Dynamics and functions of lipid droplets
Open accessAbstract
Lipid droplets are storage organelles at the centre of lipid and energy homeostasis. They have a unique architecture consisting of a hydrophobic core of neutral lipids, which is enclosed by a phospholipid monolayer that is decorated by a specific set of proteins. Originating from the endoplasmic reticulum, lipid droplets can associate with most other cellular organelles through membrane contact sites. It is becoming apparent that these contacts between lipid droplets and other organelles are highly dynamic and coupled to the cycles of lipid droplet expansion and shrinkage. Importantly, lipid droplet biogenesis and degradation, as well as their interactions with other organelles, are tightly coupled to cellular metabolism and are critical to buffer the levels of toxic lipid species. Thus, lipid droplets facilitate the coordination and communication between different organelles and act as vital hubs of cellular metabolism.
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Filipin only stains free (unesterified) cholesterol, and cellular cholesterol accumulation is associated with excess LD.
“Although filipin only stains free (unesterified) cholesterol, cellular cholesterol accumulation is associated with excess LD10,37,38.”
From PICALM Alzheimer’s risk allele causes aberrant lipid droplets in microglia (2025) · cites this paper as [37]
The ‘Neutral lipid synthesis and lens formation’ section says cholesterol can be esterified into a lipid-droplet component and that sterol esters can trigger droplet formation. This supports a connection between cholesterol storage and lipid droplets, but it does not establish that cellular cholesterol accumulation is associated with excess droplets. Our copy also does not address what filipin stains. (LLM, conf=0.77)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredFIT2 plays a key role in LD biogenesis by facilitating LD formation from the endoplasmic reticulum.
“FIT2, a ubiquitously expressed protein, plays a key role in LD biogenesis by facilitating LD formation from the endoplasmic reticulum (1).”
From Reducing microglial lipid load enhances β amyloid phagocytosis in an Alzheimer’s disease mouse model (2025) · cites this paper as [1]
The Lipid droplet budding section (page unavailable) identifies FIT2 as an ER membrane protein and says FIT proteins facilitate lipid-droplet budding from the ER; FIT2 mutants also fail to restore proper budding. The copy does not establish the citing sentence’s additional description of FIT2 as ubiquitously expressed. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredOne route for lipid droplet turnover is via lipophagy, the selective autophagy of lipid droplets, which involves ubiquitination and binding to autophagy adapter proteins like SQSTM1/p62.
“One route for lipid droplet turnover is via lipophagy–the selective autophagy of lipid droplets–which involves ubiquitination and binding to autophagy adapter proteins like SQSTM1/p621.”
From APOE genotypes differentially remodel the astrocytic lipid droplet proteome to shape lipid droplet dynamics (2026) · cites this paper as [1]
The ‘Lipid droplet–lysosome contacts’ section describes clearance of lipid droplets by microlipophagy, supporting lipophagy as a route for turnover. It does not say that this route involves ubiquitination or binding to SQSTM1/p62; the ‘Lipid droplets protect against ER stress’ section mentions polyubiquitylated proteins but says their location relative to droplets is unclear. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredCholesterol esters, derived from cellular cholesterol, are often stored in LDs along with triacylglycerols (TGs).
“Cholesterol esters, derived from cellular cholesterol, are often stored in LDs along with triacylglycerols (TGs)37.”
From PICALM Alzheimer’s risk allele causes aberrant lipid droplets in microglia (2025) · cites this paper as [37]
LDs store neutral lipids including TAG and sterol esters within a phospholipid monolayer and regenerate FAs for energetic needs upon starvation.
“These organelles store neutral lipids including TAG and sterol esters within a phospholipid monolayer and regenerate FAs for energetic needs upon starvation (Olzmann and Carvalho, 2019).”
From ApoE4 Impairs Neuron-Astrocyte Coupling of Fatty Acid Metabolism (2021) · cites this paper as Olzmann and Carvalho, 2019
Lipid droplets bud from the ER membrane.
