Open AccessLipid droplets in the nervous system
Author(s) -
Isha Ralhan,
ChiLun Chang,
Jennifer LippincottSchwartz,
Maria S. Ioannou
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the journal of cell biology/the journal of cell biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.414
H-Index - 380
eISSN - 1540-8140
pISSN - 0021-9525
DOI - 10.1083/jcb.202102136
Subject(s) - lipid droplet , organelle , lipid metabolism , nervous system , context (archaeology) , intracellular , lipid accumulation , microbiology and biotechnology , function (biology) , neuroscience , biology , chemistry , biochemistry , paleontology
Lipid droplets are dynamic intracellular lipid storage organelles that respond to the physiological state of cells. In addition to controlling cell metabolism, they play a protective role for many cellular stressors, including oxidative stress. Despite prior descriptions of lipid droplets appearing in the brain as early as a century ago, only recently has the role of lipid droplets in cells found in the brain begun to be understood. Lipid droplet functions have now been described for cells of the nervous system in the context of development, aging, and an increasing number of neuropathologies. Here, we review the basic mechanisms of lipid droplet formation, turnover, and function and discuss how these mechanisms enable lipid droplets to function in different cell types of the nervous system under healthy and pathological conditions.