Dr Yoel Klug
Dr Yoel Klug
- BTG Junior Research Fellow in Biomedical Sciences
Profile
I am originally form Israel, where I studied all of my degrees. After finishing my bachelors in Life Sciences at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, I moved to the Weizmann Institute of Science where I carried out my MSc and PhD research in the lab of Professor Yechiel Shai. There I focused on membrane fusion and immune suppression by the HIV gp41 fusion protein. In October 2018 I moved to Oxford to join the lab of Professor Pedro Carvalho, where I am interested in the mechanisms of lipid droplet biogenesis.
- Research
All cells have evolved the means to store energy and thereby minimise the effects of fluctuations in nutrient availability. In most cells energy is stored as fat (termed lipids) in a dedicated cellular compartment called lipid droplet (LD). LDs are found in virtually every eukaryotic cell and play a central role in cellular lipid and energy metabolism. Abnormal LDs are observed in prevalent diseases such as obesity, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. Despite their importance, the processes governing the formation of LDs remain unclear. I study the proteins responsible for LD formation, specifically a protein called Seipin that when mutated causes congenital lipodystrophy, a fat storage disease.
- Select publications
Mechanism of lipid droplet formation by the yeast Sei1/Ldb16 Seipin complex. Nat. Commun. 2021. 12, 5892 . https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26162-6.
Lipid droplet biogenesis: A mystery “unmixing”? Semin. Cell Dev. Biol. 2020. 108, 14–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.03.001.