Spotlight on fatty acids in cell signaling: The 13th FACS Meeting

In the early 1990s it was recognized that long-chain fatty acids serve physiological functions beyond their well-known roles as nutrients for metabolic energy provision, as components of complex lipids, and as post-translational modifiers of proteins. Fatty acids were found to act as signaling molecules that modulate homeostatic processes. Furthermore, fatty acids can be converted into more potent or more specific signals, the best known examples of which are the prostaglandins. Thus, fatty acids and specific metabolites can modulate biological processes in cells, for instance accelerate or decelerate gene transcription, or modify signals transmitted by hormones (for recent reviews see [1 –3]).

Source: Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids - October 22, 2019 Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Jan F.C. Glatz, Michel Lagarde Tags: Editorial Source Type: research