Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

What are Lipids?01:38

What are Lipids?

223.8K
Overview
223.8K
What are Lipids?01:31

What are Lipids?

11.9K
Lipids function as structural components of cellular membranes, in addition to acting as energy reservoirs and signaling molecules. They are thus crucial to all living organisms.  The three biologically important classes of lipids are triglycerides, phospholipids, and steroids.
Non-Polar and Hydrophobic Characteristics of Lipids
Lipids are a structurally and functionally diverse group of hydrocarbons—compounds consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The carbon-carbon and...
11.9K
Membrane Lipids01:32

Membrane Lipids

35.2K
Lipids are an essential component of all biological membranes. The average lipid content in mammalian membranes is 50%, though it can be as low as 20% in the inner mitochondrial membrane or as high as 80% in the myelin sheath present around the nerve cells.
Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin are the most common phospholipids present in mammalian membranes. At physiological pH, phosphatidylserine is negatively charged, while the other three...
35.2K
Phosphoinositides and PIPs01:42

Phosphoinositides and PIPs

10.4K
Phosphoinositides are a group of phospholipids containing a glycerol backbone with two fatty acid chains and a phosphate attached to a myoinositol sugar ring. The inositol head group extends into the cytoplasm, where it is modified by adding phosphate groups to form phosphatidylinositol phosphates or PIPs.
Different phosphoinositides are synthesized and recruited on the cytosolic face of the plasma membrane. The localization of specific phosphoinositides concentrated in separate membrane...
10.4K
Structure of Lipids03:38

Structure of Lipids

100.3K
Lipids include a diverse group of compounds that are largely nonpolar in nature. This is because they are hydrocarbons that include mostly nonpolar carbon-carbon or carbon-hydrogen bonds. Non-polar molecules are hydrophobic (“water fearing”), or insoluble in water. Lipids perform many different functions in a cell. Cells store energy for long-term use in the form of fats. Lipids also provide insulation from the environment for plants and animals. For example, they help keep aquatic...
100.3K
Structure of Lipids03:38

Structure of Lipids

14.2K
No description available
14.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

DGAT-driven futile lipid cycling has a pronounced, yet concealed, thermogenic function.

Cell metabolism·2026
Same author

Suggested experimental design and computational modeling to infer single-cell lipid dynamics from a single destructive measurement.

iScience·2026
Same author

Alkyne lipids as tracers of lipid metabolism.

Methods in enzymology·2026
Same author

Cholesterol-lowering effects of oats induced by microbially produced phenolic metabolites in metabolic syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

DGAT-driven futile lipid cycling has a pronounced, yet concealed, thermogenic function.

Cell metabolism·2026
Same author

Kupffer cells control neonatal hepatic metabolism via Igf1 signaling.

Development (Cambridge, England)·2025
Same journal

Cumulative Contents.

Biochimica et biophysica acta·2020
Same journal

Molecular Basis of Disease Cumulative Contents.

Biochimica et biophysica acta·2020
Same journal

General Subjects Cumulative Contents.

Biochimica et biophysica acta·2020
Same journal

Erratum to 'on the role of exchangeable hydrogen bonds for the kinetics of P680<sup>+·</sup> Q<sub>A</sub> <sup>-·</sup> formation and P680<sup>+·</sup> Pheo<sup>-·</sup> recombination in photosystem II' [Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1276 (1996) 35-44].

Biochimica et biophysica acta·2019
Same journal

Oligomeric state of the light-harvesting complexes B800-850 and B875 from purple bacterium Rubrivivax gelatinosus in detergent solution.

Biochimica et biophysica acta·2019
Same journal

Regulation of pigment content and enzyme activity in the cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. Mac grown in continuous light, a light-dark photoperiod, or darkness.

Biochimica et biophysica acta·2019
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Rapid Lipid Droplet Isolation Protocol Using a Well-established Organelle Isolation Kit
08:43

Rapid Lipid Droplet Isolation Protocol Using a Well-established Organelle Isolation Kit

Published on: April 19, 2019

12.3K

Phospholipids and lipid droplets.

Anke Penno1, Gregor Hackenbroich, Christoph Thiele

  • 1Life and Medical Sciences (LIMES) Institute, University of Bonn, Carl-Troll-Str. 31, 53115 Bonn, Germany.

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta
|December 19, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Lipid droplets store energy using a unique phospholipid monolayer. Cells may require other organelles for phosphatidylcholine synthesis to maintain droplet shape and size.

More Related Videos

Lipid Droplet Isolation for Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Analysis
10:23

Lipid Droplet Isolation for Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Published on: April 17, 2017

10.8K
Isolation of Cellular Lipid Droplets: Two Purification Techniques Starting from Yeast Cells and Human Placentas
09:41

Isolation of Cellular Lipid Droplets: Two Purification Techniques Starting from Yeast Cells and Human Placentas

Published on: April 1, 2014

20.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Rapid Lipid Droplet Isolation Protocol Using a Well-established Organelle Isolation Kit
08:43

Rapid Lipid Droplet Isolation Protocol Using a Well-established Organelle Isolation Kit

Published on: April 19, 2019

12.3K
Lipid Droplet Isolation for Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Analysis
10:23

Lipid Droplet Isolation for Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Analysis

Published on: April 17, 2017

10.8K
Isolation of Cellular Lipid Droplets: Two Purification Techniques Starting from Yeast Cells and Human Placentas
09:41

Isolation of Cellular Lipid Droplets: Two Purification Techniques Starting from Yeast Cells and Human Placentas

Published on: April 1, 2014

20.5K

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Lipid Metabolism
  • Organelle Biology

Background:

  • Lipid droplets are cellular organelles storing neutral lipids.
  • They feature a unique phospholipid monolayer surrounding a hydrophobic core.
  • Phosphatidylcholine is the most abundant lipid in the monolayer.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent findings on lipid droplet phospholipid monolayer.
  • To emphasize phosphatidylcholine metabolism in relation to lipid droplets.
  • To highlight quantitative aspects of lipid droplet formation and shape.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent data.
  • Analysis of lipid droplet composition and metabolism.
  • Discussion of quantitative aspects of lipid droplet biology.

Main Results:

  • Lipid droplets depend on other organelles for phosphatidylcholine synthesis.
  • Phospholipid amounts for monolayer expansion are minimal.
  • A regulatory mechanism for phospholipid to neutral lipid ratio is proposed.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding lipid droplet phospholipid metabolism is crucial.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the shape-regulating mechanism.
  • This review contributes to the understanding of phospholipid metabolism in cellular lipid storage.