“Lipid droplets bud from the ER membrane1,16.”
From APOE genotypes differentially remodel the astrocytic lipid droplet proteome to shape lipid droplet dynamics (2026) · cites this paper as [1]
Gene expression of lipid droplet-associated genes PLIN2 and ACSL1 is upregulated on fibrillar Aβ challenge in iMGs.
“In accordance with this accumulation of LDs, the gene expressions of LD-associated genes PLIN2 (ref. 21) and ACSL1 (refs. 13,14) are upregulated on fAβ challenge in iMGs”
From APOE4/4 is linked to damaging lipid droplets in Alzheimer’s disease microglia (2024) · cites this paper as [21]
The citation is attached to ACSL1’s identification as a lipid-droplet-associated gene. The lipid droplet–lysosome contacts section discusses PLIN2, but the passages found for ACSL1 do not establish that association. The source also does not report gene-expression changes after fibrillar Aβ challenge in iMGs. (LLM, conf=0.72)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSoft power β = 6 was chosen for WGCNA, at which the scale-free fit index exceeded 0.85 while preserving adequate mean connectivity.
“Soft power β = 6 was chosen via the pickSoftThreshold function, at which the scale-free fit index (Olzmann and Carvalho, 2019) exceeded 0.85, while preserving adequate mean connectivity.”
From APOE4 reshapes the lipid droplet proteome and modulates microglial inflammatory responses (2025) · cites this paper as Olzmann and Carvalho, 2019
The cited paper’s lipid-droplet contact-sites section discusses proteins involved in droplet fusion, not WGCNA. Searches for pickSoftThreshold, β = 6, the scale-free fit index, and mean connectivity found no passage addressing the claimed threshold choice; the copy provides no page numbers. (LLM, conf=0.78)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured2099 overlapping proteins were identified and considered as LD-resident proteins by cross-referencing with six known lipid droplet proteomes.
“Upon cross-referencing our database with the six others, 2099 overlapping proteins were identified and considered as LD-resident proteins.”
From APOE4 reshapes the lipid droplet proteome and modulates microglial inflammatory responses (2025) · cites this paper as Olzmann & Carvalho, 2019
The ‘Protein targeting to lipid droplets’ section discusses lipid-droplet proteomes and estimates 100–150 high-confidence associated proteins in a prototypical mammalian cell, but does not report the claimed cross-reference or 2,099 overlapping proteins. Searches for ‘2099 overlapping proteins’ and for cross-referencing six proteomes found no passage addressing that result; the per-cell estimate is not a direct contradiction of a count pooled across proteomes. (LLM, conf=0.76)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
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Cites
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- Authors
- Olzmann, J. A., & Carvalho, P.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Olzmann, James A.
- Carvalho, Pedro
- Venue
- Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
- Published
- 2018-12-06
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 137-155
- ISSN
- 1471-0072 (ISSN-L)
- 1471-0080
- PMC
- PMC6746329
- OpenAlex
- W2903107073
- Cited by
- 2,740
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 385 · 2025: 514 · 2024: 483 · 2023: 434 · 2022: 352 · 2021: 307 · 2020: 181 · 2019: 83
- FWCI
- 13.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust (202642/Z/16/Z)
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/R018375/1)
- National Institute on Aging (R21AG056502)
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM112948)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biochemistry › Lipid metabolism and biosynthesis
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Cancer, Lipids, and Metabolism
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Lipid metabolism and disorders
- Keywords
- lipid droplets, lipid homeostasis, energy homeostasis, membrane contact sites, lipid droplet formation, lipid droplet degradation, lipotoxicity, organelle interactions, endoplasmic reticulum, neutral lipids, phospholipid monolayers, lipid droplet dynamics, cellular metabolism
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Homeostasis, Humans, Phospholipids, Lipid Metabolism, Lipid Droplets
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
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