Role of CTP:pHosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (CCT) in nuclear membrane synthesis

Lipids are the main components of the membranes that separate the internal compartment of cells and form a barrier to the outside environment. In order for a cell to divide, lipid synthesis must increase to provide more membrane for cell doubling. Many stages of cell division are coordinated in the nucleus where DNA replication occurs. Interestingly, a key enzyme in lipid synthesis called CCT is also located in the nucleus and has been proposed to coordinate lipid synthesis with cell division. CCT is regulated during cell division to increase lipid synthesis. In the opposite process, cell death, CCT is removed from the nucleus. This shows that CCT is essential for the survival of the cell and for other activities in the nucleus. We propose to study the role of CCT in the nucleus by understanding how it behaves during the death of cells and the type of membranes that it makes in the nucleus. These studies could provide a better understanding of how lipids control the life/death of a cell. Ultimately this knowledge could be used to treat and control diseases that occur as a result of unregulated cell growth, such as cancer and atherosclerosis.