It's well established that proteins play key roles in many important biological processes, such as cellular aging. But the role of lipids is not fully understood. Now a study in Molecular BioSystems shows that lipids also play a role in cellular aging, a finding that extends our understanding of lipids and may have great implications in the prevention and treatment of many diseases. Lipids are molecules that contain hydrocarbons. Our bodies contain many different types of lipids, such as fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins and monoglycerides, and they carry out multiple functions in the body. The main functions of lipids include forming biological membrane, storing energy, and mediating cell signaling. However, the new study suggests that lipids may play a much more active role than previously thought. The researchers revealed that lipids seem to be associated with cellular replicative senescence, which means a limitation in the number of times that cells can divide. When cells that have previously been able to divide go into senescence, they remain alive but no longer renew themselves. Replicative senescence is believed to occur along with advancing age. In the study, Atilla-Gokcumen and colleagues grew human fibroblast cells in the lab for a sufficient period of time. By comparing the lipid content of young cells to older cells, they found that 19 different triacylglycerols accumulated in senescent cells. A transcriptome analysis indicated that this accumulation may be caused by the activation of CD36-mediated fatty acid uptake and diversion to glycerolipid biosynthesis. Many studies have focused on how proteins contribute to cellular senescence, but this study highlights the role of lipids in this process. "Our results indicate that regulation of specific lipid species has a central role during replicative senescence," the researchers wrote in their paper. The study was conducted by Darleny Lizardo, Yen-Lung Lin, Omer Gokcumen and Gunes Ekin Atilla-Gokcumen at University at Buffalo. CusAb offers CD36 protein and FITC conjugated antibody.
