Marine phytoplankton, comprising cyanobacteria, micro- and pico-algae are key to photosynthesis, oxygen production and carbon assimilation on Earth. The unicellular green picoalga holds a key position at the base of the green lineage of plants, which makes it an interesting model organism. has adapted to survive in low levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the open ocean and also during rapid changes in the levels of these nutrients in coastal waters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcylated amino acids function as important components of the cellular membrane in some bacteria. Biosynthesis is initiated by the -acylation of the amino acid, and this is followed by subsequent -acylation of the acylated molecule, resulting in the production of the mature diacylated amino acid lipid. In this study, we use both genetics and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to characterize the biosynthesis and function of a diacylated glycine lipid (GL) species produced in We, and others, have previously reported the identification of a gene, named in this study, that encodes an -acyltransferase activity responsible for the production of a monoacylated glycine called -acyl-3-hydroxy-palmitoyl glycine (or commendamide).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) has emerged as an important beneficial regulator of glucose and lipid homeostasis but its levels are also abnormally increased in insulin-resistant states in rodents and humans. The synthetic retinoid Fenretinide inhibits obesity and improves glucose homeostasis in mice and has pleotropic effects on cellular pathways. To identify Fenretinide target genes, we performed unbiased RNA-seq analysis in liver from mice fed high-fat diet ± Fenretinide.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFenretinide (FEN) is a synthetic retinoid that inhibits obesity and insulin resistance in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice and completely prevents 3T3-L1 pre-adipocyte differentiation. The aim of this study was to determine the mechanism(s) of FEN action in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and in mice. We used the 3T3-L1 model of adipogenesis, fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes and adipose tissue from HFD-induced obese mice to investigate the mechanisms of FEN action.
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