Palmitoylation is the most common post-translational lipid modification in the brain and has been shown to be important for neurite outgrowth, spine and synapse formation, synaptic transmission, and synaptic plasticity. While ~10% of all proteins in the genome are substrates for palmitoylation, a striking 41% of all synaptic proteins can be palmitoylated. Enzymes that mediate palmitoylation have been shown to be associated with brain disorders, further underscoring the importance of palmitoylation in brain development and function. My talk will demonstrate the importance for palmitoylation in regulating synapse formation and plasticity and demonstrate how disruption of this process can lead to intellectual disability and seizures. 

Those who wish to meet the speaker should contact Alexandra Panzarino (Israely lab).


The Columbia Neuroscience Seminar series is a collaborative effort of Columbia's Zuckerman Institute, the Department of Neuroscience, the Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior and the Columbia Translational Neuroscience Initiative, and with support from the Kavli Institute for Brain Science.