Lipidomics update - October 2011

Lipid of the month

Retinol
Retinol and its metabolites mediate a myriad of physiological functions, from vision to reproduction.

Research highlights

• Lipidomics: New signals to stop and protect

  A lipidomics study in tandem with a functional screen has identified novel potent bioactive signals from the DHEA metabolome that inhibit leukocyte chemotaxis and confer anti-inflammatory and organ-protective properties.

• Protein structure: Get into the groove(-tunnel)

  Insights from the crystal structure of the thioesterase domain of fatty acid synthase bound by a polyunsaturated fatty acyl adduct might offer unique opportunities for the development of effective fatty acid synthase inhibitors.

• Alzheimer disease: Plasma lipid biomarkers for early-stage Alzheimer disease

  A lipidomics technique has identified significant changes in plasma lipids that are associated with the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

• Metabolic disease: Turning 'bad' fat into 'good'

  Blocking the transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ)–SMAD3 signalling pathway promotes the acquisition of an energy-burning phenotype in white adipose tissue, thus ameliorating obesity and diabetes in mouse models.

• Akt-ing to control lipid metabolism

  An mTORC1-independent pathway that induces SREBP1c to promote lipogenesis in the liver has been identified.

• Metabolism: Autophagy regulates food intake

  Two groups of researchers have found that autophagy in hypothalamic neurons regulates food intake in mice.

• Metabolic engineering: Strike that, reverse it

  The known pathway for lipid degradation has been driven backwards, turning acetyl-CoA and propionyl-CoA into substrates for a variety of short- and long-chain molecules.

Events calendar

• Keystone symposium: Pathogenesis of Diabetes: Emerging Insights into Molecular Mechanisms

  29 January - 3 February, 2012

• Biophysical Society 56th Annual Meeting

  25 - 29 February, 2012

more events