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Updated: May 17, 2026

PIP-on-a-chip: A Label-free Study of Protein-phosphoinositide Interactions
Published on: July 27, 2017
Phospholipids: "greasing the wheels" of humoral immunity
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, 5851 USA Drive North Mobile, AL 36688, USA. jbrewer@southalabama.edu
Abstract:
Phospholipids are major structural components of all cellular membranes. In addition, certain phospholipids execute regulatory activities that affect cell behavior, function and fate in critically important physiological settings. The influence of phospholipids is especially obvious in the adaptive immune system, where these macromolecules mediate both intrinsic and extrinsic effects on B and T lymphocytes. This review article highlights the action of lysophospholipid sphingosine-1-phosphate as a lymphocyte chemoattractant, the function of phosphatidylinositol phosphates as signaling conduits in lymphocytes and the role of phospholipids as raw materials for membrane assembly and organelle biogenesis in activated B lymphocytes. Special emphasis is placed on the means by which these three processes push humoral immune responses forward. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Phospholipids and Phospholipid Metabolism.
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