I originally studied spontaneous oscillatory behavior of glycolysis in muscle extracts. These oscillations involve the regulatory properties of the key control enzyme, phosphofructokinase, which was therefore the object of related kinetic studies. Much of my subsequent research focused on oscillatory behavior of glycolysis and the ATP/ADP ratio and glucose-stimulated oscillations in intracellular free Ca2+ and insulin secretion in pancreatic islets. Such oscillations can increase the potency of insulin, and loss or derangement of these oscillations may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. Mice deficient in the M (oscillatory) isoform of phosphofructokinase were found to have greatly decreased fat stores, suggesting an important role of glycolytic oscillations in fat cells, too. I am currently in the Biochemistry teaching mission, teaching metabolism to first-year medical, dental and graduate students.
Representative Publications
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Martínez-Costa OH, Sánchez V, Lázaro A, Hernández ED, Tornheim K, Aragón JJ. Distinct functional roles of the two terminal halves of eukaryotic phosphofructokinase. Biochem J. 2012 Jul 15; 445(2):213-8. PMID: 22530721.
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Haller JF, Smith C, Liu D, Zheng H, Tornheim K, Han GS, Carman GM, Zoeller RA. Isolation of novel animal cell lines defective in glycerolipid biosynthesis reveals mutations in glucose-6-phosphate isomerase. J Biol Chem. 2010 Jan 8; 285(2):866-77. PMID: 19903819.
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Getty-Kaushik L, Viereck JC, Goodman JM, Guo Z, LeBrasseur NK, Richard AM, Flanagan JN, Yaney GC, Hamilton JA, Tornheim K. Mice deficient in phosphofructokinase-M have greatly decreased fat stores. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010 Mar; 18(3):434-40. PMID: 19779479.
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Richard AM, Webb DL, Goodman JM, Schultz V, Flanagan JN, Getty-Kaushik L, Deeney JT, Yaney GC, Dunaway GA, Berggren PO, Tornheim K. Tissue-dependent loss of phosphofructokinase-M in mice with interrupted activity of the distal promoter: impairment in insulin secretion. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Sep; 293(3):E794-801. PMID: 17595219.
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Heart E, Yaney GC, Corkey RF, Schultz V, Luc E, Liu L, Deeney JT, Shirihai O, Tornheim K, Smith PJ, Corkey BE. Ca2+, NAD(P)H and membrane potential changes in pancreatic beta-cells by methyl succinate: comparison with glucose. Biochem J. 2007 Apr 1; 403(1):197-205. PMID: 17181533.
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Nascimben L, Ingwall JS, Lorell BH, Pinz I, Schultz V, Tornheim K, Tian R. Mechanisms for increased glycolysis in the hypertrophied rat heart. Hypertension. 2004 Nov; 44(5):662-7. PMID: 15466668.
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Juntti-Berggren L, Webb DL, Arkhammar PO, Schultz V, Schweda EK, Tornheim K, Berggren PO. Dihydroxyacetone-induced oscillations in cytoplasmic free Ca2+ and the ATP/ADP ratio in pancreatic beta-cells at substimulatory glucose. J Biol Chem. 2003 Oct 17; 278(42):40710-6. PMID: 12917415.
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Itani SI, Saha AK, Kurowski TG, Coffin HR, Tornheim K, Ruderman NB. Glucose autoregulates its uptake in skeletal muscle: involvement of AMP-activated protein kinase. Diabetes. 2003 Jul; 52(7):1635-40. PMID: 12829626.
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Cunningham BA, Richard AM, Dillon JS, Daley JT, Civelek VN, Deeney JT, Yaney GC, Corkey BE, Tornheim K. Glucagon-like peptide 1 and fatty acids amplify pulsatile insulin secretion from perifused rat islets. Biochem J. 2003 Jan 1; 369(Pt 1):173-8. PMID: 12356335.
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Yaney GC, Fairbanks JM, Deeney JT, Korchak HM, Tornheim K, Corkey BE. Potentiation of insulin secretion by phorbol esters is mediated by PKC-alpha and nPKC isoforms. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2002 Nov; 283(5):E880-8. PMID: 12376314.
Complete list can be found at BU Profiles
