Fatty acids articles from across Nature Portfolio

Epidermal retinol dehydrogenases 2 (SDR16C5) and RDHE2-similar (SDR16C6) are the major retinol dehydrogenases in skin, which regulate hair cycling, hair composition, hair follicle stem cell markers, and circadian clock genes.

Sharma et al. review the regulation and biological functions of apparently ‘futile’ dynamic lipid cycle in regulating whole-body metabolic homeostasis.

Cells use various metabolic pathways to synthesize the building blocks for growth and proliferation. To ensure balanced growth, these biosynthetic processes must be tightly coordinated. We describe a molecular machinery that senses the cellular capacity to make lipids to regulate other biosynthetic processes — such as protein synthesis — accordingly.

The essential omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid γ-linolenic acid present in maternal milk coordinates cardiac adaptation and survival in newborn mice, according to a new study.

Neuropathy is a painful and potentially crippling disorder that is common in people with diabetes and often affects people with obesity, yet the underlying reason is poorly understood. Boyd al. now reveal that a diet enriched in ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) triggers peripheral neuropathy in mice, and this effect is reversed by a diet enriched in ω-3 PUFAs. These findings may help explain the high incidence of neuropathies in people with diet-related obesity without diabetes, and may provide a potential target for the prevention and treatment of this metabolic and neurological disorder.