Proteomics analysis of lipid droplets in mouse neuroblastoma cells

Lipid droplets (LDs) are intracellular droplets containing phospholipids and neutral lipids. It is well known that LDs are organelles with a rich proteome. In the nervous system, these droplets may play an important role in maintaining the normal physiological function of nerve cells. Moreover, LDs may relate to the neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, more information is still needed about the function of LDs. In the study presented here, we identified the protein composition of mouse neuroblastoma (N2a) cell LDs using immunodetection and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS). Seventy three LDs proteins were identified. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed to investigate the potential functions of these proteins. Subsequently, the relationships among the proteins were analyzed by constructing a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. N2a cell LDs contain multiple Rab GTPases, chaperones, and proteins involved in ubiquitination and transport. Some of these proteins were known to modulate LD formation and were related to the function of nerve cells. This work presents the proteome of N2a cell LDs and will help to identify the role of LDs in the nervous system.