Cytoskeleton regulates lipid droplet fusion and lipid storage by controlling lipid droplet movement

Lipid droplets (LDs) are highly dynamic organelles that maintain cellular lipid homeostasis through size and number control. In adipose tissue, CIDEC plays a crucial role in LD fusion and lipid homeostasis. However, the regulatory factors and mechanisms of LD fusion remain largely unknown. Here, we established a high-throughput LD phenotypic screen on a compound library consisting of 2010 small molecules, and identified 11 cytoskeleton inhibitors that negatively regulate LD size. Using specific inhibitors against each of the three types of cytoskeleton, our data showed that the disruption of microtubules and microfilaments but not intermediate filaments limits CIDEC-mediated LD fusion and growth by reducing LD movement and LD-LD contact. The collective effect of microtubule inhibitors results in a small LD phenotype which favors lipolysis upon activation of cAMP-PKA pathway in adipocytes. Our findings demonstrate that cytoskeleton is involved in the process of LD fusion and growth, indicating their role in lipid storage metabolism. One-Sentence Summary: Cytoskeleton regulates lipid droplet fusion and lipid storage.