Premium
Fatty acids as regulators of lipid metabolism
Author(s) -
Wolfrum Christian,
Spener Friedrich
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
european journal of lipid science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.614
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1438-9312
pISSN - 1438-7697
DOI - 10.1002/1438-9312(200012)102:12<746::aid-ejlt746>3.0.co;2-r
Subject(s) - free fatty acid receptor , biochemistry , polyunsaturated fatty acid , adipocyte protein 2 , peroxisome , fatty acid , lipid metabolism , fatty acid binding protein , nuclear receptor , metabolism , biology , fatty acid metabolism , peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha , fatty acid synthase , receptor , lipogenesis , transcription factor , chemistry , gene
Structurally defined fatty acid species, which are the straight‐chain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated and the branched‐chain building blocks of dietary fats and oils, have the potential to regulate lipid metabolism. Focussing on the situation in rodents and in man we describe first the non‐enzymic proteins that confer regulatory properties to fatty acids. These are the ligand activated receptors in the nuclei (peroxisome proliferator activated receptors, hepatic nuclear factor 4, liver‐X‐receptor), sterol regulatory element binding proteins and the soluble and membrane‐bound transport proteins for fatty acids and derivatives (fatty acid binding proteins, acyl‐CoA binding protein, fatty acid translocator, fatty acid translocator proteins). Then we follow the path of the dietary fatty acids from digestion to their ultimate fate in the cell and critically address their regulatory roles. Fatty acids and/or derivatives interact either directly with enzymes to affect activity, or with the nuclear transcription factors, or affect the stability of mRNAs encoding proteins involved in lipid metabolism. Knowledge of the effects of fatty acid species on the genetic machinery as a whole could become a starting point for individualization of nutritional needs.