Bioactive Ether Lipids: Primordial Modulators of Cellular Signaling

The primacy of lipids as essential components of cellular membranes is conserved across taxonomic domains. In addition to this crucial role as a semi-permeable barrier, lipids are also increasingly recognized as important signaling molecules with diverse functional mechanisms ranging from cell surface receptor binding to the intracellular regulation of enzymatic cascades. In this review, we focus on ether lipids, an ancient family of lipids having ether-linked structures that chemically differ from their more prevalent acyl relatives. In particular, we examine ether lipid biosynthesis in the peroxisome of mammalian cells, the roles of selected glycerolipids and glycerophospholipids in signal transduction in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and finally, the potential therapeutic contributions of synthetic ether lipids to the treatment of cancer.