Abstract
Thirty years ago, glycerolipids captured the attention of biochemical researchers as novel cellular signaling entities. We now recognize that these biomolecules occupy signaling nodes critical to a number of physiological and pathological processes. Thus, glycerolipid-metabolizing enzymes present attractive targets for new therapies. A number of fields - ranging from neuroscience and cancer to diabetes and obesity - have elucidated the signaling properties of glycerolipids. The biochemical literature teems with newly emerging small molecule inhibitors capable of manipulating glycerolipid metabolism and signaling. This ever-expanding pool of chemical modulators appears daunting to those interested in exploiting glycerolipid-signaling pathways in their model system of choice. This review distills the current body of literature surrounding glycerolipid metabolism into a more approachable format, facilitating the application of small molecule inhibitors to novel systems. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Tools to study lipid functions.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1060-1084 |
Number of pages | 25 |
Journal | Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids |
Volume | 1841 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2014 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Autotaxin
- Fatty acyltransferase
- Glycerolipid
- Inhibitor
- Lipase
- Lipid kinase
- Lipin
- Metabolism
- Phospholipase
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology