Lipid signaling and cell responses at the nuclear level

The nucleus is known to be a site for an active lipid metabolism. Although phospholipids are present in the nuclear envelope, evidence suggests that t hey are also located further inside the nucleus. The function of these intr anuclear lipids has escaped clarification for many years. Early experiments showed that they can interact with DNA double helix affecting its thermal stability and can influence RNA synthesis in isolated nuclei. However, in t he last 10 years several investigations have suggested that they may be inv olved in signal transduction pathways at the nuclear level and a growing bo dy of evidence supports this hypothesis.