Deciphering the language of mingling lipids and proteins.

Each cell possesses a genetic and a proteolipid code that together convey molecular information in a perpetual cycle. One element of this cycle is the recognition of lipids that work together to specify subcellular locations for biochemical activity. These "lipidons" are now being resolved in protein structures from eukaryotic plasma membranes, endosomes, mitochondria, prokaryotes, and viruses with technologies like in situ cryo-electron imaging and membrane-active polymers. This adds to an expanding catalogue of codified protein-lipid interactions that are recontextualizing cell biology and drug discovery.