Lipid droplets are cellular organelles that consists of a neutral lipid core covered by a monolayer of phospholipids and many proteins. They are thought to function in the storage, transport, and metabolism of lipids, in signaling, and as a specialized microenvironment for metabolism in most types of cells from prokaryotic to eukaryotic organisms. Lipid droplets have received a lot of attention in the last 10 years as they are linked to the progression of many metabolic diseases and hold great potential for the development of neutral lipid-derived products, such as biofuels, food supplements, hormones, and medicines. Proteomic analysis of lipid droplets has yielded a comprehensive catalog of lipid droplet proteins, shedding light on the function of this organelle and providing evidence that its function is conserved from bacteria to man. This review summarizes many of the proteomic studies on lipid droplets from a wide range of organisms, providing an evolutionary perspective on this organelle.

Pathological elevation of plasma fatty acids reduces insulin sensitivity. Although several regulation pathways have been reported, the molecular mechanisms of insulin sensitivity remain elusive, especially in skeletal muscle where most glucose is consumed. This study focuses on how two major dietary fatty acids affect insulin signaling in skeletal muscle cells. Palmitic acid (PA) not only reduced insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of Akt but also induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) expansion and ER stress. Relieving ER stress using 4-phenyl butyric acid blocked PA-mediated protein kinase R-like ER kinase phosphorylation and ER expansion and reversed the inhibitory effect of PA on insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation. Importantly, oleic acid (OA) could also recover PA-reduced Akt phosphorylation and abolish both PA-mediated ER expansion and ER stress. The competition between these two fatty acids was further verified in rat skeletal muscle using venous fatty acid infusion. 3H-labeled PA was converted mainly to active lipids (phospholipids and diacylglycerol) in the absence of OA, but to triacylglycerol in the presence of OA. Subcellular triacylglycerol and adipocyte differentiation-related protein from PA-treated cells cofractionated with the ER in the absence of OA but switched to the low-density fraction in the presence of OA. Taken together, these data suggest that the PA-mediated lipid composition and localization may cause ER expansion and consequently cause ER stress and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle.

Storage of cellular triacylglycerols (TAGs) in lipid droplets (LDs) has been linked to the progression of many metabolic diseases in humans, and to the development of biofuels from plants and microorganisms. However, the biogenesis and dynamics of LDs are poorly understood. Compared with other organisms, bacteria seem to be a better model system for studying LD biology, because they are relatively simple and are highly efficient in converting biomass to TAG. We obtained highly purified LDs from Rhodococcus sp. RHA1, a bacterium that can produce TAG from many carbon sources, and then comprehensively characterized the LD proteome. Of the 228 LD-associated proteins identified, two major proteins, ro02104 and PspA, constituted about 15% of the total LD protein. The structure predicted for ro02104 resembles that of apolipoproteins, the structural proteins of plasma lipoproteins in mammals. Deletion of ro02104 resulted in the formation of supersized LDs, indicating that ro02104 plays a critical role in cellular LD dynamics. The putative α helix of the ro02104 LD-targeting domain (amino acids 83–146) is also similar to that of apolipoproteins. We report the identification of 228 proteins in the proteome of prokaryotic LDs, identify a putative structural protein of this organelle, and suggest that apolipoproteins may have an evolutionarily conserved role in the storage and trafficking of neutral lipids.