Perspectives on Mitochondria–ER and Mitochondria–Lipid Droplet Contact in Hepatocytes and Hepatic Lipid Metabolism

Cells

Allen Chen¹  Wen-Xing Ding¹  Hong-Min Ni¹  Xiaowen Ma¹  Hui Qian¹ 

[1] Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA;

关键词: alcohol;    autophagy;    lipophagy;    lipotoxicity;    NAFLD;    starvation;   

DOI  :  10.3390/cells10092273

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Emerging evidence suggests that mitochondrion–endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondrion–lipid droplet (LD) contact sites are critical in regulating lipid metabolism in cells. It is well established that intracellular organelles communicate with each other continuously through membrane contact sites to maintain organelle function and cellular homeostasis. The accumulation of LDs in hepatocytes is an early indicator of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), which may indicate a breakdown in proper inter-organelle communication. In this review, we discuss previous findings in mitochondrion–ER and mitochondrion–LD contact, focusing on their roles in lipid metabolism in hepatocytes. We also present evidence of a unique mitochondrion–LD contact structure in hepatocytes under various physiological and pathological conditions and propose a working hypothesis to speculate about the role of these structures in regulating the functions of mitochondria and LDs and their implications in NAFLD and ALD.

【 授权许可】

Unknown