A menage a trois made in heaven: G-protein-coupled receptors, lipids and TRP channels

Recent technical and conceptual advances in lipid analysis have given us a glimpse into the true versatility of the lipidome and the complexity of lipid signaling species. Progress alike in protein chemistry and genetics has presented us with new signal pathways and molecular mechanisms for the lipid actions. G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) appear to play a central role in the regulation of many lipid signals and are also themselves targets for some of these. TRP channels have recently been acknowledged as one of the most important GPCR effectors; in many cases the signals from GPCRs to TRPs are mediated via lipid signals. This review aims at presenting a view into the complex lipid signaling networks, their possible regulation by GPCRs and the signals transmitted to the TRP channels. Critical views and possible shortcomings in the composition of the studies are also presented. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.