The Rules of Packaging Fat in Cells
Project Description
Lipid droplets are evolutionarily conserved organelles for storing fat in cells. However, how proteins are targeted to lipid droplets is poorly understood. In this project, the following questions will be addressed: (1) what are the rules for protein targeting to lipid droplets; (2) how proper targeting modulates fat storage. The nematode C. elegans and/or mammalian cells will be used as experimental models.
Supervisor
MAK Ho Yi
Quota
2
Course type
UROP1000
UROP1100
UROP2100
UROP3100
Applicant's Roles
The applicant will be required to design and generate DNA constructs for testing candidate protein targeting signals and to validate the function of these signals in transgenic animals by microscopy.
Applicant's Learning Objectives
1. Molecular, genetic and microscopy techniques.
2. Database mining.
2. Database mining.
Complexity of the project
Moderate