Lipid droplets (LDs) are intracellular organelles that are found in most cells, where they have fundamental and dynamic roles in metabolism. Recent investigations showed the importance of basic biophysical principles of emulsions for LD biology. At their essence, LDs are the dispersed phase of an oil-in-water emulsion in the aqueous cytosol of cells. They function prominently in storing oil-based reserves of metabolic energy and components of membrane lipids. Because of their unique architecture, with an interface between the dispersed oil phase and the aqueous cytosol, LDs require specialized mechanisms for their formation, growth, and shrinkage. Such mechanisms enable cells to use emulsified oil in a controlled manner (e.g., when demands for metabolic energy or membrane synthesis increase). Regulation of the composition of the phospholipid surfactants at the LD surface is crucial for LD growth and catabolism and also modifies protein targeting to LD surfaces. Here, we review new insights into the cell biology of LDs, with an emphasis on concepts of emulsion science and biophysics that apply to this organelle.
How proteins control the biogenesis of cellular lipid droplets (LDs) is poorly understood. Using Drosophila and human cells, we show here that seipin, an ER protein implicated in LD biology, mediates a discrete step in LD formation—the conversion of small, nascent LDs to larger, mature LDs. Seipin forms discrete and dynamic foci in the ER that interact with nascent LDs to enable their growth. In the absence of seipin, numerous small, nascent LDs accumulate near the ER and most often fail to grow. Those that do grow prematurely acquire lipid synthesis enzymes and undergo expansion, eventually leading to the giant LDs characteristic of seipin deficiency. Our studies identify a discrete step of LD formation, namely the conversion of nascent LDs to mature LDs, and define a molecular role for seipin in this process, most likely by acting at ER-LD contact sites to enable lipid transfer to nascent LDs.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.16582.001
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.