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Cholesterol selectively activates canonical Wnt signalling over non-canonical Wnt signalling
Wnt proteins signal through canonical and non-canonical pathways that both depend on the scaffolding protein Dishevelled. Sheng et al.show that recruitment of Dishevelled to the plasma membrane through its interaction with cholesterol biases downstream signalling in favour of the canonical pathway.
- Ren Sheng
- , Hyunjoon Kim
- & Wonhwa Cho
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De novo lipogenesis in human fat and liver is linked to ChREBP-β and metabolic health
Changes in the biosynthesis of fatty acids can influence tissue insulin sensitivity and the development of metabolic diseases. Eissing and colleagues show that de novolipogenesis in liver and adipose tissue is linked to metabolic health in humans and can be modulated by bariatric surgery.
- Leah Eissing
- , Thomas Scherer
- & Ludger Scheja
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| Open AccessA new class of plant lipid is essential for protection against phosphorus depletion
Phosphorus supply is one of the major factors responsible for reduced crop yields. Here Okazaki et al.use untargeted lipidomics to elucidate the biosynthetic pathway of a novel plant lipid, glucuronosyldiacylglycerol, which is essential for the protection of plants against phosphorus depletion.
- Yozo Okazaki
- , Hitomi Otsuki
- & Kazuki Saito
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Modular optimization of multi-gene pathways for fatty acids production in E. coli
Microbial fatty acid-derived fuels represent promising alternatives to the traditionally used fossil fuels. Koffas and colleagues report that E. colicentral metabolism can be modified to produce large quantities of fatty acids through a modular pathway engineering strategy.
- Peng Xu
- , Qin Gu
- & Mattheos A.G. Koffas
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| Open AccessMPIase is a glycolipozyme essential for membrane protein integration
Proteins are integrated into cellular membranes either co-translationally through Sec/SRP or post-translationally by chaperones. These authors show that an integration-dedicated chaperone inE. coli, MPIase, is a glycolipid and facilitates protein insertion into the inner membrane of the bacterium.
- Ken-ichi Nishiyama
- , Masahide Maeda
- & Keiko Shimamoto
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Cholesterol modulates cell signaling and protein networking by specifically interacting with PDZ domain-containing scaffold proteins
Cholesterol indirectly regulates intracellular signalling by modulating the physical properties of lipid membranes. Sheng et al.now show that many PDZ domains contain a functional cholesterol-binding motif, revealing that cholesterol can also control the localization and function of signalling proteins directly.
- Ren Sheng
- , Yong Chen
- & Wonhwa Cho
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Sub-resolution lipid domains exist in the plasma membrane and regulate protein diffusion and distribution
The plasma membrane is thought to comprise a patchwork of ordered and disordered microdomains; however, direct evidence for this in intact cells remains elusive. Using unmixing of fluorescence lifetime decays, Owen et al. show that ordered domains occupy a majority of the plasma membrane surface in living cells.
- Dylan M. Owen
- , David J. Williamson
- & Katharina Gaus
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The convergent evolution of defensive polyacetylenic fatty acid biosynthesis genes in soldier beetles
Soldier beetles use a polyacetylenic fatty acid to repel avian predators and protect their eggs. Haritoset al. find that three genes in soldier beetles convert oleic acid to a precursor of 8Z-dihydromatricaria acid—the first eukaryotic genes reported to produce conjugated polyacetylenic fatty acids.
- Victoria S. Haritos
- , Irene Horne
- & Mats Hamberg
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| Open AccessEndocannabinoid-Goα signalling inhibits axon regeneration in Caenorhabditis elegans by antagonizing Gqα-PKC-JNK signalling
Axon regeneration inC. elegansis positively regulated by the JNK/MAP kinase pathway. Pastuhov and colleagues identify the endocannabinoid anandamide as a negative regulator of this pathway and show that anandamide inhibits axon regeneration in mature neurons after axotomy.
- Strahil Iv. Pastuhov
- , Kota Fujiki
- & Naoki Hisamoto
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| Open AccessA multi-omic map of the lipid-producing yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides
The ability of oleaginous fungi to produce lipids for biofuels remains untapped, in part due to a lack of genetic information required to engineer industrial strains. Zhuet al. present the genome of R. toruloides, and identify transcriptomic and proteomic changes associated with lipid production.
- Zhiwei Zhu
- , Sufang Zhang
- & Zongbao K. Zhao
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Phosphatidylinositol(4,5)bisphosphate coordinates actin-mediated mobilization and translocation of secretory vesicles to the plasma membrane of chromaffin cells
The role of phosphatidylinositol(4,5)bisphosphate in exocytosis is unclear. This study shows that inhibition of the p110δ isoform of PI3-kinase promotes a transient increase in phosphatidylinositol(4,5)bisphosphate, leading to a potentiation of exocytosis in chromaffin cells.
- Peter J. Wen
- , Shona L. Osborne
- & Frédéric A. Meunier