Phospholipid Metabolism in Stem Cells and Its Application to the Pathophysiological Analysis

Phospholipids are classified into glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids, which are lipid bilayer components and act as a source of various bioactive substances and signal transducers. Stem cells undergo dynamic morphological changes during differentiation, and the metabolism of phospholipids in these cells also changes significantly. Similarly, during reprogramming, cells undergo significant morphological alterations, accompanied by changes in phospholipids. Furthermore, changes in the metabolism and composition of phospholipids due to external factors induce cell differentiation, while changes in the composition of phospholipids affect the reprogramming of cells. Mass spectrometry has shown that phospholipids in tissue regeneration and repair and disease are metabolized differently at specific sites in the tissue. Regarding cell polarity at the single-cell level, phospholipids bind to particular proteins and contribute to the determination of cell polarity and apical-basal polarity in epithelia. The synthesis of phospholipids is mediated by mutual transport and synthesis between mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum, and abnormalities in mitochondria phospholipid metabolism are also involved in cell transformation. This chapter will review phospholipid metabolism and its application to disease analysis using stem cells.