Diverse Functions of Lipids and Lipid Metabolism in Development. Issue 7 (11th December 2019) - Yao, Yan
Abstract: Developmental processes result from interactions between the external environment and internal factors. Recent discoveries have demonstrated the essential roles of lipid metabolic homeostasis in adapting to environmental changes and fulfilling many cellular requirements during development. Lipids not only constitute biological membranes, but they also provide the most efficient form to store and supply energy upon demand, and they act as signals/messengers in diverse developmental pathways. Lipid metabolism also influences gene transcription by affecting the chromatin state and modulates protein function through post‐translational modification. This review mainly focuses on summarizing recent findings about the critical roles of lipids and lipid metabolism during development. How new lipid imaging or tracing techniques will further strengthen authors' understanding of the tight link between lipid metabolism and diverse developmental processes are also discussed. Abstract : Lipids and lipid metabolism are important in signal transduction, protein modification, epigenetic regulation, energy balance, and cellular membranes. Recent discoveries of lipids and lipid metabolism in adapting to environmental changes and fulfilling many cellular requirements during development are discussed. Developmental defects and diseases resulted from lipid metabolism abnormalities and evolving technologies that improve the temporal and spatial resolutions of lipids monitoring are also discussed.