Recycling of triacylglycerols for phospholipid synthesis

Lipid disorders are a main focus of biomedical research. A massive deposit of fat (triacylglycerols) in fatty tissue and of cholesterol on the artery walls can lead to obesity, cardiovascular diseases and non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Despite this negative image, fat is essential for the normal development of multiple organs and the central nervous system in mammals. A selective degradation of triacylglycerols provides lipid precursors for membrane lipid synthesis in non-fatty tissues. A defect in this recycling process can lead to severe diseases e.g. Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome. This project aims on understanding the recycling process of fat for membrane lipid synthesis. The Chanarin- Dorfman syndrome is caused by a defect in CGI-58. The function of this protein is unknown, however, there are three yeast proteins showing homology to the mammalian CGI-58 protein. Based on structural similarities to mammalian cells, the unicellular yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a well-established model system for studying cellular processes of complex eukaryotic organisms. Data obtained from studies with yeast mutant cells and proteins will contribute to the understanding of the molecular basis of diseases caused by a defect in fat recycling.

Lipid disorders are a main focus of biomedical research. A massive deposit of fat (triacylglycerols) in fatty tissue and of cholesterol on the artery walls can lead to obesity, cardiovascular diseases and non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Despite this negative image, fat is essential for the normal development of multiple organs and the central nervous system in mammals. A selective degradation of triacylglycerols provides lipid precursors for membrane lipid synthesis in non-fatty tissues. A defect in this recycling process can lead to severe diseases e.g. Chanarin- Dorfman syndrome. This project aims on understanding the recycling process of fat for membrane lipid synthesis. The Chanarin- Dorfman syndrome is caused by a defect in CGI-58. The function of this protein is unknown, however, there are three yeast proteins showing homology to the mammalian CGI-58 protein. Based on structural similarities to mammalian cells, the unicellular yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a well-established model system for studying cellular processes of complex eukaryotic organisms. Data obtained from studies with yeast mutant cells and proteins will contribute to the understanding of the molecular basis of diseases caused by a defect in fat recycling.