Mechanisms of lipid droplet biogenesis

2019 ◽  
Vol 476 (13) ◽  
pp. 1929-1942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kent D. Chapman ◽  
Mina Aziz ◽  
John M. Dyer ◽  
Robert T. Mullen

Abstract Lipid droplets (LDs) are organelles that compartmentalize nonbilayer-forming lipids in the aqueous cytoplasm of cells. They are ubiquitous in most organisms, including in animals, protists, plants and microorganisms. In eukaryotes, LDs are believed to be derived by a budding and scission process from the surface of the endoplasmic reticulum, and this occurs concomitantly with the accumulation of neutral lipids, most often triacylglycerols and steryl esters. Overall, the mechanisms underlying LD biogenesis are difficult to generalize, in part because of the involvement of different sets of both evolutionarily conserved and organism-specific LD-packaging proteins. Here, we briefly compare and contrast these proteins and the allied processes responsible for LD biogenesis in cells of animals, yeasts and plants.

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (13) ◽  
pp. 2014-2024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabella Klein ◽  
Lisa Klug ◽  
Claudia Schmidt ◽  
Martina Zandl ◽  
Martina Korber ◽  
...  

Tgl3p, Tgl4p, and Tgl5p are the major triacylglycerol lipases of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Recently we demonstrated that properties of Tgl3p are regulated by the formation of nonpolar lipids. The present study extends these investigations to the two other yeast triacylglycerol lipases, Tgl4p and Tgl5p. We show that Tgl4p and Tgl5p, which are localized to lipid droplets in wild type, are partially retained in the endoplasmic reticulum in cells lacking triacylglycerols and localize exclusively to the endoplasmic reticulum in a mutant devoid of lipid droplets. In cells lacking steryl esters, the subcellular distribution of Tgl4p and Tgl5p is unaffected, but Tgl5p becomes unstable, whereas the stability of Tgl4p increases. In cells lacking nonpolar lipids, Tgl4p and Tgl5p lose their lipolytic activity but retain their side activity as lysophospholipid acyltransferases. To investigate the regulatory network of yeast triacylglycerol lipases in more detail, we also examined properties of Tgl3p, Tgl4p, and Tgl5p, respectively, in the absence of the other lipases. Surprisingly, lack of two lipases did not affect expression, localization, and stability of the remaining Tgl protein. These results suggest that Tgl3p, Tgl4p, and Tgl5p, although they exhibit similar functions, act as independent entities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 3802
Author(s):  
Yi Jin ◽  
Zhuqing Ren ◽  
Yanjie Tan ◽  
Pengxiang Zhao ◽  
Jian Wu

The lipid droplet is a kind of organelle that stores neutral lipids in cells. Recent studies have found that in addition to energy storage, lipid droplets also play an important role in biological processes such as resistance to stress, immunity, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and signal transduction. Lipid droplets are formed at the endoplasmic reticulum, and mature lipid droplets participate in various cellular processes. Lipid droplets are decomposed by lipase and lysosomes. In the life of a lipid droplet, the most important thing is to interact with other organelles, including the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, peroxisomes, and autophagic lysosomes. The interaction between lipid droplets and other organelles requires them to be close to each other, which inevitably involves the motility of lipid droplets. In fact, through many microscopic observation techniques, researchers have discovered that lipid droplets are highly dynamic organelles that move quickly. This paper reviews the process of lipid droplet motility, focusing on explaining the molecular basis of lipid droplet motility, the factors that regulate lipid droplet motility, and the influence of motility on the formation and decomposition of lipid droplets. In addition, this paper also proposes several unresolved problems for lipid droplet motility. Finally, this paper makes predictions about the future research of lipid droplet motility.


