Wittgenstein Award Laureate
Wittgenstein Award Laureate 2007 Univ. Prof. Dr. Rudolf Zechner
Lipid-induced Cell Dysfunction and Cell Death
Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften IMB 
Rudolf Zechner, Karl Franzens University Graz, Institute of Molecular Biosciences
GOLD-GEN-AU Genomics of Lipid-associated Disorders
Summary: Research achievements of Prof. Zechner
Dr. Rudolf Zechner’s scientific work focuses on lipid and energy metabolism. This research area is of highest clinical relevance since the dysfunction of lipid metabolism is associated with particularly frequent diseases such as adiposity, type II diabetes, and atherosclerosis. The molecular mechanisms involved in the mobilization of stored lipids in cells are of particular interest for scientific research.
In 2002, the Zechner group demonstrated that established textbook knowledge about the degradation of neutral lipids needs to be corrected. Mutant mouse lines lacking the only known enzyme of cellular lipid degradation (hormone-sensitive lipase) did not show any signs of adiposity, thus indicating that an unknown additional lipase must be involved in the process. In 2004, the Zechner group discovered this enzyme and named it Adipose Triglyceride Lipase (ATGL, Science 2004). The subsequent characterization of mutant mouse lines lacking ATGL re-defined the pathway of fat degradation in mammals. These ATGL knock-out mice store high quantities of neutral fat in various body tissues and are living proof that ATGL catalyses the first step of fat degradation (Science 2006).
In further research the Zechner laboratory identified a co-activator of ATGL essential to lipid degradation in many cells (Cell Metabolism 2006). Recently, the relevance of these findings was confirmed since mutations in the ATGL gene or of its co-activator can induce severe disorders in the lipid metabolism of humans ("neutral lipid storage disease").
Summarizing, Dr. Zechner’s research group not only succeed in re-defining a pathway of lipid metabolism but also in providing the molecular basis for elucidation of genetic disorders.
