Physiological meanings of nuclear lipid droplets

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K08152
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: General anatomy (including histology/embryology)
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Ohsaki Yuki 名古屋大学, 医学系研究科, 准教授 (00378027)
• Research Collaborator: JOKITALO Eija ヘルシンキ大学, 電顕ユニット, 教授
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 脂肪滴 / トリアシルグリセロール / 核膜陥入構造 / PML小体

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Lipid droplets (LD) are composed of a neutral lipids core and phospholipids monolayer. In hepatic cells, LDs are formed not only in the cytoplasm but in the nucleus. The aim of this research is to clarify biogenesis and physiological roles of nucleoplasmic LDs.
Morphological analyses showed that lipoprotein precursors in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) can be delivered to the lumen of nucleoplasmic reticulum (NR), an invagination of inner nuclear membrane, then finally transferred to become nucleoplasmic LDs. Moreover, CCTalpha, the rate-limiting enzyme of de novo synthetic pathway of phosphatidylcholine (PC), was recruited to nucleoplasmic LDs, which correlated to increase of PC synthetic activity. These data suggested that nucleoplasmic LDs function as a site of CCTalpha activation, which can regulate cellular PC synthesis and ameliorate ER stress.

Free Research Field

細胞生物学