S14 Sphingomyelin induced neuro-immune reprogramming during metaflammation (P03)

• Subject Area: Immunology ; Endocrinology, Diabetology, Metabolism ; Cell Biology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 432325352

We found that Sphingomyelin d18:1/14:0 (S14) activates TLR4 in metaflammation and that increased S14 levels corelate with calorie consumption and carotic plaque development. As obesity, and metaflammation are risk factors for the development of dementia, we now aim to determine whether S14 is the molecular component linking metaflammation during obesity and arteriosclerosis with neurodegeneration, i.e., Alzheimers’s disease in mouse models and in human cohort studies.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1454: Metaflammation and Cellular Programming
• Applicant Institution: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
• Project Heads: Privatdozent Dr. Peter Düwell, until 12/2024; Professor Dr. Eicke Latz; Dr. Róisín McManus, since 1/2025