Physics Seminar: The Physics of Bioemulsions

Lipid droplets are fat particles that are crucial for supplying and regulating energy within the cell and are involved in a whole host of other cellular processes. They are also bioemulsions, consisting of an oil core coated with a lipid monolayer and with proteins which bind specifically to the lipid droplet. These proteins regulate droplet structure and function. How these proteins, made within the cell, target the lipid droplets remains an open question. We study the biophysics of lipid droplets with a model system consisting of a triolein drop formed in water or buffer, covered with phospholipid monolayer, and put in contact with proteins associated with such fat particles in living creatures