Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2025

Fiber Type and Subcellular-Specific Analysis of Lipid Droplet Content in Skeletal Muscle
Published on: June 8, 2022
Lipid droplets as cell fate determinants in skeletal muscle
Jingjuan Chen1, James F Markworth2, Christina Ferreira3
1Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
Abstract:
Lipid droplets (LDs) are dynamic organelles that communicate with other cellular components to orchestrate energetic homeostasis and signal transduction. In skeletal muscle, the presence and importance of LDs have been widely studied in myofibers of both rodents and humans under physiological conditions and in metabolic disorders. However, the role of LDs in myogenic stem cells has only recently begun to be unveiled. In this review we briefly summarize the process of LD biogenesis and degradation in the most prevalent model. We then review recent knowledge on LDs in skeletal muscle and muscle stem cells. We further introduce advanced methodologies for LD imaging and mass spectrometry that have propelled our understanding of the dynamics and heterogeneity of LDs.
Related Concept Videos
Satellite Stem Cells and Muscular Dystrophy
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer
Master Transcription Regulators
Formation of Muscle Fibers from Myoblasts
Muscle progenitor cells (MPCs) are formed from the myotomes. MPCs express genes that encode the transcription factors Pax3 and Pax7. Along with Pax 3/7, other transcription...
Membrane Domains
Protein Domains
The membrane comprises a group of distinct proteins responsible for carrying out a cell's specific function. For example, the plasma membrane of the human sperm, or a single germ cell, contains a unique set of proteins in the...
Microscopic Anatomy of Skeletal Muscles
The muscle sarcolemma is a plasma membrane enclosing each muscle cell that conducts electrical signals called action potentials. The sarcolemma extends into the cell to form T-tubules, ensuring the neural impulses are uniformly distributed across the entire muscle...

