Ethan Xie L&S Biological Sciences
Omega-3 Fatty Acid Signaling in Neurodegeneration.
Neurodegenerative diseases are notoriously difficult to treat due to their various causes and complex biological pathways. In 2014 alone, the top nine most common neurological diseases cost the U.S. an estimated 789 billion. It is hypothesized that these diseases are caused by toxic protein aggregates. As such, this project aims to investigate the mechanisms behind neurodegeneration by studying how lipid transport plays a role in the synthesis and metabolism of these aggregates by connecting with the lysosomal mTOR pathway, a master regulator of cellular growth and repair. Specifically, I plan to examine mTOR regulation through the recently discovered cholesterol sensor LYCHOS. Recently, a secondary pocket of LYCHOS was unveiled which seems to bind a phospholipid containing an ⍵-3 fatty acid (⍵-3 FA). Given the emerging neuroprotective role of ⍵-3 FAs, my project aims to answer if ⍵-3 FA transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the lysosome via VPS13C has neuroprotective effects by intersecting with the LYCHOS-mTOR pathway and promoting the autophagic clearance of protein aggregates. This will hopefully identify VPS13C as a pharmacological target for the future.
Message To Sponsor
I would like to take this moment to thank my donor for providing me with the resources and funding that I need to pursue this neurobiology research. Without them, I would not be able to purchase the antibodies, CRISPR guides, and DNA required to investigate omega-3 fatty acid signaling in neurons. They are a big reason why I feel comfortable doing research as an undergrad at UC Berkeley, and I cannot thank them enough for supporting me in my pursuit of science.