The Zelcer lab is located in the Department of Medical Biochemistry in the the Academic Medical Center (AMC) of the University of Amsterdam. The lab is a member of both the Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences (ACS) and Amsterdam Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism (AGEM) research institutes. Our mission is to uncover the fundamental mechanisms underlying the molecular regulation of lipid metabolism in health and disease. We study this in the context of cardio-metabolic disease using genetic, biochemical, cellular, and animal models.
Functional genetics of lipid metabolism
We are using genome-wide functional genetic CRISPR/Cas9- or haploid-based screens to interrogate the regulation of key processes in cellular lipid metabolism.
The role of the ubiquitin system in metabolism
We are identifying and characterising components of the ubiquitin proteasomal system (UPS) that contribute to the regulation of lipid and energy metabolism, mainly focusing on ER- and endo-lysosomal-processes.
The LXR-IDOL-LDLR axis in lipid and energy metabolism
The E3 ligase IDOL regulates abundance of the LDLR. We are studying its contribution to lipid and energy metabolism and exploring IDOL inhibition as a therapeutic strategy in cardio-metabolic disease.
Characterization of novel LXR-regulated genes
Using transcriptional profiling we have identified several novel LXR-regulated target genes. Their role in lipid metabolism is being investigated using cellular and animal models.