The Department of Biological Sciences welcomes 

Dr. Amra Saric

Assistant Professor, 

Department of Biochemistry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

University of Toronto, Canada

Inter-organelle lipid flow in health and disease

The health of cells and tissues depends on smaller, membrane-bound intracellular compartments - organelles - that house biochemical reactions. Many organelles are remarkably dynamic in their membrane remodeling and size. These events are frequently coordinated by inter-organellar membrane contact sites, areas where two or more organelles are closely apposed and able to communicate with one another. We have identified a protein complex composed of two membrane contact site proteins, SNX19 and SNX25, that likely acts as a molecular “tunnel” able to transport lipids between organelles like the endoplasmic reticulum, endolysosomes and lipid droplets. These contacts serve to support the growth of lipid droplets, an important energy reservoir in cells. Variants in these and related SNX genes are emerging as the cause of severe neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. Future efforts will focus on uncovering detailed mechanisms of their functions and will provide insights into how their mutation causes disease.

Hosted by Dr. Hanaa Hariri

This seminar will be streamed live. For a zoom link, please contact Dr. Eleni Gourgou at elenigourgou@wayne.edu.