Functional roles of plasmalogens and their loss in aging cell membranes
This project will investigate how fatty molecules called lipids underly aging processes. Lipids serve many roles in cells, including serving as the fundamental building blocks of cell membranes. The project will focus on one class of membrane lipids called plasmalogens that features unique chemical and biophysical properties. The project will explore the roles of plasmalogens in aging-related molecular processes in retinal cell lines as well as a whole animal model system for aging processes, the fruit fly. The experiments will seek to define the biological roles for different chemical features of these lipids, which could contribute to cellular dysfunction during aging-related disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
