Poster #051
Evaluation of intrinsically fluorescent proteins in iPSCs
Mentors: Aras N. Mattis, MD PhD and Shahrbanoo Keshavarz Aziziraftar, PhD
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatosis liver disease (MASLD) causes excessive lipid accumulation in the liver, known as steatosis, and is associated with cardiac diseases, obesity, and type-two diabetes. While research on MASLD is expanding, its genetic basis remains unclear. To better understand the genetic factors, we are testing various fluorescent proteins in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to create real-time protein expression readouts. The goal is to image and quantify the brightness, detectability, and location of fluorescent proteins within iPSCs. Successful fluorescent proteins will be added to the C-terminus of proteins to detect changes in live cells. The fluorescence will indicate gene activation and allow us to observe corresponding phenotypes, such as lipid accumulation or fibrosis markers, under metabolically stressful conditions and in real-time. We anticipate to see more fluorescent proteins when activating genes associated with MASLD. We expect to identify genes whose expression shows MASLD-like features in iPSCs and/or iHeps.