Researchers from the Structural Biology Unit at CIC bioGUNE and Columbia University (New York) have conducted a joint research project, published in the prestigious scientific journal ‘Structure’, that for the first time presents the structure of the pyruvate carboxylase enzyme in physiological conditions (in its "natural" state) and provides more in-depth knowledge, thus revealing which of the previous models is correct.

Pyruvate carboxylase is a metabolic enzyme that plays a fundamental role in the metabolism of fatty acids (the components of fats) and sugars. When its function is not properly performed (for example, when mutations in the gene arise) diverse metabolic diseases of genetic origin are triggered, including lactic acidaemia, hypoglycaemia and psycho-motor retardation. At the same time, as it lies at a metabolic crossroads, pyruvate carboxylase is potentially a target in obesity and diabetes treatments.

The research has been conducted together with the New York Structural Biology Center (NYSBC), which was set up in 2002 and uses the most advanced high-field research magnets (NMRs), Electron Microscopy, and X-ray crystallography equipment (as does CIC bioGUNE's Structural Biology Unit). In this joint research project, the NYSBC took responsibility for the X-ray crystallography part, while the Structural Biology Unit at CIC bioGUNE undertook the Electron Microscopy part.

Numerous research institutions are involved in the NYSBC, most of them from New York City. These include Columbia University, the doyen of New York universities, which has produced 78 Nobel Laureates throughout its history, as well as the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.