Abstract
AbstractCholesterol crystals, which cause inflammation and various diseases, predominantly grow in a platy, rhomboid structure on the plasma membranes but exhibit an uneven three-dimensional architecture intracellularly. Here, we demonstrate how cholesterol crystallizes in a non-rhomboidal shape on the surface of lipid droplets and develops into three-dimensional sheet-like agglomerates using anin vitrolipid droplet reconstitution system with stereoscopic fluorescence imaging. Our findings reveal that interfacial cholesterol transport on the lipid droplet surface and unique lipid droplet components significantly influence the nucleation-and-growth dynamics of cholesterol crystals, leading to crystal growth in various polygonal shapes. Furthermore, cholesterol crystals readily agglomerate to form large, curved sheet structures on the confined, spherical surfaces of lipid droplets. This discovery enhances our understanding of the volumetric morphological growth of intracellular cholesterol crystals.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory