https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. In addition to providing energy, lipids are also essential building blocks of our cell membranes. However, despite their importance, they remain poorly understood. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-lipids-vip-drivers-cellular.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 08 Jan 2026 15:49:20 EST news687109741 A research team has developed a fluorescent probe that allows scientists to visualize how individual lipid droplets break down inside living cells in real time. The probe changes its fluorescence properties depending on the chemical composition of each droplet, which allows researchers to observe not only their location within cells, but also their metabolic activity during lipid breakdown. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-scientists-metabolic-individual-lipid-droplets.html Biochemistry Wed, 19 Nov 2025 12:32:03 EST news682777921 Researchers at University of Tsukuba have achieved high-resolution visualization of cellular organelles, such as nuclei and mitochondria, using an external apodized phase contrast (ExAPC) microscope. By effectively suppressing halo artifacts—false images caused by light diffraction—the technique reveals the tightly regulated and remarkably stable movement, spatial arrangement, and morphology of these organelles. The team also observed unlabeled biomolecular condensate-like structures whose molecular components remain unidentified. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-high-resolution-free-imaging-reveals.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 10 Nov 2025 16:01:03 EST news682012861 Researchers at EPFL have created the first 4D lipid atlas of vertebrate development, revealing how fats shape our bodies from embryo to organism. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-lipid-blueprint-vertebrate-life-4d.html Biotechnology Wed, 03 Sep 2025 10:17:04 EDT news676113422 Omega-3 fatty acids are known to be an essential part of a healthy diet. As humans cannot produce them, they have to be consumed in sufficient amounts. However, omega-6, -7, -9, and -10 fatty acids also play important roles in the metabolism of fats. These numbers indicate the position of the first double bond in a fatty acid chain. Deviations in the omega position can signal enzyme malfunctions or pathological metabolic processes, such as those occurring in cancer. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-method-omega-positions-lipids-biological.html Biochemistry Mon, 11 Aug 2025 11:25:03 EDT news674130301 Capstan Therapeutics scientists demonstrate that lipid nanoparticles can engineer CAR T cells within the body without laboratory cell manufacturing and ex vivo expansion. The method using targeted lipid nanoparticles (tLNPs) is designed to deliver messenger RNA specifically to CD8+ T cells. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-lipid-nanoparticles-car-cells-vivo.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 23 Jun 2025 10:10:04 EDT news669891654 Cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) are potent bronchoconstrictors, playing pivotal roles in inflammatory diseases. These lipid mediators exert their effects by activating two G protein-coupled receptors, CysLT1R and CysLT2R. CysLT1R predominantly functions in the lungs, while CysLT2R operates across multiple organ systems. In particular, the unique presence of CysLT2R in the heart, brain, and adrenal glands suggests its involvement in cardiovascular and neurological disorders. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-basis-cyslt2r-ltd4-paving-blocking.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 10 Apr 2025 16:03:24 EDT news663519796 Researchers have been studying the transcription factor, SREBP, a critical regulator of lipid biosynthesis. Precursor SREBP proteins, located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of the cell, are transported through the Golgi apparatus to the nucleus. Here, they promote the transcription of genes associated with lipid biosynthesis, playing a pivotal role in regulating cholesterol. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-pathway-lipid-biosynthesis-fatty-acids.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 11 Jan 2024 10:50:02 EST news624192601 A class of proteins known as TMEM16 scramblases permit rearrangement of lipids in the cell membrane chiefly by thinning the membrane, according to a new model by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. https://phys.org/news/2022-06-scramblase-proteins-rearrange-cell-membranes.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 09 Jun 2022 12:52:01 EDT news573997918 UT Southwestern researchers have discovered a molecular pathway that allows cells to sense when their lipid supplies become depleted, prompting a flurry of activity that prevents starvation. The findings, reported in Nature, might someday lead to new ways to combat metabolic disorders and a variety of other health conditions. https://phys.org/news/2022-05-molecular-surveillance-pathway-cells-lipids.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 18 May 2022 15:52:35 EDT news572107950 By creating a "map" of histone modifications in fat cells, investigators have discovered two new factors that regulate fat formation, a key step on the road to better understanding obesity, diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and the Broad Institute, the study appears in the October 1 issue of the journal Cell. https://phys.org/news/2010-09-epigenomics-discovery-yields-fat-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 30 Sep 2010 12:37:43 EDT news205069045 (PhysOrg.com) -- A research team led by biochemist Scott Garman at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has for the first time determined the mechanism of one of the cell’s 'recycling' enzymes, human alpha-galactosidase or alpha-GAL, as it breaks down substances in the lysosome, the cell's recycling center. The work promises to aid treatment of a rare childhood metabolic disorder, Fabry disease. Patients may survive to adulthood but have compromised kidney function or heart disease, for example, due to lipid buildup in blood vessels, tissues and organs. https://phys.org/news/2010-02-biochemists-key-fabry-disease-rare.html Biochemistry Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:40:03 EST news184350210 Tsuruta et al. find that a lipid kinase directs a voltage-gated calcium channel's degradation to save neurons from a lethal dose of overexcitement. The study appears in the October 19, 2009 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology . https://phys.org/news/2009-10-reveal-mechanism-neuron-self-preservation.html Cell & Microbiology Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:20:02 EDT news175165687 According to new research from the Monell Center and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, certain common herbicides and lipid-lowering fibrate drugs act in humans to block T1R3, a nutrient-sensing taste receptor also present in intestine and pancreas. https://phys.org/news/2009-10-common-herbicides-fibrates-block-nutrient-sensing.html Biochemistry Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:30:01 EDT news174309380