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An innovative, non-invasive optical imaging technology allows monitoring of cellular lipid metabolism in live cells and organisms, during ageing

<strong>An innovative, non-invasive optical imaging technology allows monitoring of cellular lipid metabolism in live cells and organisms, during ageing</strong>

Research was carried out at the Institutes of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology (IMBB) and Electronic Structure & Laser (IESL) of the Foundation for Research & Technology-Hellas (FORTH), and at the Medical School of the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA)

The findings of the interdisciplinary study, published in the premier international scientific journal Aging Cell, uncovera fundamental quality control mechanism that regulates lipid accumulation in the nucleus of the cell. Lipid droplets (LDs), the major form of fat storage in cells, are evolutionarily conserved intracellular structures that provide a pool of energy resources and building blocks for membrane synthesis and maintenance. Lipid droplets are mainly generated from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes and are localized in the cytoplasm, close to the outer nuclear membrane. However, accumulating evidence demonstrates the presence of LDs inside the cell nucleus. The nucleus is the central organelle of all eukaryotic cells that contains the genetic material (DNA), which determines cell identity and function. Despite recent advances in lipid metabolism research, the cellular mechanisms that mediate nuclear lipid deposition remain elusive.

Dr. Konstantinos Palikaras (NKUA), together with FORTH researchers Dr. Meropi Mari (IESL), Dr. Christina Ploumi (IMBB), Dr. Andrea Princz (ΙΜΒΒ), and Dr. George Filippidis (IESL), headed by Dr. Nektarios Tavernarakis (Professor at the Medical School, University of Crete, and Chairman of the Board at FORTH), implemented state-of-the-art, non-linear imaging methodologies (Multi-Photon Excitation Fluorescence, Second and Third Harmonic Generation microscopy) to visualize LD deposition and distribution in cells of the simple nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. This non-invasive bioimaging technology can provide new insights into fundamental biological phenomena, such as, cell differentiation and function, embryogenesis, and fat metabolism during ageing, or in the context of disease. It offers improved resolution, high-contrast, increased biological sample penetration depth, and is label-free. It also permits the precise quantitative analysis and testing of specific mechanisms and biological processes.

Using this platform, FORTH and NKUA scientists discovered that lipid content progressively accumulates with age in the nuclear envelope of cells, in several tissues. Notably, such a progressive and pronounced accumulation of lipid droplets in the nucleus is a common and conserved feature of ageing and several age-associated pathologies. Importantly, genetic interventions known to delay ageing, such as low insulin signaling and dietary restriction, reduce the number and size of nuclear LDs. This suppression of lipotoxic nuclear lipid accumulation is mediated by the transcription factor HLH-30/TFEB and the triglyceride lipase ATGL-1. These findings highlight the pivotal role of lipid metabolism regulation in restraining the accumulation of LDs in the nucleus, thus preserving nuclear lipid homeostasis and organismal fitness during ageing.

Together, the findings of the study reveal a molecular mechanism regulating lipid metabolism, and highlight its critical role in preventing nuclear LD build-up, during ageing. This mechanism preserves nuclear envelope integrity and promotes nuclear homeostasis; thus, averting age-associated cellular impairment and physiological decline. The tight evolutionary conservation and ubiquitous expression of the regulatory factors involved, indicate that similar pathways may govern ageing and age-related diseases in humans.

For additional information, please contact:

Assist. Prof. Konstantinos Palikaras
Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

eMail: palikarask@med.uoa.gr | Tel.: +30 2107462552

Dr. George Filippidis
Senior Staff Scientist, IESL-FORTH

eMail: fillip@iesl.forth.gr | Τel.: +30 2810391320

Prof. Nektarios Tavernarakis
Chairman, FORTH
Director of Research, IMBB-FORTH
Professor, Medical School, University of Crete

eMail: tavernarakis@imbb.forth.gr | Tel.: +30 2810391069

Relevant link:

https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.13788

University of Athens – Cyprus Branch Opens Applications for 5 Undergraduate Programmes

University of Athens – Cyprus Branch Opens Applications for 5 Undergraduate Programmes

Applications remain open until Sunday, 21 September 2025, for 5 Undergraduate Programmes offered by the Cyprus Branch of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). The Programmes—delivered by the Departments of Medicine, Paedagogy and Primary Education, Business Administration, Economics, and Nursing—are set to start in October 2025. For further information, please visit the following […]

The University of Athens Expands into Cyprus Pioneering a New Chapter in Higher Education—Call for Expressions of Interest in 5 Undergraduate Programmes

