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Multiple Roles of Membrane Lipids: Implications for Health and Disease

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The First Outstanding 50 Years of “Università Politecnica delle Marche”

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Abstract

Lipids are a major class of molecules which fulfil several functions. Cell membrane lipid composition can vary substantially, suggesting that different lipids are required for different functions. The lipid matrix is not simply the physical scaffold for proteins or the structural barrier that isolates and defines cells and organelles, but, it is also active in many cellular functions. Caveolae represent membrane compartments enriched with sphingolipids, cholesterol and signaling molecules whose structural integrity is essential for the cellular response. Levels of lipid species can change in response to diet, physiological and environmental factors. In human blood, transport of lipids is exerted by lipoproteins. Alterations of membrane and/or lipoprotein lipid composition, associated either with adaptive responses or with the aetiology of the disease, have been described in several pathologies. The current understanding of lipids, the structures they form, their roles in cells and lipoproteins, and their physico-chemical properties are the result of many years of our research. Aim of the paper is to review the history, current status, and future of lipids in cell and lipoprotein biology. A promising field of research is the study of structures derived from lipids as carriers of bioactive molecules to deliver site-specific targeting ligands in vivo.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Science (DiSCO), Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131, Ancona, Italy

    Gianna Ferretti

  2. Department of Life and Environmental Science (DiSVA), Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131, Ancona, Italy

    Tiziana Bacchetti & Rosamaria Fiorini

Authors
  1. Gianna Ferretti
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  2. Tiziana Bacchetti
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  3. Rosamaria Fiorini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gianna Ferretti .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Information Engineering (DII), Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy

    Sauro Longhi

  2. Department of Information Engineering (DII), Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy

    Andrea Monteriù

  3. Department of Information Engineering (DII), Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy

    Alessandro Freddi

  4. Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences (D3A), Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy

    Lucia Aquilanti

  5. Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona, Ancona, Italy

    Maria Gabriella Ceravolo

  6. Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DISVA), Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy

    Oliana Carnevali

  7. Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (DISVA), Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy

    Mario Giordano

  8. Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona, Ancona, Italy

    Gianluca Moroncini

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Ferretti, G., Bacchetti, T., Fiorini, R. (2020). Multiple Roles of Membrane Lipids: Implications for Health and Disease. In: Longhi, S., et al. The First Outstanding 50 Years of “Università Politecnica delle Marche”. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33832-9_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33832-9_27

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-33832-9

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