Characterization of lipid droplets in steroidogenic MLTC-1 Leydig cells: Protein profiles and the morphological change induced by hormone stimulation.

Lipid droplets (LDs) are functional subcellular organelles involved in multiple intracellular processes. LDs are found in nearly all types of eukaryotic cells, but their properties are highly variable in different types of tissues. Steroidogenic cells synthesize steroid hormones de novo from the cholesterol deposited in cytosolic LDs.