The scientists discovered that the ceramide-1 phosphate transport protein (CPTP) regulates levels of biologically active lipids, which are molecules such as fatty acids that often play a role in cell signaling. They found that CPTP's main function is to transport ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P), a lipid that helps regulate cell growth, survival, migration and inflammation. Specifically, C1P increases the production of pro-inflammatory eicosanoids – powerful signaling molecules that contribute to chronic inflammation in diseases such as cancer, asthma, atherosclerosis and thrombosis – and the discovery of CPTP sheds a light on the cellular mechanisms that contribute to these diseases. "We may have...