The Lipid Interactome: An interactive and open access platform for exploring cellular lipid-protein interactomes

TL;DR

The Lipid Interactome is an open-access platform that consolidates and visualizes lipid-protein interaction data, facilitating systematic exploration and comparison of lipid interactomes to advance understanding of lipid functions in cells.

Contribution

This work introduces a structured, FAIR-compliant web portal that harmonizes and visualizes lipid-protein interactome datasets from multiple studies, enabling comprehensive analysis.

Findings

Provides a centralized, interactive database of lipid-protein interactions

Enables cross-study comparison and visualization of lipid interactomes

Supports systematic exploration of lipid functions in cellular processes

Abstract

Lipid-protein interactions play essential roles in cellular signaling and membrane dynamics, yet their systematic characterization has long been hindered by the inherent biochemical properties of lipids. Recent advances in functionalized lipid probes -- equipped with photoactivatable crosslinkers, affinity handles, and photocleavable protecting groups -- have enabled proteomics-based identification of lipid interacting proteins with unprecedented specificity and resolution. Despite the growing number of published lipid interactomes, there remains no centralized effort to harmonize, compare, or integrate these datasets. The Lipid Interactome addresses this gap by providing a structured, interactive web portal that adheres to FAIR data principles -- ensuring that lipid interactome studies are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Through standardized data formatting, interactive visualizations, and direct cross-study comparisons, this resource enables researchers to systematically explore the protein-binding partners of diverse bioactive lipids. By consolidating and curating lipid interactome proteomics data from multiple studies, the Lipid Interactome database serves as a critical tool for deciphering the biological functions of lipids in cellular systems.