The role of lipid droplets in metabolic disease in rodents and humans

• Published in: The Journal of clinical investigation Vol. 121; no. 6; pp. 2102 - 2110
• Main Authors: Greenberg, Andrew S, Coleman, Rosalind A, Kraemer, Fredric B, McManaman, James L, Obin, Martin S, Puri, Vishwajeet, Yan, Qing-Wu, Miyoshi, Hideaki, Mashek, Douglas G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society for Clinical Investigation 01.06.2011
• Subjects: Adipocytes; Adipocytes - physiology; Adipocytes - ultrastructure; Adipose Tissue - physiopathology; Animals; Biology; Biomedical research; Biosynthesis; Blood lipids; Cell death; Cholesterol; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus - physiopathology; Disease; Energy Metabolism - physiology; Enzymes; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids - adverse effects; Fatty Acids - metabolism; Fatty Liver - physiopathology; Fibroblasts; Glycerol; Humans; Hydrolysis; Insulin Resistance; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - physiology; Lipids; Lipids - physiology; Lipolysis - physiology; Metabolic Diseases - physiopathology; Metabolic disorders; Mice; Mice, Mutant Strains; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Obesity - physiopathology; Physiology; Proteins; Review; Signal Transduction - physiology; Triglycerides; Triglycerides - metabolism; Vacuoles - physiology
• ISSN: 0021-9738; 1558-8238
• DOI: 10.1172/jci46069

Lipid droplets (LDs) are intracellular organelles that store neutral lipids within cells. Over the last two decades there has been a dramatic growth in our understanding of LD biology and, in parallel, our understanding of the role of LDs in health and disease. In its simplest form, the LD regulates the storage and hydrolysis of neutral lipids, including triacylglycerol and/or cholesterol esters. It is becoming increasingly evident that alterations in the regulation of LD physiology and metabolism influence the risk of developing metabolic diseases such as diabetes. In this review we provide an update on the role of LD-associated proteins and LDs in metabolic disease.