How lipid droplets stay in shape
Source: ASBMB Today
Lipid droplets, or LDs, are key lipid storage structures in cells. One might think that they simply result from lipid molecules separating out within the aqueous intracellular environment. However, LDs are well-organized organelles surrounded by proteins that act as gatekeepers that tightly control lipid entry and exit.
One LD-associated protein is perilipin 1, or PLIN1. Andrew Greenberg, his late mentor Constantine Londos and colleagues at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases discovered PLIN1, an abundant protein in fat cells and the first protein identified on the LD surface. They reported this in a 1991 Journal of Biological Chemistry paper now recognized as a JBC Classic.