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Biogenesis of lipid droplets – how cells get fatter

2010; Informa; Volume: 27; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3109/09687688.2010.538936

1464-5203

Fariba Kalantari, John Bergeron, Tommy Nilsson,

Plant biochemistry and biosynthesis

Lipid droplets are discrete organelles present in most cell types and organisms including bacteria, yeast, plants, insects and animals. Long considered as passive storage deposits, recent cell biology, proteomic and lipidomic analysis show that lipid droplets are dynamic organelles involved in multiple cellular functions. They have a central function in lipid distribution to different membrane-bound organelles and serve not only as main reservoirs of neutral lipids such as triglycerides and cholesterol but in addition, contain structural proteins, proteins involved in lipid synthesis and transmembrane proteins. A detailed model for how transmembrane proteins such as SNARE proteins can exist in lipid droplets is proposed.