| Lipids in Health and Disease 2008 Edition Contributor(s): Quinn, Peter (Editor), Wang, Xiaoyuan (Editor) |
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ISBN: 1402088302 ISBN-13: 9781402088308 Publisher: Springer OUR PRICE: $208.99 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: September 2008 Annotation: This volume gives an up-to-date account of the properties of the classes of lipids that are located in the membranes of all cells. These lipids form the essential structural components of the plasma membrane responsible for maintaining the distinct identity of the cell from its surroundings and mediating the flow of vital solutes into and out of the cell. The membrane lipids also represent reservoirs of signaling molecules that modulate a variety of physiological processes. The presentation gives a balanced perspective of what is currently known about the function of these lipids in healthy cells and tissues and what consequences follow malfunctions in their synthesis and metabolism. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Science | Life Sciences - Biology - Science | Life Sciences - Biochemistry - Science | Life Sciences - Human Anatomy & Physiology |
| Dewey: 612.397 |
| Series: Subcellular Biochemistry |
| Physical Information: 1.13" H x 6.26" W x 9.5" (2.52 lbs) 598 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Lipids are functionally versatile molecules. They have evolved from relatively simple hydrocarbons that serve as depot storages of metabolites and barriers to the permeation of solutes into complex compounds that perform a variety of signalling functions in higher organisms. This volume is devoted to the polar lipids and their constituents. We have omitted the neutral lipids like fats and oils because their function is generally to act as deposits of metabolizable substrates. The sterols are also outside the scope of the present volume and the reader is referred to volume 28 of this series which is the subject of cholesterol. The polar lipids are comprised of fatty acids attached to either glycerol or sphingosine. The fatty acids themselves constitute an important reservoir of substrates for conversion into families of signalling and modulating molecules including the eicosanoids amongst which are the prostaglandins, thromboxanes and leucotrienes. The way fatty acid metabolism is regulated in the liver and how fatty acids are desaturated are subjects considered in the first part of this volume. This section also deals with the modulation of protein function and inflammation by unsaturated fatty acids and their derivatives. New insights into the role of fatty acid synthesis and eicosenoid function in tumour progression and metastasis are presented. |