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Updated: Dec 20, 2025

Isolation of Cellular Lipid Droplets: Two Purification Techniques Starting from Yeast Cells and Human Placentas
Published on: April 1, 2014
The biology of lipid droplet-bound mitochondria
Michaela Veliova1, Anton Petcherski2, Marc Liesa3
1Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Abstract:
Proper regulation of cellular lipid storage and oxidation is indispensable for the maintenance of cellular energy homeostasis and health. Mitochondrial function has been shown to be a main determinant of functional lipid storage and oxidation, which is of particular interest for the adipose tissue, as it is the main site of triacylglyceride storage in lipid droplets (LDs). Recent studies have identified a subpopulation of mitochondria attached to LDs, peridroplet mitochondria (PDM) that can be separated from cytoplasmic mitochondria (CM) by centrifugation. PDM have distinct bioenergetics, proteome, cristae organization and dynamics that support LD build-up, however their role in adipose tissue biology remains largely unexplored. Therefore, understanding the molecular basis of LD homeostasis and their relationship to mitochondrial function and attachment in adipocytes is of major importance.
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