Lipid signals 

The final session, “Lipid Regulation of Protein Function,” will focus on lipid modulation of protein function through direct interactions as either ligands for transcription factors or modulators of intracellular signaling pathways.

Fraydoon Rastinejad (Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute) will describe his recent structural studies of full-length nuclear receptors bound to DNA and how unique protein-protein, protein-DNA and protein-lipid interactions have been revealed and have revolutionized our understanding of how ligands alter complex assembly to influence gene expression.

Benjamin F. Cravatt (The Scripps Research Institute) will present recent data on the enzymes required for metabolism of bioactive lipid amides known as endocannabinoids, which bind to G-protein-coupled receptors to initiate signals with diverse effects on pain perception, behavior, appetite and metabolism.

The third speaker, Jerrold M. Olefsky (University of California, San Diego) will discuss how macrophage-mediated inflammation influences lipid signaling that contributes to obesity-related insulin resistance.

Dawn L. Brasaemle (Brasaemle@aesop.rutgers.edu) is an associate professor of nutritional sciences at Rutgers University, and Timothy F. Osborne (tosborne@sanfordburnham.org) is professor and director of the metabolic signaling and disease program at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Lake Nona.