Lipid Synthesis Key to Muscle Health, Says New Research.
Researchers at the Austrian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Molecular Biotechnology have discovered that the enzyme PCYT2 plays a crucial role in muscle health. The enzyme is known as the bottleneck enzyme in a major synthesis pathway of ethanolamine-derived phospholipids, the phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs). The team found that mutations affecting PCYT2, or its reduced activity, are conserved hallmarks of muscle degeneration across vertebrates. Specifically, they demonstrate that PCYT2 deficiency in muscles affects mitochondrial function and the physicochemical properties of the myofiber membrane.