An Asymmetry in Monolayer Tension Regulates Lipid Droplet Budding Direction.

ABSTRACT: Cells store excess energy in the form of neutral lipids that are synthesized and encapsulated within the endoplasmic reticulum intermonolayer space. The lipids next demix to form lipid droplets (LDs), which, surprisingly, bud off mostly toward the cytosol. This directional LD formation is critical to energy metabolism, but its mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we reconstituted the LD formation topology by embedding artificial LDs into the intermonolayer space of bilayer vesicles. We provide experimental evidence that the droplet behavior in the membrane is recapitulated by the physics of three-phase wetting systems, dictated by the equilibrium of surface tensions. We thereupon determined that slight tension asymmetries between the membrane monolayers regulate the droplet budding s

SUBMITTER: Chorlay A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5985028 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature