Research Project Outline
It is well known that phospholipids present in biological membranes consist of various molecular species with different fatty acyl chains. However, the physiological significance of individual phospholipid and the molecular mechanisms of their formation are not fully elucidated. In this project, we utilize C. elegans genetics and mass spectrometry techniques to identify the enzymes for the formation of phospholipids molecular species and to isolate the membrane proteins requiring phospholipids with very long polyunsaturated fatty acids for their functions.