9631907 Ellington Living cells, in effect, behave as internal combustion engines. Various fuels such as fats and carbohydrates are metabolically combusted yielding water, carbon dioxide and a form of chemical energy currency known as ATP. ATP provides the energy for most useful processes in the cell including biosynthesis, pumping of materials across membranes and cell movement. Muscle and nerve cells display high and variable rates of ATP utilization which often exceed the capacity for metabolic ATP synthesis. In vertebrates, these cells stockpile a chemical known as creatine phosphate which acts as a reservoir of energy during periods of intense energy use. Creatine phosphate belongs to a family of energy storage compounds collectively known as phosphagens. A variety of other phosphagens (ca., arginine phosphate, taurocyamine phosphate) are found in the non-vertebrate animal groups. These compounds function in a manner analogous to that of creatine phosphate. However, certain fundamental functional differences are evident. The present research project will further investigate functional differences in the diverse phosphagen compounds using high field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and conventional biochemical methods. Once these differences have been delineated, mathematical models will be developed to evaluate the functioning of these compounds in various kinds of biological contexts (different cell types, cell ultrastructure, rates of ATP utilization). The resulting simulations will be used to evaluate and subsequently explain the distribution of particular phosphagens in various animal groups. These studies will provide insight into the evolution of cellular energy metabolism, a process vital to the functioning of all cells.
