Examination of the role of perilipin C in cholesterol storage in CHO cells

CHED 835

Heather Renee Manring, heather.manring@otterbein.edu, Department of Life/Earth Sciences, Otterbein College, Westerville, OH 43081, Jillian A. Shellabarger, Jill.Shellabarger@otterbein.edu, Department of Life Science and Department of Chemistry, Otterbein College, Westerville, OH 43081, and John T. Tansey, JTansey@otterbein.edu, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Otterbein College, Westerville, OH 43081.
Cells possess the ability to store lipids in lipid storage droplets. The perilipins, a family of lipid storage droplet proteins, arise from splicing of a single gene. Adipose tissue expresses perilipin A and stores triacylglycerols; steroidogenic tissue expresses perilipin A and C and stores cholesteryl esters. This work investigates the role of perilipin C in cholesterol storage. It was demonstrated that perilipin A mediates storage of triacylglycerol in adipose tissue. It is hypothesized that perilipin C plays a similar role in controlling cholesterol storage in steroidogenic tissues. A DNA construct engineered expressing perilipins A and C was transfected into CHO cells to determine their effect on lipid storage. SDS-PAGE coupled to immunoblotting confirmed the presence of perilipin A in these cells. Immunofluorescence microscopy confirmed the localization of this protein to lipid storage droplets. The construct is being redesigned to express perilipin C and to elucidate its role in cholesterol storage.
 

Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Biochemistry
2:00 PM-4:00 PM, Monday, April 7, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Hall A, Poster

Division of Chemical Education

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008