# 4D functional mapping of glucose metabolism in Living Cells

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY · 2022 · $320,199

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The objective of this proposal is to elucidate how glucose metabolism (i.e. glycolysis and gluconeogenesis)
and mitochondrial metabolism are spatially and functionally (spatiofunctionally) interconnected and dynamically
orchestrated in human living cells. Current understanding of the highly enmeshed web of metabolic pathways
has been limited in 2D, but cellular metabolism takes place in space and time (i.e. 4D). A number of metabolic
pathways are spatially confined into either membrane-bound organelles or membraneless compartments. To
understand how metabolic pathways are regulated and networked, it is vital to know how organelles or
membraneless compartments are spatially arranged and functionally interplay in 4D. We have recently
reported that the cytoplasmic, rate-determining enzymes in glucose metabolism are spatially organized into
membraneless compartments in various sizes in human cells. We proposed that they shunt glucose flux to
anabolic biosynthetic pathways. More importantly, our preliminary results suggest now that the enzyme
compartments, formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), might be spatially and functionally linked with
mitochondria. Thus, in this proposal, we hypothesize that the enzyme compartments in glucose metabolism
are spatially and functionally associated with mitochondria in 4D, by which LLSP plays a role to adapt cellular
demands. .We will characterize precise mechanisms of the formation and modulation of the enzyme
compartments. In addition, we will reveal how the enzyme compartments of glucose metabolism are
functionally and spatially coordinated with the mitochondria and the regulatory mechanisms of their network in
living cells. The proposed work will offer new, powerful 4D imaging and analysis approaches to explore novel
perspectives of spatiotemporal dynamics of metabolic networks inside cells. This work will provide the
fundamental principle of understanding the new class of essential organelles in the cell and will provide a new
paradigm to comprehend 4-D map of metabolic networks in living cells.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10437674
- **Project number:** 5R01GM134086-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY
- **Principal Investigator:** Minjoung Kyoung
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $320,199
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10437674

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10437674, 4D functional mapping of glucose metabolism in Living Cells (5R01GM134086-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10437674. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*