| Title | The protein and neutral lipid composition of lipid droplets isolated from the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe |
|---|---|
| Author | Alex Meyers1, Karuna Chourey2, Taylor M. Weiskittel1, Susan Pfiffner3, John R. Dunlap3,4, Robert L. Hettich2, and Paul Dalhaimer1,3,5* |
| Address | 1Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-2200, USA, 2Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA, 3Department of Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA, 4Advanced Microscopy and Imaging Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA, 5Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA |
| Bibliography | Journal of Microbiology, 55(2),112-122, 2017, |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12275-017-6205-1 |
| Key Words | lipid droplets, yeast, proteomics, lipid metabolism |
| Abstract | Lipid droplets consist of a core of neutral lipids surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer with bound proteins. Much of the information on lipid droplet function comes from proteomic and lipodomic studies that identify the components of droplets isolated from organisms throughout the phylogenetic tree. Here, we add to that important inventory by reporting lipid droplet factors from the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Unique to this study was the fact that cells were cultured in three different environments: 1) late log growth phase in glucose-based media, 2) stationary phase in glucosebased media, and 3) late log growth phase in media containing oleic acid. We confirmed colocalization of major factors with lipid droplets using live-cell fluorescent microscopy. We also analyzed droplets from each of the three conditions for sterol ester (SE) and triacylglycerol (TAG) content, along with their respective fatty acid compositions. We identified a previously undiscovered lipid droplet protein, Vip1p, which affects droplet size distribution. The results provide further insight into the workings of these ubiquitous organelles. |