Lipidomics update - December 2011

The lipidomics update provides an overview of developments in lipid research. Each month we offer a fresh collection of research, news and events for the specialist and the interested non-specialist alike. Register for our email alert to stay informed.

Lipid of the month

Palmitic acid
Whether palmitic acid is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease is unresolved, but more is being discovered about how the attachment of this saturated fatty acid to cysteine residues influences proteins.

Research highlights

Lipid biosynthesis: An alternative path to proinflammatory prostaglandin production
In the brain, monoacylglycerol lipase hydrolyzes 2-arachidonoylglycerol to generate a pool of arachidonic acid from which cyclooxygenases can synthesize neuroinflammatory prostaglandins.
Techniques: Profiling protein palmitoylation
A straightforward approach for identifying and quantifying palmitoylated proteins involves combining metabolic incorporation of the palmitic acid analogue 17-octadecynoic acid and stable-isotope labelling with amino acids in cell culture.
Infectious disease: A ray of sunshine for TB treatment
Vitamin D is required for the antimicrobial response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in human macrophages.
Cardiovascular biology: Fats boost python hearts after meal
A specific set of fat molecules in the blood increases the mass of a python's heart after a large meal.
Regulated unloading
Determination of the crystal structure of phosphodiesterase δ in complex with farnesylated Rheb reveals that the guanine-nucleotide dissociation inhibitor uses a hydrophobic pocket to bury the farnesyl lipid group.
Cancer Biology: Fat fuels abdominal cancers
Hormonal signals from adipocytes in the omentum, a fatty abdominal organ, attract cancer cells.
Lipids: Coming together
CCT regulation by lipid droplet binding is most likely part of a dynamic, homeostatic mechanism for phosphatidylcholine synthesis.