PROJECT A13
Lipid Storage Organelles in Formation of Polarized Cellular Interfaces during Cell Division and Cell Fusion
Plasma membrane organization relies on defined lipid microenvironments that influence the spatial distribution and activity of membrane proteins. Continuous remodeling of the plasma membrane is critical for cellular adaptability and depends on a network of lipid transfer processes. Emerging evidence suggests that lipid droplets, ubiquitous organelles for lipid storage, establish direct contact with the plasma membrane, though the mechanisms of this interaction and its physiological roles remain largely unexplored. We have identified the machinery driving the acto-myosin dependent transport of lipid droplets to polarized plasma membrane domains in yeast. In this project, we aim to uncover the molecular components that enable lipid droplet docking to the plasma membrane and explore the regulation and function of this physical contact.
