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Updated: May 29, 2026
08:56
Quantitative Analysis of the Cellular Lipidome of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Using Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Published on: March 8, 2020
Instability of the cellular lipidome with age
Jessica R Hughes1, Jane M Deeley, Stephen J Blanksby
1Graduate School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, 2522 NSW, Australia.
Age (Dordrecht, Netherlands)
|September 7, 2011
Summary
Human lens nucleus lipids dramatically change with age. Glycerophospholipids decrease while ceramides increase significantly after age 40, impacting lens membrane properties and potentially causing presbyopia.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- The human lens nucleus, formed in utero, lacks significant cellular turnover and active enzymes in adulthood.
- This unique environment allows for the study of macromolecular stability under physiological conditions.
- Age-related changes in lens composition are linked to functional decline and pathologies like presbyopia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the age-related changes in the lipid composition of the human lens nucleus.
- To correlate these lipid profile alterations with known changes in lens properties and pathologies.
Main Methods:
- Human lenses (n=57, ages 12-82) were dissected into nuclear and cortical portions.
- Nuclear lipids were analyzed using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.
- Lipid concentrations were quantified and analyzed across different age groups.
Main Results:
- Glycerophospholipids (except lysophosphatidylethanolamines) declined rapidly, becoming negligible by age 40.
- Ceramides and dihydroceramides increased approximately 100-fold after age 30, becoming detectable.
- Sphingomyelins and dihydrosphingomyelins showed no significant change throughout the lifespan.
Conclusions:
- A dramatic shift in human lens nucleus lipid composition occurs around age 40.
- This transition involves a decrease in glycerophospholipids and a significant increase in ceramides.
- These compositional changes likely alter lens fiber cell membrane properties, contributing to age-related lens stiffening and presbyopia.
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