Project: SPHERES: hypertrophy of lipid droplets

About

In 2020, the laboratory began a new project funded by the’European Research Council (ERC) Synergy SPHERES : hypertrophy of lipid droplets. The objective is to understand the dynamics and molecular consequences of adipocyte hypertrophy (enlargement).

SPHERES is a 6-year project funded by the ERC under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. It brings together the research teams led by Dominique Langin, Mikael Rydén, and Bruno Antonny. Within this project, the laboratory is developing techniques to study adipose tissue and derived cells (2D and 3D). Lipid analysis is performed using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HP-TLC), TLC-MS, and LC-HRMS. Lipid droplet proteomics is planned in collaboration with the in-house omics platform. A significant part of the project involves the production and purification of proteins involved in lipid droplet biology, sourced from various organisms, with a particular focus on perilipins. These are currently being studied in reconstitution systems. in vitro lipid-protein droplets and liposomes-proteins. In addition, molecular dynamics simulations will provide new information on protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions at the surface of lipid droplets.

For more information, please consult the project's official website or on Twitter @ERC_SPHERES