The lipogenic phenotype is a metabolic hallmark of cancer cells. Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBP) are key transcriptional factors to regulate biosynthesis of cholesterol and fatty acids. It has been poorly understood how the lipogenic phenotype in cancer cells is regulated and how it augments their malignant properties. Here we describe roles of the melanoma antigen gangliosid...

The disruption in transportation of oxLDL-derived cholesterol and the subsequent lipid accumulation in macrophages are the hallmark events in atherogenesis. Our recent studies demonstrated that lysosomal Ca(2+) messenger of nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP), an enzymatic product of CD38 ADP-ribosylcyclase (CD38), promoted lipid endocytic trafficking in human fibroblast cells...

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) is a prototypical metabolic nuclear receptor that acts as a lipid sensor, integrating the homeostatic control of energy, lipid, and glucose metabolism. This perspective will highlight three lines of evidence which place PPAR-gamma as a key player in a feed-forward pathway favoring differentiation and energy storage by adipocytes.

The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway regulates many fundamental metabolic and physiological processes, including lipid metabolism. We explore recent findings on the role of mTOR in lipid homeostasis, with an emphasis on recent findings from in vivo models regarding the role of mTORC2 in lipolysis, lipogenesis, and adipogenesis.

Lipid droplets are complex and dynamic intracellular organelles that have an essential role in cholesterol and lipid homeostasis, and profoundly affect cellular structure and function. Variations in lipid-droplet composition exist between different cell types, but whether there are differences in the mechanisms of lipid-droplet accumulation remains to be elucidated. Here, we report that P311, p...

docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5), is linked to the prevention of diseases such as cancer and heart disease, and is needed for neurological and brain development. We have recently attempted to use these functional fatty acids as an absorption enhancer and have reported that intestinal absorption of insulin and vancomycin increase when administered with these...

Cholera toxin (CT), and members of the AB5 family of toxins enter host cells and hijack the cell’s endogenous pathways to induce toxicity. CT binds to a lipid receptor on the plasma membrane (PM), ganglioside GM1, which has the ability to associate with lipid rafts. The toxin can then enter the cell by various modes of receptor-mediated endocytosis and traffic in a retrograde manner from the PM...

Niemann-Pick type C disease (NPC) is a childhood onset neurodegenerative disorder arising from lipid-trafficking defects caused by mutations in the NPC1 or NPC2 gene. Marked accumulation of autophagosomes is a prominent feature of NPC cells, yet a detailed understanding of the disease-associated alterations in autophagy and their role in pathogenesis has been lacking. Prior studies have shown t...

In recent years several reports have linked mTORC1 (mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1) to lipogenesis via the SREBPs (sterol-regulatory-element-binding proteins). SREBPs regulate the expression of genes encoding enzymes required for fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis. Lipid metabolism is perturbed in some diseases and SREBP target genes, such as FASN (fatty acid synthase), have been ...

Phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate [PtdIns(3,4,5)P3] is the signaling currency of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway; transduction through this axis depends on this signaling lipid. Formation of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 is dictated not only by PI3K activation but also by the localization and access of PI3K to its substrate PtdIns(4,5)P2 (phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate). PI3K/A...