Perspective abstract


Nature Chemical Biology 2, 576 - 583 (2006)
Published online: 18 October 2006 | doi:10.1038/nchembio835

Phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins and cellular nanoreactors for lipid signaling

Kristina E Ile1, Gabriel Schaaf1 & Vytas A Bankaitis1


Membrane lipids function as structural molecules, reservoirs for second messengers, membrane platforms that scaffold protein assembly and regulators of enzymes and ion channels. Such diverse lipid functions contribute substantially to cellular mechanisms for fine-tuning membrane-signaling events. Meaningful coordination of these events requires exquisite spatial and temporal control of lipid metabolism and organization, and reliable mechanisms for specifically coupling these parameters to dedicated physiological processes. Recent studies suggest such integration is linked to the action of phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins that operate at the interface of the metabolism, trafficking and organization of specific lipids.

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  1. Kristina E. Ile, Gabriel Schaaf and Vytas A. Bankaitis are in the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7090, USA. e-mail: vytas@med.unc.edu



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