3D magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) has been successfully employed to extract information about brain tumor metabolism, such as cell membrane breakdown, cellular energetics, and neuronal integrity, through its ability to differentiate signals coming from choline (Cho), creatine (Cr), and N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) molecules. The additional presence of lipids within subregions of th...

Exosomes are multivesicular bodies of which the plasma membrane fuse to release caring moiety into surrounding body fluids. They best known for their function in mediating intercellular connectivity by transferring various biomolecules, such as proteins, RNAs, and lipids, from one cell another. These “naturally equipped” nanovesicles could be therapeutically targeted or engineered drug delivery...

The 105th Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds International Titisee Conference 'Lipids as Organizers of Cell Membranes' took place in March 2012, in Germany. Kai Simons and Gisou Van der Goot gathered cell biologists and biophysicists to discuss the interplay between lipids and proteins in biological membranes, with an emphasis on how technological advances could help fill the gap in our understanding o...

Little is known about how mitochondrial lipids reach inner membrane-localized metabolic enzymes for phosphatidylethanolamine synthesis. Aaltonen et al. (2016. J. Cell Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201602007) and Miyata et al. (2016. J. Cell Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201601082) now report roles for two mitochondrial complexes, Ups2-Mdm35 and mitochondrial contact site and cristae...

Evidence in support of the classical lipid raft hypothesis has remained elusive. Data suggests that transmembrane proteins and the actin-containing cortical cytoskeleton can organize lipids into short-lived nanoscale assemblies that can be assembled into larger domains under certain conditions. This supports an evolving view in which interactions between lipids, cholesterol, and proteins create...

Western diet is characterized with energy dense, refined, ready prepared foods with a high glycemic index (e.g. refined starches; bread, biscuits, candies, cornflakes, pizza, potato chips, cola drinks and sugar) and unhealthy lipids (e.g. trans fats, saturated fat , w-6 rich oils) poor in w-3 fatty acids, phytochemicals and fiber that are abundant in the Mediterranean type of diet. Western type...