2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1517-1529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoli Du ◽  
Caroline Barisch ◽  
Peggy Paschke ◽  
Cornelia Herrfurth ◽  
Oliver Bertinetti ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Across all kingdoms of life, cells store energy in a specialized organelle, the lipid droplet. In general, it consists of a hydrophobic core of triglycerides and steryl esters surrounded by only one leaflet derived from the endoplasmic reticulum membrane to which a specific set of proteins is bound. We have chosen the unicellular organism Dictyostelium discoideum to establish kinetics of lipid droplet formation and degradation and to further identify the lipid constituents and proteins of lipid droplets. Here, we show that the lipid composition is similar to what is found in mammalian lipid droplets. In addition, phospholipids preferentially consist of mainly saturated fatty acids, whereas neutral lipids are enriched in unsaturated fatty acids. Among the novel protein components are LdpA, a protein specific to Dictyostelium , and Net4, which has strong homologies to mammalian DUF829/Tmem53/NET4 that was previously only known as a constituent of the mammalian nuclear envelope. The proteins analyzed so far appear to move from the endoplasmic reticulum to the lipid droplets, supporting the concept that lipid droplets are formed on this membrane.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoel A. Klug ◽  
Justin C. Deme ◽  
Robin A. Corey ◽  
Mike F. Renne ◽  
Phillip J. Stansfeld ◽  
...  

AbstractLipid droplets (LDs) are universal lipid storage organelles with a core of neutral lipids, such as triacylglycerols, surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer. This unique architecture is generated during LD biogenesis at endoplasmic reticulum (ER) sites marked by Seipin, a conserved membrane protein mutated in lipodystrophy. Here structural, biochemical and molecular dynamics simulation approaches reveal the mechanism of LD formation by the yeast Seipin Sei1 and its membrane partner Ldb16. We show that Sei1 luminal domain assembles a homooligomeric ring, which, in contrast to other Seipins, is unable to concentrate triacylglycerol. Instead, Sei1 positions Ldb16, which concentrates triacylglycerol within the Sei1 ring through critical hydroxyl residues. Triacylglycerol recruitment to the complex is further promoted by Sei1 transmembrane segments, which also control Ldb16 stability. Thus, we propose that LD assembly by the Sei1/Ldb16 complex, and likely other Seipins, requires sequential triacylglycerol-concentrating steps via distinct elements in the ER membrane and lumen.


2012 ◽  
Vol 198 (5) ◽  
pp. 895-911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ningyi Xu ◽  
Shaobing O. Zhang ◽  
Ronald A. Cole ◽  
Sean A. McKinney ◽  
Fengli Guo ◽  
...  

At the subcellular level, fat storage is confined to the evolutionarily conserved compartments termed lipid droplets (LDs), which are closely associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, the molecular mechanisms that enable ER–LD interaction and facilitate neutral lipid loading into LDs are poorly understood. In this paper, we present evidence that FATP1/acyl-CoA synthetase and DGAT2/diacylglycerol acyltransferase are components of a triglyceride synthesis complex that facilitates LD expansion. A loss of FATP1 or DGAT2 function blocked LD expansion in Caenorhabditis elegans. FATP1 preferentially associated with DGAT2, and they acted synergistically to promote LD expansion in mammalian cells. Live imaging indicated that FATP1 and DGAT2 are ER and LD resident proteins, respectively, and electron microscopy revealed FATP1 and DGAT2 foci close to the LD surface. Furthermore, DGAT2 that was retained in the ER failed to support LD expansion. We propose that the evolutionarily conserved FATP1–DGAT2 complex acts at the ER–LD interface and couples the synthesis and deposition of triglycerides into LDs both physically and functionally.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasha Khaddaj ◽  
Muriel Mari ◽  
Stéphanie Cottier ◽  
Fulvio Reggiori ◽  
Roger Schneiter

AbstractLipid droplets (LDs) are globular subcellular structures that mainly serve to store energy in form of neutral lipids, particularly triacylglycerols and steryl esters. LDs are closely associated with the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and are limited by a monolayer membrane of phospholipids harboring a specific set of proteins. Most of these proteins associate with LDs through either an amphipathic helix or a membrane-embedded hairpin motif. Here we address the question whether integral membrane spanning proteins could localize to the surface of LDs. To test this, we fused perilipin 3 (PLIN3), a mammalian LD-targeted protein, to ER resident proteins, such as Wbp1 (a N-glycosyl transferase complex subunit), Sec61 (a translocon subunit), and Pmt1 (a protein O-mannosyltransferase). The resulting fusion proteins localize to the periphery of LDs in both yeast and mammalian cells. This peripheral LD localization of the fusion proteins, however, is due to redistribution of the ER around LDs, as revealed by bimolecular fluorescence complementation between ER- and LD-localized partners in cells coexpressing the membrane-anchored perilipin. A LD-tethering function of PLIN3-containing membrane proteins was confirmed by fusing PLIN3 to the cytoplasmic domain of OM14, an outer mitochondrial membrane protein. Expression of OM14-PLIN3 resulted in close apposition of mitochondria and LDs. Taken together, these data indicate that the LD surface constitutes a barrier for ER-localized integral membrane spanning proteins.


