Time:Thursday, April 4, 2019, 2:00 p.m.

Location:Room 430, Science Building

Speaker:Dr. Kai Stefan Dimmer

Organizer:School of Life Science

Abstract:Mitochondria are unique organelles since two distinct membranes surround them, the mitochondrial inner and outer membrane. They are not participating in membrane vesicle trafficking. Yet, mitochondria only comprise a subset of metabolic pathways for the synthesis of membrane lipids, therefore most species and precursors have to be imported at membrane contact sites as e.g. the ER mitochondria encounter structure (ERMES). Moreover, since both membranes are separated from each other by the intermembrane space, lipids also have to be shuttled across this hydrophilic compartment. Most of the processes that contribute to mitochondrial lipid homeostasis at so-called membrane contact sites as well as inside mitochondria themselves are only at the beginning of being understood.