Lipids in Biological News

Phytoplankton cell membranes challenge fundamentals of biochemistry

... 'substitute lipids' instead. These substitute lipids were once regarded as merely a molecular ... throughout the world's ocean. Substitute lipids "are the most abundant membrane molecules in the ... But unlike the cyanobacterial SQDG, the betaine lipids require nitrogen. The more structurally ...

Scientists fool bacteria into killing themselves to survive

... Gram-negative bacterial membranes. Although PE lipids are commandeered to kill the bacteria, without the lipids the bacteria would die, also. "It's a ... of a mutant strain of E. coli, which lacked PE lipids in its membrane. The fragile PE-deficient mutant ...

Europe-wide investment in lipid research will help tackle disease, says new report

... for Europe to invest more funds into the study of lipids the 'fatty' molecules that play a crucial role ... obesity and diabetes to Alzheimer's. Common lipids such as cholesterol are known to play an ... but human cells contain thousands of different lipids which are also vital for functions that include ...

Lipids in the brain an important factor for Alzheimer's disease?

... explains earlier indications of a link between lipids and Alzheimer's disease. Misfolded ... of Alzheimer's disease. Surrounding brain lipids destabilize plaques VIB researchers were able, ... (VIB, K.U.Leuven) have shown that certain lipids normally occurring in the brain can destabilize ...

Elsevier announces new journal partnership for 2008

... Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and lipids (ISSFAL). 2008 also marks the journals 30th ... PLEFA addresses all aspects of the roles of lipids and their metabolites in cellular, organ and ... the recognised scientific society in the field of lipids in nutrition, and as such needs a recognised ...

Abnormal fat metabolism underlies heart problems in diabetic patients

... in beef hearts and is one of the most abundant lipids in heart tissue. This lipid has unusual physical ... a way to distinguish it from the numerous other lipids found in heart cells. Fortunately, Gross and his ... to separate and quantify thousands of different lipids based on their subtle structural differences. The ...

New windows opened on cell-to-cell interactions

... by a University of Oregon biophysicist and colleagues suggest that putting lipids and other cell membrane components on manufactured surfaces could lead to ... and Parthasarathy applied biological material -- a thin layer of membrane lipids -- onto to tiny glass spheres about one-millionth of a meter in diameter ...

Scripps research scientists 'watch' as individual alpha-synuclein proteins change shape

... increased the concentration of a soapy solution that mimics the lipids found in different nerve cell membranes in the brain. Alpha-synuclein is known to bind to membranes on nerve cells, and lipids are a large component of those membranes. At a low concentration, the ...

In India: A search for more effective tuberculosis drugs

... Unlike other organisms, M. tuberculosis displays a suite of complex lipids on its outer membrane. Some scientists have suggested that these long ... long-term infections by confusing the host's immune system. "The complex lipids displayed by Mycobacterium tuberculosis are a big factor in its ...

A little wine boosts omega-3 in the body: Researchers find a novel mechanism for a healthier heart

... results raise crucial questions regarding the effects of polyphenols on lipids (both in blood and cell membranes) and possibly of lipids on polyphenols". The IMMIDIET study Funded by the European Union ...

Do 68 molecules hold the key to understanding disease?

... 32 glycans (sugar linkages found throughout the cell) and eight kinds of lipids (which compose cell membranes) along with the more well-known 20 amino ... cannot be encoded by the genes. These cellular components the glycans and lipids may now hold the keys to uncovering the origins of many grievous diseases ...

People with heart disease still have trouble controlling blood lipid levels

... (bad cholesterol), but only 17 percent were at recommended levels for all lipids LDL-C, HDL-C ("good" cholesterol) and triglycerides. In contrast, 85 ... Proper diet, exercise, and more appropriate use of therapies to target all lipids are needed, especially for those most at risk, said Nathan D. Wong, study ...

Study finds possible connection between marijuana abuse and stroke or heart attacks

... abusers. ApoC-III belongs to a large family of proteins that interact with lipids and helps lipids to move into and out of cells. ApoC-III is involved in transport of ...

