Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Isolation of Cellular Lipid Droplets: Two Purification Techniques Starting from Yeast Cells and Human Placentas
Published on: April 1, 2014
A proposed model of fat packaging by exchangeable lipid droplet proteins
Nathan E Wolins1, Dawn L Brasaemle, Perry E Bickel
1Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Abstract:
Humans have evolved mechanisms of efficient fat storage to survive famine, but these mechanisms contribute to obesity in our current environment of plentiful food and reduced activity. Little is known about how animals package fat within cells. Five related structural proteins serve roles in packaging fat into lipid droplets. The proteins TIP47, S3-12, and OXPAT/MLDP/PAT-1 move from the cytosol to coat nascent lipid droplets during rapid fat storage. In contrast, perilipin and adipophilin constitutively associate with lipid droplets and play roles in sustained fat storage and regulation of lipolysis. Different tissues express different complements of these lipid droplet proteins. Thus, the tissue-specific complement of these proteins determines how tissues manage lipid stores.
Related Concept Videos
Fluid Mosaic Model
What are Lipids?
Fats as Energy Storage Molecules
Membrane Fluidity
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is a relatively...
Fluid Mosaic Model
Lipids as Anchors
The carboxy-terminal of most of the prenylated proteins, such as Ras proteins, contains the...

