Comparative genomics and functional study of lipid metabolic genes in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Animal models are indispensable to understand the lipid metabolism and lipid metabolic diseases. Over the last decade, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has become a popular animal model for exploring the regulation of lipid metabolism, obesity, and obese-related diseases. However, the genomic and functional conservation of lipid metabolism from C. elegans to humans remains unknown. In the present study, we systematically analyzed genes involved in lipid metabolism in the C. elegans genome using comparative genomics.

Results

We built a database containing 471 lipid genes from the C. elegans genome, and then assigned most of lipid genes into 16 different lipid metabolic pathways that were integrated into a network. Over 70% of C. elegans lipid genes have human or

SUBMITTER: Zhang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3602672 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature