# Lipid Dynamics in the Golgi Apparatus

> **NIH NIH R01** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $402,093

## Abstract

Project Summary
Each organelle of the cell has a unique lipid and protein composition that confers its specific functions. While
much has been learned regarding the mechanisms that mediate sorting of proteins to different organelles, the
mechanisms that govern the lipid content of organelles are largely unknown. New lipid synthesis occurs in the
endoplasmic reticulum (ER), the Golgi apparatus, and the mitochondrion, and they are then distributed to other
organelles. There are expansive gaps in knowledge regarding the mechanisms that coordinate the synthesis
and distributions of lipids. The research proposed in this project focuses on sphingomyelin, a major structural
component of the cellular membranes, and the Golgi apparatus, which functions as a “lipid based sorting
station” that disseminates lipids and proteins to nearly all organelles of the cell. Multiple types of cargo
transport vesicles bud from the Golgi and it is widely thought that coalescence of lipids such as sphingolipids
and cholesterol is a driving force for sorting of cargos into to transport pathways. Preliminary data document
the engineering of a natural sphingomyelin-binding protein into a biosensor that enables analyses of
sphingomyelin dynamics (synthesis, trafficking) in living cells. We will apply this new tool in fluorescence
microscopy-based experiments to determine if sphingomyelin is enriched in distinct Golgi-to-plasma membrane
transport carriers. Protein ‘clients’ of the sphingomyelin transport pathway will be identified using enzymatic
proximity labeling and proteomic analyses, and sphingomyelin-dependent sorting mechanisms for these
proteins will be elucidated. The research will provide new insights into the regulation and roles of
sphingomyelin within the cell.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9843653
- **Project number:** 5R01GM095766-07
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Christopher G Burd
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $402,093
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2011-09-30 → 2021-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9843653

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9843653, Lipid Dynamics in the Golgi Apparatus (5R01GM095766-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9843653. Licensed CC0.

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