus of this project is to look at the process of chemical energy production in muscles from a range of invertebrate species. The results will provide fundamental information about energy transduction in muscle, in general and will give some insight into the evolution of these processes in the animal kingdom. Chemical energy is derived from two sources in muscles. First of all, fuels such as carbohydrates and fats can be broken down yielding chemical energy. Secondly, muscles contain chemicals known as phosphagens which function as reservoirs of chemical energy. It is this latter source of chemical energy that is the focus of this research effort. There are a number of different kinds of phosphagens which are distributed in specific patterns in the animal kingdom. Little is known about the chemical properties of most of these phosphagens. However, we do know that these phosphagen are used to power rapid and forceful muscle contractions. These studies will investigate the biochemical properties of these phosphagens with an emphasis on how they are utilized during muscle work. In recent years, it has become apparent that the interior of muscle cells, and for that matter all cells, consists of an elaborate network of tubules, organelles and membranes. Traditional methods of study of chemical energy production utilize invasive techniques which involve destruction of this complex intracellular architecture. To avoid this problem, he plans to use nuclear magnetic resonance or spectroscopy, a method which allows us to observe chemical reactions in intact, living cells. NMR techniques have been shown to be extremely useful in basic research as well as in the context of the clinical environment. These studies will extend our knowledge concerning the applicability of NMR methods for the study of chemical energy production in muscles.