Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Nov 7;24(22):16039. doi: 10.3390/ijms242216039.
Lipid droplets (LDs) are important organelles conserved across eukaryotes with a fascinating biogenesis and consumption cycle. Recent intensive research has focused on uncovering the cellular biology of LDs, with emphasis on their degradation. Briefly, two major pathways for LD degradation have been recognized: (1) lipolysis, in which lipid degradation is catalyzed by lipases on the LD surface, and (2) lipophagy, in which LDs are degraded by autophagy. Both of these pathways require the collective actions of several lipolytic and proteolytic enzymes, some of which have been purified and analyzed for their in vitro activities. Furthermore, several genes encoding these proteins have been cloned and characterized. In seed plants, seed germination is initiated by the hydrolysis of stored lipids in LDs to provide energy and carbon equivalents for the germinating seedling. However, little is known about the mechanism regulating the LD mobilization. In this review, we focus on recent progress toward understanding how lipids are degraded and the specific pathways that coordinate LD mobilization in plants, aiming to provide an accurate and detailed outline of the process. This will set the stage for future studies of LD dynamics and help to utilize LDs to their full potential.
脂滴（LDs）是真核生物中保守的重要细胞器，具有引人入胜的生物发生和消耗循环。最近的密集研究集中在揭示 LDs 的细胞生物学上，重点是它们的降解。简而言之，已经认识到 LDs 降解的两种主要途径：（1）脂解，其中 LD 表面的脂肪酶催化脂质降解，以及（2）脂噬，其中 LDs 通过自噬降解。这两种途径都需要几种脂解和蛋白水解酶的共同作用，其中一些已被纯化并分析其体外活性。此外，已经克隆和表征了几个编码这些蛋白质的基因。在种子植物中，种子萌发是通过 LD 中储存的脂质水解来启动的，为萌发的幼苗提供能量和碳当量。然而，关于调节 LD 动员的机制知之甚少。在这篇综述中，我们专注于理解脂质如何降解以及协调植物中 LD 动员的特定途径的最新进展，旨在为该过程提供准确和详细的概述。这将为未来的 LD 动力学研究奠定基础，并有助于充分利用 LD。
