Twists and turns—How we stepped into and had fun in the “boring” lipid field  

作　　者：HAN Min 

机构地区：[1]Howard Hughes Medical Institute and University of Colorado at Boulder

出　　处：《Science China(Life Sciences)》2015年第11期1073-1083,共11页中国科学（生命科学英文版）

基　　金：supported by Howard Hughes Medical Institute and National Institute of Health

摘　　要：Compared to proteins and RNAs, functional specificities associated with structural variations in fatty acids and lipids have been greatly underexplored. This review describes how our lab naively started to work on lipids 14 years ago, and how we have gradually overcome obstacles to address some interesting biological questions by combining genetics with biochemical methods on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Our studies have revealed lipid variants and their metabolic pathways, in specific tissues, impact development and behaviors by regulating specific signaling events. The review also discusses the general research approach, style of lab management, and funding mechanisms that have facilitated the frequent research direction changes in the lab, including the journey into the lipid field.Compared to proteins and RNAs, functional specificities associated with structural variations in fatty acids and lipids have been greatly underexplored. This review describes how our lab naively started to work on lipids 14 years ago, and how we have gradually overcome obstacles to address some interesting biological questions by combining genetics with biochemical methods on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Our studies have revealed lipid variants and their metabolic pathways, in specific tissues, impact development and behaviors by regulating specific signaling events. The review also discusses the gen- eral research approach, style of lab management, and funding mechanisms that have facilitated the frequent research direction changes in the lab, including the journey into the lipid field.

关 键 词：monomethyl branched-chain fatty acid mmBCFA GLUCOSYLCERAMIDE TORC1 IP3 foraging behavior SUN and KASHdomain genetic redundancy 

分 类 号：Q591.5[生物学—生物化学]