Lipids are the primary components of the skin permeability barrier, which is the body's most powerful defensive mechanism against pathogens. Acylceramide (ω-O-acylceramide) is a specialized lipid essential for skin barrier formation. Here, we identify PNPLA1 as the long-sought gene involved in the final step of acylceramide synthesis, esterification of ω-hydroxyceramide with linoleic acid, by c...

Monoacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (MGAT) is a microsomal enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of diacylglycerol (DAG) and triacylglycerol (TAG). However, the subcellular localization and catalytic function domain of this enzyme is poorly understood. In this report, we identified that murine MGAT1 localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) under normal conditions, whereas MGAT1 co-localize to t...

Bariatric surgery improves non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Our aim was to investigate the potential role of ghrelin isoforms in the resolution of hepatic steatosis after sleeve gastrectomy, a restrictive bariatric surgery procedure, in diet-induced obese rats. Male Wistar rats (n = 161) were subjected to surgical (sham operation and sleeve gastrectomy) or dietary interventions [fed a...

Recent efforts to genetically engineer plants that contain fatty acid desaturases to produce valuable fatty acids have made only modest progress. Diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2), which catalyzes the final step in triacylglycerol (TAG) assembly, might potentially regulate the biosynthesis of desired fatty acids in TAGs. To study the effects of tung tree (Vernicia fordii) vfDGAT2 in chan...

Acyl coenzyme A:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) is one of two known DGAT enzymes that catalyze the final step in mammalian triglyceride synthesis. DGAT1-deficient mice are resistant to diet-induced obesity through a mechanism involving increased energy expenditure. Here we show that these mice have decreased levels of tissue triglycerides, as well as increased sensitivity to insulin an...

Triacylglycerol is a universal storage molecule for metabolic energy in living organisms. However, Dictyostelium amoebae, that have accumulated storage fat from added fatty acids do not progress through the starvation period preceding the development of the durable spore. Mutants deficient in genes of fat metabolism, such as fcsA, encoding a fatty acid activating enzyme, or dgat1 and dgat2, spe...

The objective of this study is to determine the effects dietary replacement soybean oil (SO) with rubber seed (RSO) on growth performance, carcass trait, and lipid metabolism in Pekin ducks. A total 160 1-day-old ducks were randomly allocated four experimental treatments fed diets different ratios SO RSO as follows: 3:0 (control), 2:1, 1:2, 0:3. Dietary supplementation had no effect their perfo...