Lipidomics update - May 2010

Lipid of the month

Caged phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate
This photoactivatable derivative of PI(3)P allows fine control of cell studies and reveals rapid induction of endosomal fusion.

Research highlights

• Cytokinesis: Where PIP splits, fatty acid stops

  Phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate controls cytokinesis by recruiting protein machinery required for abscission, whereas palmitate induces cytokinetic failure.

• Parasite glycolipids: Making sweet fat, simply

  Giardia intestinalis synthesizes glycolipids and dolichol-phosphate, and offers insights into sphingolipid signaling.

• Weight-loss programs compared: diet or medication?

  Two widely available, potent weight-loss programs—a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet or orlistat therapy combined with a low-fat diet—lead to similar beneficial effects on weight, lipids and glycemic parameters, say US researchers.

• Bacterial virulence: Modifying virulent behaviour

  Flagella and lipooliggosaccharide components of Campylobacter jejuni are modified by a phosphoethanolamine transferase, which could be a target for treating infection.

Events calendar

• Phospholipid Metabolism: Disease, Signal Transduction, and Membrane Dynamics Meeting

  27 June - 2 July, 2010

• Lipids, Inflammation, and Stress Reactions in Atherosclerosis: Mechanisms, Imaging, and Therapy

  21 - 24 August, 2010

more events