Deciphering lipid droplet heterogeneity using functionalized lipids

• Applicants: Professorin Dr. Britta Brügger; Professorin Dr. Eva Herker
• Subject Area: Biochemistry ; Cell Biology
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 538651361

Lipid droplets (LDs) are dynamic cellular organelles in eukaryotic cells and act as storage organelles for neutral lipids. Structurally, LDs consist of a hydrophobic core composed of neutral lipids that is surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer and associated proteins. The goal of project P3/Z within the FOR 5815 on LD heterogeneity is to develop methods to enrich LD subsets for subsequent molecular characterizations by the members of the consortium. In addition, we will provide lipidomics approaches to determine the lipid composition of core and monolayer lipids of LDs and in combination with functionalized lipid tools we will study i) how specific LD lipid core and monolayer signatures contribute to proteins targeting to LDs and LD subsets, also in the context of different cellular metabolic condition and ii) how protein acylation contribute to LD targeting of proteins.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 5815: Structural and functional lipid droplet heterogeneity