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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Lipid Droplet Isolation for Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Analysis
Published on: April 17, 2017
A role for lipid droplets in inter-membrane lipid traffic
John K Zehmer1, Youguo Huang, Gong Peng
1Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
Abstract:
All cells have the capacity to accumulate neutral lipids and package them into lipid droplets. Recent proteomic analyses indicate that lipid droplets are not simple lipid storage depots, but rather complex organelles that have multiple cellular functions. One of these proposed functions is to distribute neutral lipids as well as phospholipids to various membrane-bound organelles within the cell. Here, we summarize the lipid droplet-associated membrane-trafficking proteins and review the evidence that lipid droplets interact with endoplasmic reticulum, endosomes, peroxisomes, and mitochondria. Based on this evidence, we present a model for how lipid droplets can distribute lipids to specific membrane compartments.
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