Chloroform provides clue to 150 year old medical puzzle

... Biological Sciences. However, I was examining the relationship between lipids and atherosclerosis [the furring up of arteries] and it just so happened that the lipids I was using were supplied already dissolved in chloroform. I noticed that ...

Researchers discover how stealthy HIV protein gets into cells

... Most membranes are composed of a double layer of neutral, water-repellent lipids on their interiors, with hydrophilic (water-loving) head groups on their ... that the arginine was interacting with the head groups on the membrane lipids in a way that caused the membrane to buckle in two different directions, ...

Scientists associate 6 new genetic variants with heart disease risk factor

... of Harvard and MIT. Cholesterol and triglycerides are fats known as lipids normal constituents of every cell in the human body. There are two main ... a single-letter change in the genetic sequence can influence the amount of lipids in the blood. For example, someone who carries a T at a particular spot on ...

'Knocking out' cell receptor may help block fat deposits in tissues, prevent weight gain

... that knocking out the LRP1 in fat cells has a direct impact on how many lipids (fats and fat-like substances) are transferred and deposited to different ... of lipid absorption in fat cells. Functional disruption leads to fewer lipids being absorbed into the cells and transported throughout the body, ...

Scientists decipher mechanism behind antimicrobial 'hole punchers'

... the presence of the researchers antimicrobial molecules, the cone-shaped lipids gather together and curl into barrel-shaped openings that puncture the ... an antimicrobial molecule depends on both the concentration of cone-shaped lipids in the cell membrane, and on the shape of the antimicrobial molecule, Wong ...

Chemists get grip on slippery lipids

... a particular binding domain -- the PX or "Phox" -- recognize specific lipids and interact with cell membranes to modulate functions. "The PX domain ... two proteins, KIF16B and Bem1p, which interact with a class of signaling lipids called phosphoinositides. "KIF16B-PX domain is a critical component of ...

Story ideas from the Journal of Lipid Research

... * New skin-healing chemicals Researchers have made synthetic lipids called pseudoceramides that are involved in skin cell growth and could be ... skin diseases in which skin cells grow abnormally. Ceramides are lipids found in the outermost skin layer called the stratum corneum, which is ...

Genetically engineered mice yield clues to 'knocking out' cancer

... as neil1 knockout mice). During their first 6-10 months of life, the majority of male mice developed severe obesity, dyslipidemia (abnormal levels of lipids in the blood), fatty liver disease and hyperinsulinemia (excess levels of circulating insulin in the blood). In humans, these disorders are ...

Protein identified as critical to insulating the body's wiring could also become treatment target

... extension called an axon. Much like the telephone lines that line roadways, these arms require proper insulation, called myelin, composed mostly of lipids and some proteins. Axons that transmit quick messages such as telling legs to walk need a lot of insulation. Sensory nerves such as those on ...

Molecules that orchestrate the processes of life

... sub-microscopic world of molecular machines. Readers are introduced to the types of molecules within the cell, including proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and polysaccharides. Then, in a series of full-color illustrations, which show a portion of a living cell magnified 1,000,000 times, the reader is ...

Scripps scientists find structure of a protein that makes cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy

... inside the cell, ending in two dumbbell-shaped arms. This overall shape is strikingly similar to that of another protein, MsbA, that transports lipids out of bacteria. This similarity suggests that P-gp works by bringing the two dumbbell-shaped arms together on the inside of the cell and opening the ...

K-State researchers work with university in Ghana to create biofuels from native tree seeds

... Jatropha curcas and Azadirachta indica -- also known as neem -- have seeds with high oil content. They now are finalizing the analysis of the lipids in the seeds. Burns will present the work March 30 at K-State's African Issues Symposium: Food Security, Environmental Sustainability and Human ...

Synthesizing the most natural of all skin creams

... womb, just as butter behaves differently in the oven and on the table. Again, the ESRF's synchrotron light was used to illuminate the corneocytes and lipids together and look for any clumps or other ordering. Once they knew exactly what VC was made of and how it was arranged, they set about creating a ...

