All are welcome to attend our biweekly Lipids@Wayne seminar.

Speaker: Prof. Saskia Neher, Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine

Title: New Structural Insights into Triglyceride Metabolism

Location:  Biological Sciences Room 1167 

Date and Time: Pizza at 3:45 pm and seminar at 4 pm on Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Abstract: Lipoprotein lipase is a key enzyme in lipid metabolism, as it hydrolyzes the triglyceride component of circulating lipoproteins. LPL can exist in multiple oligomeric states, and we propose that changes to LPL's oligomeric state affects its activity. We have used cryoEM to resolve structures of a dimeric form of LPL and two different helical forms of LPL. The structure of the dimer reveals a novel tunnel that extends from the active site to the exterior of the protein. The structures of the helical forms of LPL reveal an occluded active site. Additionally, data from cryo-electron tomography reveals the physiological importance of the helical forms of LPL.