A different kind of love - lipid droplet contact sites

Maya Schuldiner, Maria Bohnert

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Lipid droplets (LDs) store lipids and hence serve as energy reservoir and as a source for building-blocks for the organelle membrane systems. LD biology therefore depends on tight communication with other organelles. The unique architecture of LDs, consisting of a neutral lipid core shielded by a phospholipid-monolayer, is however an obstacle to bulk-exchange of bilayer-bounded vesicles with other organelles. In recent years, it is emerging that contact sites, places where two organelles are positioned in close proximity allowing vesicle-independent communication, are an important way to integrate LDs into the organellar landscape. However, few LD contact sites have been studied in depth and our understanding of their structure, extent and function is only starting to emerge. Here, we highlight recent findings on the functions of LD contact sites and on the proteins involved in their formation and hypothesize about the unique characteristics of the contact sites formed by these intriguing organelles. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Recent Advances in Lipid Droplet Biology edited by Rosalind Coleman and Matthijs Hesselink.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1188-1196
Number of pages9
JournalBiochimica Et Biophysica Acta-Molecular And Cell Biology Of Lipids
Volume1862
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2017
EventFASEB Summer Conference on Lipid Droplets - Dynamic Organelles in Metabolism and Beyond - Snowmass, Colombia
Duration: 24 Jul 201629 Jul 2016

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

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