Lipid droplet biogenesis and functions in health and disease

Abstract

Ubiquitous yet unique, lipid droplets are intracellular organelles that are increasingly being recognized for their versatility beyond energy storage. Advances uncovering the intricacies of their biogenesis and the diversity of their physiological and pathological roles have yielded new insights into lipid droplet biology. Despite these insights, the mechanisms governing the biogenesis and functions of lipid droplets remain incompletely understood. Moreover, the causal relationship between the biogenesis and function of lipid droplets and human diseases is poorly resolved. Here, we provide an update on the current understanding of the biogenesis and functions of lipid droplets in health and disease, highlighting a key role for lipid droplet biogenesis in alleviating cellular stresses. We also discuss therapeutic strategies of targeting lipid droplet biogenesis, growth or degradation that could be applied in the future to common diseases, such as cancer, hepatic steatosis and viral infection.

Exploiting Mass Spectrometry to Unlock the Mechanism of Nanoparticle-Induced Inflammasome Activation

“…Pre-incubation with a DGAT (diacylglycerol acyltransferase) inhibitor prevented silica-NP-induced lipid droplet formation, thus confirming the specificity of the flow cytometry-based assay (Figure S10b). Taken together, it is probable that lipid droplets play an antioxidant role in silica-exposed cells.…”

BASHY Dyes Are Highly Efficient Lipid Droplet-Targeting Photosensitizers that Induce Ferroptosis through Lipid Peroxidation

“…Additionally, we evaluated whether LDs could be involved in this process. The cytosolic phospholipase A2 alpha (cPLA2α) is a key enzyme in the process of LD formation. , We used pyrrolidine-2, a known inhibitor of this enzyme, , to further examine whether reducing the formation of LDs could have an impact on the phototoxicity of 3 and 4 (Figure ). The treatment with pyrrolidine-2 resulted in a significant increase in cell viability, which is consistent with our initial assumption that the accumulation of these dyes in LDs could enhance LPO and ferroptosis upon photosensitization.…”

Characterization of Biodiesel and Diesel Combustion Particles: Chemical Composition, Lipid Metabolism, and Implications for Health and Environment

“…In addition to the general perspective of lipid droplets functioning for energy storage, lipid droplets are essential for maintaining cellular lipid homeostasis. 26 To investigate whether biodiesel and diesel would alter cellular lipid homeostasis and metabolism differently, we examined the formation of cellular lipid droplets by treating human lung epithelial BEAS-2B cells with biodiesel and diesel combustion emissions and oleic acids for 16 h by confocal microscopy. Individual cells from different treatments were analyzed.…”