New ways to understand metabolism offer pathways for advances in human health and disease
Chinese researchers have decoded the metabolic cycle of yeast using mathematical analysis, revealing striking parallels with the ancient Chinese philosophy of yin and yang.
The study, led by Professor Li Lei from the Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, redefines the understanding of metabolic phases in this single-celled eukaryote – one of the smallest model organisms used in the study of molecular life mechanisms.
While yeast metabolism has long been studied as a three-stage process, Li’s team chose to use mathematical tools to reorganise it into four distinct yet interconnected phases.
In the team’s work published in March in the peer-reviewed journal NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics, Li explained how the four phases – named 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B – each reflected a unique metabolic state.