The University of Athens Expands into Cyprus Pioneering a New Chapter in Higher Education—Call for Expressions of Interest in 5 Undergraduate Programmes

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), the oldest and largest University in South-Eastern Europe, is proud to announce the establishment of a new Branch in Cyprus. This exciting expansion strengthens academic ties between Greece and Cyprus, while broadening the University’s international reach. Our new campus represents a major step forward in fostering collaboration […]

ΜSc Media and Refugee / Migration Flows – Call for Applications for the Postgraduate Program (Academic Year 2025 – 2026)

ΜSc Media and Refugee / Migration Flows – Call for Applications for the Postgraduate Program (Academic Year 2025 – 2026)

The Department of Communication and Media Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens organizes and operates for the academic year 2025-2026 an Intensive Postgraduate Program (IPP) MSc in «Media and Refugee / Migration Flows» which awards a Postgraduate Diploma in the following specializations: S1 «News media of refugee flows» S2: «Communication management of […]

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Announces the Launch of its Branch in Cyprus – A Milestone for Higher Education, the University’s Internationalization, and the Cooperation Between the Two Countries

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Announces the Launch of its Branch in Cyprus – A Milestone for Higher Education, the University’s Internationalization, and the Cooperation Between the Two Countries

Since its foundation in 1837, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens has maintained deep and enduring ties with Cyprus, thanks, first and foremost, to the presence of hundreds of thousands of Cypriot students in its lecture halls for over two centuries. As a matter of fact, the University of Athens was the first academic […]

DeltaV Dynamics Takes First Place in International Rocket Competition

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Rector’s Address to the University of Athens Community as the New Academic Year Begins

Rector’s Address to the University of Athens Community as the New Academic Year Begins

Dear students, faculty, and colleagues, On behalf of the Rectory Authorities, the Administration Council, and the University Senate, I warmly wish you good health, renewed energy, and every success as you embark on this new academic year! As the oldest and largest Higher Educational Institution in Greece, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens is […]

Europe’s Largest Data Journalism Conference Comes to Athens [8-10 September 2025

Europe’s Largest Data Journalism Conference Comes to Athens [8-10 September 2025

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University of Athens Participates in Summer School of Archaeology ArcHLAB

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For the fourth year in a row, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens co-organized and took part in the ArcHLABS International Summer School of Archaeology, alongside other Universities across Europe. This year’s programme took place at the renowned Villa del Casale in Piazza Armerina, Sicily—an iconic site celebrated for its exceptional mosaics. Eight postgraduate […]

University of Athens Establishes First Named Chair in Honour of Athina I. Martinou

University of Athens Establishes First Named Chair in Honour of Athina I. Martinou

In a landmark move, the Senate of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens has unanimously approved the creation of a Named Chair, dedicated to the memory of Athina Ioanni Martinou. The initiative was proposed by the University’s Great Benefactor and Honorary Doctor, Mr Athanasios Martinos. This is the first Named Chair ever established by […]

Laboratory of Italian History and Historiography Publishes New Volume

Laboratory of Italian History and Historiography Publishes New Volume

A new volume, ‘Modern Greek Diaspora in Central-Southern Italy in the Early Modern Period (15th-18th Centuries)’, has just been published. It contains the proceedings of the conference of the same name, held in Venice from 27 to 29 June 2023. The event was jointly organized by the Laboratory of Italian History and Historiography at the […]

University of Athens academic engages at 11th Nishan Forum of World Civilizations in China

University of Athens academic engages at 11th Nishan Forum of World Civilizations in China

Dr Athena Bazou, Assistant Professor in the Department of Philology, participated as an invited speaker at the 11th Nishan Forum of World Civilizations in China, delivering a lecture entitled ‘Ancient Pandemics in Greece and China: Concepts, Prejudices, Lessons’. The Nishan Forum, held in Qufu—the birthplace of Confucius—in Shandong province, was inaugurated in 2010 in response […]

University of Athens

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, which was inaugurated on May 3, 1837, was initially housed in a renovated Ottoman building on the northeastern side of the Acropolis. This building has since been restored and now functions as the University Museum. Originally named the "Othonian University," after Otto, the first king of Greece, it consisted of four academic departments and 52 students. As the first university of the newly established Greek state, as well as of the broader Balkan and Mediterranean region, it assumed an important socio-historical role, which was pivotal in the development of specific forms of knowledge and culture within the country.

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