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Updated: May 27, 2026

Isolation of Cellular Lipid Droplets: Two Purification Techniques Starting from Yeast Cells and Human Placentas
Published on: April 1, 2014
Packaging of fat: an evolving model of lipid droplet assembly and expansion
Dawn L Brasaemle1, Nathan E Wolins
1Rutgers Center for Lipid Research and Department of Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, USA. brasaemle@aesop.rutgers.edu
Abstract:
Lipid droplets (LDs) are organelles found in most types of cells in the tissues of vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants, as well as in bacteria and yeast. They differ from other organelles in binding a unique complement of proteins and lacking an aqueous core but share aspects of protein trafficking with secretory membrane compartments. In this minireview, we focus on recent evidence supporting an endoplasmic reticulum origin for LD formation and discuss recent findings regarding LD maturation and fusion.
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