N-Acylphosphatidylethanolamines (NAPEs) are hormones released by the small intestine into the bloodstream when it processes fat.
NAPEs are formed from phosphatidylethanolamines, a group of cell membrane phospholipids characteristic of nervous tissue.
[5] A hydrophobic cavity in NAPE-PLD provides an entryway for the substrate NAPE into the active site, where a binuclear zinc center orchestrates its hydrolysis.
Unexpectedly, the structure unveils bile acids bind the membrane enzyme, enhancing dimer assembly and enabling catalysis.
These findings suggest NAPE-PLD might orchestrate a direct crosstalk between bile acids and lipid amide signals.