Lipids@Wayne will host our next seminar TOMORROW, Wednesday, Nov. 20^th, from 4:00-5:00pm in room 1177 of the WSU Biological Sciences Building. This event will feature a talk by Dr. Itay Budin, an assistant professor in the departments of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Bioengineering at the University of California San Diego. All are welcome to attend this free event. Pizza will be provided starting at 3:45pm!

 

We hope to see you there!

 

Date: Wednesday, November 20th, 2024

Time: 4:00 - 5:00 pm (pizza gathering starts at 3:45)

Location: Biological Sciences Building, room 1177

Speaker: Itay Budin, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of California San Diego

Talk Title: Phospholipid Curvature: A Biophysical Deep Dive

Abstract: 

Our lab investigates how – and why – cells control the composition of their lipid membranes. Lipids are traditionally challenging to study, and I will briefly present new chemical biology tools that can be used to interrogate their subcellular distributions. I will then focus on biophysical studies that seek to understand why small chemical changes to lipid chemistry are biologically important. I will show how the shape of lipid molecules – described by their spontaneous curvature – is a biophysical parameter that has driven adaptations in phospholipid chemistry. Lipid curvature is regulated in specific membranes in cells, like the inner mitochondrial membrane, where it can support function. Across organisms, lipid curvature is a property that is maintained through evolution. I will describe a wide-ranging investigation into the membranes of marine invertebrates that led us to discover how deep-sea environments act on lipid curvature and, in turn, how lipid metabolism must maintain this property.