2021 ◽  
Vol 220 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martijn R. Molenaar ◽  
Kamlesh K. Yadav ◽  
Alexandre Toulmay ◽  
Tsjerk A. Wassenaar ◽  
Muriel C. Mari ◽  
...  

Lipid droplets store neutral lipids, primarily triacylglycerol and steryl esters. Seipin plays a role in lipid droplet biogenesis and is thought to determine the site of lipid droplet biogenesis and the size of newly formed lipid droplets. Here we show a seipin-independent pathway of lipid droplet biogenesis. In silico and in vitro experiments reveal that retinyl esters have the intrinsic propensity to sequester and nucleate in lipid bilayers. Production of retinyl esters in mammalian and yeast cells that do not normally produce retinyl esters causes the formation of lipid droplets, even in a yeast strain that produces only retinyl esters and no other neutral lipids. Seipin does not determine the size or biogenesis site of lipid droplets composed of only retinyl esters or steryl esters. These findings indicate that the role of seipin in lipid droplet biogenesis depends on the type of neutral lipid stored in forming droplets.


2019 ◽  
Vol 218 (4) ◽  
pp. 1319-1334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanaa Hariri ◽  
Natalie Speer ◽  
Jade Bowerman ◽  
Sean Rogers ◽  
Gang Fu ◽  
...  

Lipid droplets (LDs) serve as cytoplasmic reservoirs for energy-rich fatty acids (FAs) stored in the form of triacylglycerides (TAGs). During nutrient stress, yeast LDs cluster adjacent to the vacuole/lysosome, but how this LD accumulation is coordinated remains poorly understood. The ER protein Mdm1 is a molecular tether that plays a role in clustering LDs during nutrient depletion, but its mechanism of function remains unknown. Here, we show that Mdm1 associates with LDs through its hydrophobic N-terminal region, which is sufficient to demarcate sites for LD budding. Mdm1 binds FAs via its Phox-associated domain and coenriches with fatty acyl–coenzyme A ligase Faa1 at LD bud sites. Consistent with this, loss of MDM1 perturbs free FA activation and Dga1-dependent synthesis of TAGs, elevating the cellular FA level, which perturbs ER morphology and sensitizes yeast to FA-induced lipotoxicity. We propose that Mdm1 coordinates FA activation adjacent to the vacuole to promote LD production in response to stress, thus maintaining ER homeostasis.


2015 ◽  
Vol 211 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vineet Choudhary ◽  
Namrata Ojha ◽  
Andy Golden ◽  
William A. Prinz

Lipid droplets (LDs) are found in all cells and play critical roles in lipid metabolism. De novo LD biogenesis occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) but is not well understood. We imaged early stages of LD biogenesis using electron microscopy and found that nascent LDs form lens-like structures that are in the ER membrane, raising the question of how these nascent LDs bud from the ER as they grow. We found that a conserved family of proteins, fat storage-inducing transmembrane (FIT) proteins, is required for proper budding of LDs from the ER. Elimination or reduction of FIT proteins in yeast and higher eukaryotes causes LDs to remain in the ER membrane. Deletion of the single FIT protein in Caenorhabditis elegans is lethal, suggesting that LD budding is an essential process in this organism. Our findings indicated that FIT proteins are necessary to promote budding of nascent LDs from the ER.


Contact ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 251525641876899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirill Bersuker ◽  
James A. Olzmann

Lipid droplets (LDs) are conserved, endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-derived organelles that act as a dynamic cellular repository for neutral lipids. Numerous studies have examined the composition of LD proteomes by using mass spectrometry to identify proteins present in biochemically isolated buoyant fractions that are enriched in LDs. Although many bona fide LD proteins were identified, high levels of non-LD proteins that contaminate buoyant fractions complicate the detection of true LD proteins. To overcome this problem, we recently developed a proximity-labeling proteomic method to define high-confidence LD proteomes. Moreover, employing this approach, we discovered that ER-associated degradation impacts the composition of LD proteomes by targeting select LD proteins for clearance by the 26S proteasome as they transit between the ER and LDs. These findings implicate the ER as a site of LD protein degradation and underscore the high degree of crosstalk between ER and LDs.


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