 |
|
|
|
Judith Storch, PhD |
| Title: Professor |
| Affiliation: Rutgers, The State University of NJ |
| Department:
Food Science |
| Research Interests:
|
|
The overall focus of research my laboratory is on lipid traffic in cells, with particular emphasis on long-chain fatty acids, monoacylglycerols, and cholesterol. The laboratory uses a combination of biochemical, biophysical, cell and molecular biological approaches to answer these questions. For example, fluorescence spectroscopic analysis of recombinant FABP is used to examine the interactions of fatty acids with FABP and the kinetics of fatty acid and monoacylglycerol transfer between FABP and membranes. The structural determinants of ligand-protein interactions and FABP-membrane interactions are probed using chemical modification and site-directed mutagenesis. Cell culture systems such as the Caco-2 human intestinal cell line and 3T3-L1 adipocytes are used to examine cellular lipid transport using biochemical methods and confocal microscopy. The functions of FABPs are also studied using transgenic mouse models in which specific FABP expression has been "knocked out" and in cultured cells by manipulation of FABP content. The metabolism of fatty acid and monoacylglycerol in the intestinal cell is studied using a variety of mouse models and cell culture approaches. Human fibroblasts from patients with NPC disease are used to examine the function of the NPC2 protein in cholesterol trafficking. These studies are providing fundamental information about the cellular trafficking of lipids, with the ultimate goal of enabling effective preventive and therapeutic approaches to a variety of pathologic conditions including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and lipid-storage diseases. |
|
| |
|
|
|