A new view of oceanic phytoplankton

... likely to become more like those in the Sargasso Sea over time as phosphorus supplies dwindle further. To date, the ability to synthesize substitute lipids appears to be restricted to the phytoplankton; heterotrophic bacteria and other organisms must have a different strategy for survival, or none at ....

Evidence of earliest known domestic horses found in Kazakhstan

... harnessed and possibly ridden in the fourth millennium B.C., in Kazakhstan. Researchers used a novel method of analyzing residue from fat-soluble lipids found on ancient Botai pottery to find traces of fats from horse milk, leading to the conclusion that people consumed horse milk at the beginning of ...

Artificial cells, simple model for complex structure

... crowding and heterogeneity -- unevenness of composition -- is possible using large polymeric molecules and a lipid membrane. Keating uses lipids to create vesicles, tiny cell-sized bubbles of lipid membrane in an aqueous solution of two large polymers. In one case she used poly(ethyleneglycol) ...

Major step for drug discovery and diagnostics

... Until now membrane proteins have been difficult to study when they are away from their natural environment in the cell, where there a belt of lipids surrounds them. This belt is essential for their survival and proper function. Swimsuits for proteins with a tag With our new method we can ...

Success for first outdoor, large-scale algae-to-biofuel research project in Nevada

... used for fuel," said Professor John Cushman, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. A conservative estimate for this harvest is 30 percent lipids and five percent starches on a dry weight basis, less on a fresh weight basis." The professor oversees the venture along with fellow faculty members ...

Nearly a century later, new findings support Warburg theory of cancer

... biologists and colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine found new evidence to support Warburg's theory by examining mitochondrial lipids in a diverse group of mouse brain tumors, specifically a complex lipid known as cardiolipin (CL). They reported their findings in the December ...

New gene variants present opportunities in nutrigenomics

... BOSTON (December 15, 2008) ─ A new study uncovers 11 gene variants associated with three blood lipids measured to determine cardiovascular disease risk: low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides. The ...

Key to 'curing' obesity may lie in worms that destroy their own fat: McGill researchers

... Unlike other "hibernating" organisms, C. elegans maintains a degree of mobility during dauer by stocking up on energy in the form of fats or lipids which they store in special cells or reserves. "This allows them to live up to six months without eating, instead of the two weeks they would ...

From sheet metal elements to host cells: DFG launches 10 new collaborative research centers

... Controlled by Organisation in and between Membranes" biologists and physicists now want to gather quantitative data on the interaction of membrane lipids and proteins in an in-depth unification of theory and experiment. For example, protein and lipid functions will be predicted, and universal ...

Inherited genetic cause, possible treatment found for complex lung disorder

... to overcome a chain of molecular events that lead to PAP. The lungs of people with PAP fill with pulmonary surfactant, a substance composed of lipids (fats) and proteins, causing labored breathing and respiratory failure. Surfactant's normal role is to coat lung tissues and keep the lungs from ...

Hypertension develops early, silently, in African-American men

... were no differences between the groups on a variety of measures, including heart rate, cardiorespiratory fitness, body mass index, body fat, blood lipids and glucose levels. The researchers measured vascular function in a variety of ways, including: aortic blood pressure and stiffness brachial ...

Lessons from the Iditarod

... first day of exercise, including depletion of muscle energy reserves, increases in stress hormones, evidence of cellular injury (such as to proteins, lipids and DNA), and oxidative stress. However, with subsequent consecutive days of exercise at the same intensity, these changes are reversed. Within four ...

Researchers develop nano-sized 'cargo ships' to target and destroy tumors

... the hull of the ships to evade detection by constructing them of specially modified lipids--a primary component of the surface of natural cells. The lipids were modified in such a way as to enable them to circulate in the bloodstream for many hours before being eliminated. This was demonstrated by the ...

Biophysical Society names 2009 award recipients

... proteins to become tractable as structural methods. Stephen H. White of the University of California, Irvine, will receive the Avanti Award in lipids for his novel findings in the areas of membrane structure and protein insertion into membranes. Three candidates have been selected to share the ...