What information is contained in experimentally determined lipid profiles?

Hundreds of molecular species make up the cellular lipidome. In this minireview, considerations for interpreting membrane and storage lipid profile changes that are often the focal point of lipidomic studies are discussed. In addition, insights how the most conserved molecular patterns are formed in eukaryotic systems and the consequences for the perturbation of lipid homeostasis are addressed. The implications of lipid identification specificity and experimental variability on modeling membrane structure and systemic responses are also discussed. The profile changes of membrane and storage lipids are bound to the kinetics of the metabolic system, and experimental design and functional interpretation in lipidomic research should be adapted accordingly.