Oxidized fatty acids are a pain!
Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is a ligand-gated ion channel expressed in pain detecting neurons, called nociceptors, and is present on the tongue where it is activated by capsaicin, the compound that makes chili peppers taste ‘hot.’
Reviewed by: Judy Storch, PhD
Rutgers University
Posted on: 14 May 2010
Lipid Membranes Increase Prion Misfolding
The prion diseases, which include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, are a unique class of fatal neurodegenerative diseases believed to be caused by misfolding of a single protein, the prion protein (PrP).
Reviewed by Justin Piro and T.Y. Chang, Department of Biochemistry, Dartmouth Medical School
Posted on: 10 May 2010
Another kinase linking nutrient excess and insulin resistance
Nutrient excess, particularly excess fat intake, is closely linked to the development of insulin resistance. Understanding how dietary fat promotes insulin resistance has been an area of intense investigation.
Reviewed by: Sudha B. Biddinger
Posted on: 12 March 2010
Globalizing Lipidomics
A large number of different biologically active molecules can be produced from arachidonic acid. In resting cells, the levels of free arachidonic acid are kept low by rapid reacylation which sequesters them in the phospholipid pool.
Reviewed by: Dayanjan S. Wijesinghe, Nadia F. Lamour and Charles E. Chalfantm, Virginia Commonwealth University.
Posted on: 01 April 2010
A new fork in the winding road of hepatic insulin resistance
Insulin serves two primary functions in the liver: suppression of endogenous glucose production (e.g. gluconeogenesis) and stimulation of lipogenesis. However, in insulin resistant or prediabetic subjects, the ability of insulin to reduce hepatic glucose production is diminished and results in hyperglycemia.
Reviewed by: Douglas Mashek, University of Minnesota
Posted on: 29 March 2010