Lipids are fundamental regulators of cellular identity, organelle biogenesis, signaling, and metabolic adaptation. Yet key principles remain unresolved: How do cells decide when to store, mobilize, or secrete lipids? How do membranes remodel to generate new organelles? And how do local lipid environments shape protein activity and metabolic outcomes? Although lipid dysregulation underlies major human diseases, including fatty liver disease, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegeneration, the molecular logic organizing lipid flux inside cells remains poorly understood.
Our research combines advanced cell biology with in-cell cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) and cryo-correlative light and electron microscopy to visualize lipid-driven remodeling directly within intact cells. Cryo-ET preserves membrane architecture at nanometer resolution and reveals macromolecular machinery in its native state. Genetically encoded nanoparticles (GEMs) enable nanometer-precision protein localization, allowing us to capture rare and transient intermediates of organelle biogenesis, while cryo-focused ion beam (cryo-FIB) lift-out allows examination of larger and tissue-derived samples. By integrating these approaches, we aim to uncover how organelles emerge, transform, and coordinate metabolic decisions across scales, from individual lipid molecules to whole-cell organization.
The research group spans the Institute of Biotechnology (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, and Karolinska Institutet.
Veijo Salo, MD, PhD
Academy Research Fellow
Institute of Biotechnology, HiLIFE
P.O.Box 56 (Viikinkaari 5)
00014 University of Helsinki
Email.
Veijo is a Principal Investigator/Group Leader at BI.