Development of an ex vivo system to assess murine adipocyte differentiation

A precursor cell is a special cell that has the capacity to divide and transform into several different cell types, including bone, liver, skin and fat cells. The fate of a precursor cell is dependent on its surrounding environment and the factors the cell is exposed to. These factors trigger specific changes within the precursor cell that pushes it towards a certain cell type. The biggest change that happens is these factors may switch on or switch off sets of instructions that produce different proteins. This project will investigate a particular set of instructions, called 14-3-3 zeta, that potentially drives the transformation of precursor cells into fat cells. We think that switching on 14-3-3 zeta will promote this transformation. If this is true, this improved understanding will help us develop weight loss therapies for people with obesity.

Faculty Supervisor:

Gareth Lim

Student:

Partner:

King's College London

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

Université de Montréal

Program: