Universal phase behaviors of intracellular lipid droplets

Abstract

Lipid droplets are cytoplasmic micro-scale organelles involved in energy homeostasis and handling of cellular lipids and proteins. The core structure is mainly composed of two kinds of neutral lipids, triglycerides and cholesteryl esters, which are coated by a phospholipid monolayer and proteins. Despite the liquid crystalline nature of cholesteryl esters, the connection between the lipid composition and physical states is poorly understood. Here, we present the first universal intracellular phase diagram of lipid droplets, semi-quantitatively consistent with the in vitro phase diagram, and reveal that cholesterol esters cause the liquid-liquid crystal phase transition under near-physiological conditions. The internal molecules of the liquid crystallized lipid droplets are aligned radially. We moreover combine in vivo and in vitro studies, together with the theory of confined liquid crystals, to suggest that the radial molecular alignments in intracellular lipid droplets are caused by an anchoring force at the droplet surface. Our findings on the phase transition of lipid droplets and resulting molecular organization contribute to a better understanding of their biological functions and diseases.