Conserved Mechanisms of Lipid Homeostasis in C. elegans

University Of Virginia, Charlottesville VA

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Abstract

Phenotypic assays of intact organisms allow us to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying complex biological processes that, like the crosstalk between nutrients, fat stores, and other tissues, cannot be reduced to biochemical or cell-based assays: Caenorhabditis elegans, a roundworm sharing 50% of its genes with humans, is particularly well suited for large-scale whole animal studies of complex biological processes because it is small, easy to grow, and its transparent skin allows us to follow molecular responses in the context of a living organism throughout its entire life cycle. This project will take advantage of functional genomics, next-generation sequencing, biochemical and cell biological approaches to find genes that link nutrient availability to fat storage and mobilization. Additionally, we will search for RNA-based mechanisms of metabolic regulation. Uncovering molecules and biological pathways executing and coordinating mechanisms of energy homeostasis could help us in the prevention and treatment of obesity and its associated metabolic syndrome.