Fatty acids are fundamental biomolecular building blocks that are characterized by extraordinary structural diversity and present a formidable analytical challenge. Here the authors introduce a discov...

The balance between n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is a critical determinant of lipid homeostasis and inflammatory status in aquacult…

Han et al. show that leukemic stem cells (LSCs) engage autonomous ketogenesis driven by FAO to produce BHB, which suppresses ferroptosis via FADS2-dependent lipid remodeling. Targeting this pathway selectively impairs LSC function and leukemia progression while sparing normal hematopoiesis.

Tong et al. identify a microbiota-adipose tissue axis that modulates immune checkpoint blockade efficacy in obesity. Riboflavin-producing gut bacteria elevate mesenteric adipose FAD levels, activating FADS2-mediated polyunsaturated fatty acid synthesis that enhances CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity and antitumor responses. Dietary or microbial interventions targeting this axis may offer new strategies to optimize cancer immunotherapy outcomes.

Ambient ozone (O3) pollution can induce respiratory and cardiovascular toxicity. However, its impact on the metabolome and the underlying mechanisms r…

Breastfeeding is hypothesised to benefit child health and cognitive functioning by providing long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are essential for brain development. In 2007, Caspi et al. found evidence in two cohorts for an interaction between genetic variation in the FADS2 gene (a gene involved in fatty acid metabolism) and breastfeeding on IQ. However, subsequent studies have provided mixed evidence for the existence of an interaction. We investigated the relationship between genetic variation in the FADS2 region, breastfeeding, and their interaction in up to 335,650 individuals from the UK Biobank. We tested for the interaction over a range of cognitive functioning tests, as well as educational attainment and other traits thought to be influenced by breastfeeding, including cardiometabolic traits, number of offspring, and atopic allergy. FADS2 alleles associated with an increase in docosahexaenoic acid in blood serum (the C allele of rs174575) were associated with decreased verbal-numerical reasoning ($$p=2.28\times {10}^{-5}$$) and triglycerides ($$p=1.40\times {10}^{-41}$$), increased number of offspring ($$p=3.40\times {10}^{-5}$$), total cholesterol ($$p=5.28\times {10}^{-36}$$), HDL ($$p=1.42\times {10}^{-51}$$), and LDL cholesterol ($$p=1.46\times {10}^{-21}$$). We observed no evidence of an interaction in any of the traits, regardless of the modelling strategy on any cognitive or non-cognitive traits. We postulate that the previous positive findings are likely to be spurious, perhaps due to lack of appropriate control for latent population structure.

Background: Breastfeeding is hypothesised to benefit child health and cognitive functioning by provi

Importance: A precision medicine approach to identify who would benefit from supplementation with th

The adaptation of marine fish to freshwater environments is a prodigious example of rapid evolution, and yet the underlying ecological causes of genomic and phenotypic differentiation are poorly under...

Han et al. show that leukemic stem cells (LSCs) engage autonomous ketogenesis driven by FAO to produce BHB, which suppresses ferroptosis via FADS2-dependent lipid remodeling. Targeting this pathway selectively impairs LSC function and leukemia progression while sparing normal hematopoiesis.