2016 Conference on Computational Modelling with COPASI
Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, 12th – 13th May, 2016
1 - Northwest Nazarene University, USA
Keywords: glycogen, metabolic model, COPASI, hormonal regulation
In addition to the well-known liver and muscle, the mammalian uterus also stores glycogen. The apparent role of glycogen in this tissue is to serve as a supply of glucose for the endometrium, where the sugar is an energy source for embryos before the development of the placenta. In animals with obligate embryonic diapause, the pre-implantation time can be quite extended, (e.g., up to 60 days post coitus in the mink, Neovison vison). In the uterus glycogen metabolism under regulation by ovarian cycle hormones (estrogen and progesterone derivatives) in addition to insulin, all with very long cycle times for the hormones and glycogen levels. Very little of this regulation and metabolism is understood for the uterus. We have developed a small metabolic and regulatory model of glycogen metabolism for uterine tissue in COPASI 4.16 (Build 104), with 30 species and 10 elementary modes. The Parameter Estimation function of COPASI was used to fit glycogen synthesis and hormone interaction data for mink and cultured mink uterine cells. Glycogen phosphorylase levels were modeled to vary in response to progesterone, thus increasing glycogen catabolism during diapause and pregnancy relative to estrus. This model will guide future in vitro studies to understand the regulation of uterine glycogen metabolism, as well as in silico efforts to understand the bases of some human infertility due to poor embryonic implantation.