Lysophospholipids--receptor revelations.

Upon cell activation, membrane phospholipids are metabolized into potent lysophospholipid (LP) mediators, such as sphingosine 1-phosphate and lysophosphatidic acid. LPs fulfill signaling roles in organisms as diverse as yeast and humans. The recent discovery of G protein-coupled receptors for LPs in higher eukaryotes, and their involvement in regulating diverse processes such as angiogenesis, cardiac development, neuronal survival, and immunity, has stimulated growing interest in these lipid mediators. LP receptor biology has generated insights into fundamental cellular mechanisms and may provide therapeutic targets for drug development.