Background: Microalgal lipid is a promising feedstock for biodiesel production. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of cultivation temperature on the growth and lipid accumulation properties of Nannochloropsis oculata microalgae. Methods: Nannochloropsis oculatacan grow in a wide range of temperatures (5 ~ 35°C). Late in the stationary growth phase of microalgae, bi...

Skeletal muscle plays important roles in whole-body energy homeostasis. Excessive skeletal muscle lipid accumulation is associated with some metabolic diseases such as obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. The energy sensor AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) is a key regulator of skeletal muscle lipid metabolism, but the precise regulatory mechanism remains to be elucidated. Here, we provide a novel me...

BACKGROUND Permanent fatty acid translocase (FAT/)CD36 relocation has previously been shown to be related to abnormal lipid accumulation in the skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetic patients, however mechanisms responsible for the regulation of FAT/CD36 expression and localization are not well characterized in human skeletal muscle. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Primary muscle cells derived fro...

We previously found that SNF2, a gene encoding a transcription factor forming part of the SWI/SNF (switching/sucrose non-fermenting) chromatin-remodelling complex, is involved in lipid accumulation, because the Deltasnf2 disruptant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a higher lipid content. The present study was conducted to identify other factors that might further increase lipid accumulation in t...

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a lipid-driven disease in which macrophage foam cells play a critical role by increasing vascular lipid accumulation and contributing to plaque instability. Ginsenoside Rb1 (Rb1), the most abundant active component of ginseng, has been found potently to promote lipid metabolism and attenuate lipid accumulation. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this s...

Although the accumulation of lipid rafts at the immunological synapse is now well accepted, the degree of the accumulation, the localization within the fine structure of the immunological synapse, and the region from which lipid rafts are recruited have not been defined. In this work we show that lipid rafts preferentially accumulate in the central zone of the immunological synapse, the central...

Weight loss ≥ 5 percent is sufficient to significantly reduce health risks for obese people; therefore, development of novel weight loss compounds with reduced toxicity is urgently required. After screening of natural compounds with antiadipogenesis properties in 3T3-L1 cells, we determined that kahweol, a coffee-specific diterpene, inhibited adipogenesis. Kahweol reduced lipid accumulation and...