Ethanolamine and Phosphatidylethanolamine: Partners in Health and Disease

Figure 6

PE in cancer and ferroptosis. Left panel: PE and PS transfer to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane in some cancers. OPA reacts with surface-exposed PE to yield a cytotoxic adduct that creates leaky membranes (arrows) that kills cells. Right panel: Lipoxygenase (15-Lox) oxidizes PE in the membranes of the ER. The oxidation requires that PE contains polyunsaturated acyl chains like arachidonic acid (A) or adrenic acid (AdA). The end product is doubly and triply oxidized hydroxyperoxide PE species that mediate cell death.