Senior Fellows
Dominik Schwudke
PhD Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin / Robert Koch Institute, Berlin
Post-PhD Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden
Senior Fellowship research summary
D. melanogaster is a widely accepted model to genetic and cell- biological studies. We will embark on the lipidomics of tissues, cells and cellular compartments during D. melanogaster development for deciphering lipid metabolic enzymes and lipids which are critical involved in the organization and homeostasis of membranes.
Lipids are important biomolecules which basically fulfill three functions in multicellular organisms. First, they form the matrix for biological membranes where essential biological processes take place. Second, in certain circumstances they are signal molecules which can regulate a variety of cellular function. Third, they are essential compounds for storing energy in an organism. The interplay between these functional aspects of lipids is very complex and it is observed that cells with different functional responsibilities also contain different lipidomes. Tissue and cell identity are defined during the development and we want to learn how and when lipids are synthesized in correlation to a functional assignment.
For that we will collect all information concerning lipids during the development of the fruitfly. We think that with this systematic analysis we will gain insight into the importance of lipid metabolism in the development of multicellular organism which is also relevant for applications in human biology and diseases.
Schwudke Lab Website
(http://www.ncbs.res.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=350&Itemid=9)