LPC also increases the permeability of membranes [48] . This is an attractive concept given that DENV replication complexes are encased within membrane barriers that need to facilitate the exchange of components to and from the cytosol for genome replication and virus assembly. Therefore, leaky membranes may be favored in DENV-infected cells through the selective incorporation of molecules such as LPC. Another observation that gives credence to this hypothesis is that the transmembrane permeabilizing effect of LPC is synergistically enhanced in the presence of palmitic acid, which is also up regulated in DENVinfected cells. As a signaling molecule, LPC is both a pro-survival as well as an inflammatory molecule [46] . Therefore, its expression in DENV infected cells could be a cellular response to viral infection.