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Mads Eskesen Christensen: New mechanistic insight into the secrets of the Na/K-pump

PhD defence, Friday 21 April 2023, Mads Eskesen Christensen

[Translate to English:]
Mads Eskesen Christensen

During his PhD studies, Mads Eskesen Christensen investigated the mechanism and regulation of the human Na,K-ATPase. The membrane embedded primary active transporter is responsible for maintaining vital gradients of Na+ and K+ across the plasma membrane of all animal cells, essential for muscle activity and neuronal signalling. In humans, approximately 35% of the body’s energy is consumed by the Na,K-ATPase, highlighting the importance of the protein along with the requirement for tight regulation. Mads Eskesen Christensen explored structural determination and single-molecule biochemical characterization of the Na,K-ATPase, revealing new insight into the regulation and ion transport mechanism. The findings not only improve the current understanding of the structure function relationship of the Na,K-ATPase, but provides the basis for elucidation of isoform specific transport characteristics and aetiology of Na,K-ATPase disease variants.
The PhD study was completed at department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Friday 21 April 2023 at 13:15
Place: Building 1871, room 120, MBG Auditorium, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 81, 8000 Aarhus C.
Title of PhD thesis: Structural and functional characterization of human Na,K-ATPases
Contact information: Mads Christensen, e-mail: mec@mbg.au.dk, tel.: +45 28973223

Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Dirk J. Slotboom, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Groningen, The Netherlands 
Professor Nanna MacAulay, Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Senior researcher Jan Trige Rasmussen (chair), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark

Main supervisor:
Professor Poul Nissen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark

Co-supervisor:
Assistant Professor Michael Habeck, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark.

Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English
The defence is public.

The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Natural Sciences/GSNS, Jens B