Lipid induced mitochondrial dysfunction

Mitochondria are key structures within our cells that function as power plants, generating energy in the form of ATP (the cell’s energy currency) from the “burning” of carbohydrate and fat within our diet. This energy powers numerous cellular processes including DNA and protein synthesis that are central to cell life. However, sustained oversupply of nutrients in the blood, in particular that of saturated fatty lipids, as seen during obesity, results in mitochondrial stress and degradation by a process called mitophagy which contributes significantly to the development of metabolic diseases such diabetes. Little is known about how this happens but this short project will utilise cell-based approaches to explore how mitochondrial morphology is regulated by the type of fat that cells are exposed to and provide the student with opportunities to learn new scientific techniques/methods.