Skip to Content
Merck
  • A role for phosphatidic acid in the formation of "supersized" lipid droplets.

A role for phosphatidic acid in the formation of "supersized" lipid droplets.

PLoS genetics (2011-08-11)
Weihua Fei, Guanghou Shui, Yuxi Zhang, Natalie Krahmer, Charles Ferguson, Tamar S Kapterian, Ruby C Lin, Ian W Dawes, Andrew J Brown, Peng Li, Xun Huang, Robert G Parton, Markus R Wenk, Tobias C Walther, Hongyuan Yang
ABSTRACT

Lipid droplets (LDs) are important cellular organelles that govern the storage and turnover of lipids. Little is known about how the size of LDs is controlled, although LDs of diverse sizes have been observed in different tissues and under different (patho)physiological conditions. Recent studies have indicated that the size of LDs may influence adipogenesis, the rate of lipolysis and the oxidation of fatty acids. Here, a genome-wide screen identifies ten yeast mutants producing "supersized" LDs that are up to 50 times the volume of those in wild-type cells. The mutated genes include: FLD1, which encodes a homologue of mammalian seipin; five genes (CDS1, INO2, INO4, CHO2, and OPI3) that are known to regulate phospholipid metabolism; two genes (CKB1 and CKB2) encoding subunits of the casein kinase 2; and two genes (MRPS35 and RTC2) of unknown function. Biochemical and genetic analyses reveal that a common feature of these mutants is an increase in the level of cellular phosphatidic acid (PA). Results from in vivo and in vitro analyses indicate that PA may facilitate the coalescence of contacting LDs, resulting in the formation of "supersized" LDs. In summary, our results provide important insights into how the size of LDs is determined and identify novel gene products that regulate phospholipid metabolism.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

Sigma-Aldrich
Ficoll® 400, BioXtra, for molecular biology, lyophilized powder
Sigma-Aldrich
Ficoll® 400, lyophilized powder, Type 400-DL, BioReagent, suitable for cell culture
Sigma-Aldrich
Ficoll® 400, BioXtra, Type 400-DL, lyophilized powder
Sigma-Aldrich
Ficoll® 400, Type 400-DL, lyophilized powder
Sigma-Aldrich
Ficoll® 400, lyophilized powder, γ-irradiated, BioXtra, suitable for cell culture