Control of organelle biogenesis by the Lipin switch (A23)

• Subject Area: Biochemistry
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 278001972

Organelle biogenesis depends on whether cells use available lipids for the synthesis of new membranes or store them in lipid droplets. This important decision is controlled by the phosphatidate phosphatase Lipin, which functions as a molecular switch at a central branchpoint of lipid metabolism. The new project A23N aims to (1) define the regulation of the Lipin switch, (2) elucidate the structure and molecular mechanism of the Lipin switch, and (3) determine the physiological roles of the Lipin switch in the biogenesis of the endoplasmic reticulum and lipid droplets, both in yeast and mammalian cells. These studies promise a deeper understanding of how organelle biogenesis is controlled.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 186: Molecular Switches: Spatio-temporal Control of Cellular Signal Transmission
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Oliver Daumke; Professor Dr. Sebastian Schuck