Abstract
Genome analysis has made great progress in our understanding of a large number of diverse and overlapping enzymes and regulators involved in fatty acid metabolism. Although investigation on the regulation of expression and activities of these enzymes has to await further progress, it is becoming possible to consider the effect of dietary saturated and unsaturated fatty acids on whole-body lipid metabolism at the molecular level. Based on this progress, several mechanisms have been proposed to explain how an excess fat impair the cellular functions (so-called lipotoxicity). In this review, we will present and discuss the regulation of fatty acid remodeling system and lipid-droplet formation and their tissue-specific roles in fatty acid-induced lipotoxicity.
