Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 10, 2026
10:23
Lipid Droplet Isolation for Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Analysis
Published on: April 17, 2017
10.6K
Remodelled cholesteryl ester enriched lipid droplets fuel flavivirus morphogenesis
Adrianna Banducci-Karp1, Sophie Brixton1, Pranav N M Shah2
1Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|November 27, 2025
Summary
Flaviviruses hijack host cell lipid metabolism, specifically cholesteryl ester-enriched lipid droplets (CE-LDs), for replication. Inhibiting Sterol O-acyltransferases (SOAT1/2) dramatically reduces viral production, highlighting host lipid metabolism as a therapeutic target.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Cell Biology
- Metabolic Biochemistry
Background:
- Flaviviruses like dengue and Zika remodel host membranes for replication.
- The role of lipid metabolism in forming these replication sites is poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of host lipid metabolism, particularly fatty acyl transferases, in flavivirus replication.
- To identify host factors essential for flavivirus infection and explore therapeutic targets.
Main Methods:
- Systematic screens of fatty acyl transferase enzymes (MBOAT, zDHHC families).
- CRISPR/Cas9 gene deletions, pharmacological inhibition, proteomics, and photo-crosslinkable cholesterol analogues.
- Analysis in iPSC-derived macrophages and a dengue patient cohort.
Main Results:
- Cholesteryl ester-enriched lipid droplets (CE-LDs) are critical for flavivirus infection.
- Sterol O-acyltransferases 1 and 2 (SOAT1/SOAT2) upregulate CE-LD formation early in infection.
- Inhibition of SOAT1/2 reduced viral production by ~100-fold, disrupting replication organelles and virion assembly.
- CE-LDs interact directly with viral proteins (prM, capsid, NS1).
- Central obesity is linked to increased risk of severe dengue.
Conclusions:
- CE-LDs are essential host metabolic hubs enabling flavivirus morphogenesis.
- Host lipid metabolism, regulated by SOAT1/2, is a promising therapeutic target for flavivirus infections.
Related Concept Videos
01:38Intralumenal Vesicles and Multivesicular Bodies
4.6K
Intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) are small vesicles 50-80 nm in diameter formed during the maturation of early endosomes. A specialized endosome containing numerous ILVs is called a multivesicular body (MVB). ILVs contain internalized molecules such as antigens, nucleic acids, proteins, and metabolites. Some of these molecules are released from the MVBs inside exosomes and are transported to other cells. Other MVBs contain molecules that are retained in the ILVs and are later degraded within the...
4.6K
01:10Retrovirus Life Cycles
49.2K
Retroviruses have a single-stranded RNA genome that undergoes a special form of replication. Once the retrovirus has entered the host cell, an enzyme called reverse transcriptase synthesizes double-stranded DNA from the retroviral RNA genome. This DNA copy of the genome is then integrated into the host’s genome inside the nucleus via an enzyme called integrase. Consequently, the retroviral genome is transcribed into RNA whenever the host’s genome is transcribed, allowing the...
49.2K
01:27Synthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in the ER Membrane
4.0K
The ER synthesizes lipids for building cell membranes and performing cellular functions such as energy storage and signaling. The lipid synthesis machinery embedded in the ER membrane primarily collects all reactants from the cytosol. Following synthesis, the secretory pathway and the ER contact sites distribute these lipids to other cellular organelles. Additionally, the energy-rich triacylglycerides are transported from the ER via lipid droplets.
The major components of all eukaryotic cell...
The major components of all eukaryotic cell...
4.0K
01:32Pinching-off of Coated Vesicles
4.0K
Vesicle budding is orchestrated by distinct cytosolic proteins such as adaptor proteins, coat proteins, and GTPases. To initiate vesicle budding, membrane-bending proteins containing crescent-shaped BAR domains bind to the lipid heads in the bilayer and distort the membrane to form a protein-coated vesicle bud. Adaptors proteins such as AP2 for clathrin-coated vesicles can nucleate on the deformed membrane. Finally, coat proteins such as clathrin or COPI and COPII assemble into a coat forming...
4.0K