ZHMB-Kolloquium: Molecular mechanisms of cellular lipid homeostasis

Molecular mechanisms of cellular lipid homeostasis
Lipids are central for life as we know it, by fulfilling key cell biological roles as major membrane components, as highly efficient energy storage molecules, and as mediators of cellular signaling processes. Dysregulation of lipid synthesis, distribution, storage, and degradation result in human diseases including obesity, diabetes, neurological disorders, and cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular lipid homeostasis are only partially understood.
Maria Bohnert's lab uses microscopy-based high-content screening approaches in yeast to uncover unknown players in lipid handling. She currently focuses on two key questions: (1) How is the life cycle of lipid droplets, the lipid storage organelles, coordinated on a molecular level? And (2) how do the different cellular organelles work together to maintain lipid homeostasis in ever-changing environments? She will present her recent findings on the molecular mechanism that mediate lipid droplet biology and the spatial organization of lipid metabolism.