Role of intranuclear lipids in health and disease

The nuclear lipid fraction is comprised of glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, plasmalogens, gangliosides, cholesterol and fatty acids. Intranuclear lipid enzymes are responsible for their active metabolism completely independently from that of other cell membranes. The crosstalk between glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids controls the nuclear lipid mediators such as ceramide and diacylglycerol that are in equilibrium when the cells are resting and change when the cells are stimulated. This article focuses on the characteristics, localization and metabolism of intranuclear lipids. This article describes the examples of their function that have been discovered so far and an additional function, which has emerged from recent insights; some lipids associated with the inner nuclear membrane are organized to form a platform for DNA duplication and transcription that could play a role in health and disease.