The Various Roles of Fatty Acids
Lipids comprise a large group of chemically heterogeneous compounds. The majority have fatty acids (FA) as part of their structure, making these compounds suitable tools to examine processes raging from cellular to macroscopic levels of organization. Among the multiple roles of FA, they have structu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2018-10-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/23/10/2583 |
| _version_ | 1819128769366982656 |
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| author | Carla C. C. R. de Carvalho Maria José Caramujo |
| author_facet | Carla C. C. R. de Carvalho Maria José Caramujo |
| author_sort | Carla C. C. R. de Carvalho |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lipids comprise a large group of chemically heterogeneous compounds. The majority have fatty acids (FA) as part of their structure, making these compounds suitable tools to examine processes raging from cellular to macroscopic levels of organization. Among the multiple roles of FA, they have structural functions as constituents of phospholipids which are the “building blocks” of cell membranes; as part of neutral lipids FA serve as storage materials in cells; and FA derivatives are involved in cell signalling. Studies on FA and their metabolism are important in numerous research fields, including biology, bacteriology, ecology, human nutrition and health. Specific FA and their ratios in cellular membranes may be used as biomarkers to enable the identification of organisms, to study adaptation of bacterial cells to toxic compounds and environmental conditions and to disclose food web connections. In this review, we discuss the various roles of FA in prokaryotes and eukaryotes and highlight the application of FA analysis to elucidate ecological mechanisms. We briefly describe FA synthesis; analyse the role of FA as modulators of cell membrane properties and FA ability to store and supply energy to cells; and inspect the role of polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) and the suitability of using FA as biomarkers of organisms. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T08:33:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-81613c7d7bf9498a97f265a5dc915614 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T08:33:05Z |
| publishDate | 2018-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-81613c7d7bf9498a97f265a5dc9156142022-12-21T18:32:26ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492018-10-012310258310.3390/molecules23102583molecules23102583The Various Roles of Fatty AcidsCarla C. C. R. de Carvalho0Maria José Caramujo1Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, PortugalCentre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Edifício C2-5º Piso, 1749-016 Lisboa, PortugalLipids comprise a large group of chemically heterogeneous compounds. The majority have fatty acids (FA) as part of their structure, making these compounds suitable tools to examine processes raging from cellular to macroscopic levels of organization. Among the multiple roles of FA, they have structural functions as constituents of phospholipids which are the “building blocks” of cell membranes; as part of neutral lipids FA serve as storage materials in cells; and FA derivatives are involved in cell signalling. Studies on FA and their metabolism are important in numerous research fields, including biology, bacteriology, ecology, human nutrition and health. Specific FA and their ratios in cellular membranes may be used as biomarkers to enable the identification of organisms, to study adaptation of bacterial cells to toxic compounds and environmental conditions and to disclose food web connections. In this review, we discuss the various roles of FA in prokaryotes and eukaryotes and highlight the application of FA analysis to elucidate ecological mechanisms. We briefly describe FA synthesis; analyse the role of FA as modulators of cell membrane properties and FA ability to store and supply energy to cells; and inspect the role of polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) and the suitability of using FA as biomarkers of organisms.http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/23/10/2583fatty acid synthesiscellular membranesmembrane remodellingbiomarkersomega-3 fatty acidsspecialized lipidsglycerophospholipidsstorage lipidslipid bodieslipidomics |
| spellingShingle | Carla C. C. R. de Carvalho Maria José Caramujo The Various Roles of Fatty Acids Molecules fatty acid synthesis cellular membranes membrane remodelling biomarkers omega-3 fatty acids specialized lipids glycerophospholipids storage lipids lipid bodies lipidomics |
| title | The Various Roles of Fatty Acids |
| title_full | The Various Roles of Fatty Acids |
| title_fullStr | The Various Roles of Fatty Acids |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Various Roles of Fatty Acids |
| title_short | The Various Roles of Fatty Acids |
| title_sort | various roles of fatty acids |
| topic | fatty acid synthesis cellular membranes membrane remodelling biomarkers omega-3 fatty acids specialized lipids glycerophospholipids storage lipids lipid bodies lipidomics |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/23/10/2583 |
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