Lipid droplets (LDs) are intracellular organelles responsible for storing surplus energy as neutral lipids. Their size and number vary enormously. In white adipocytes, LDs can reach 100 μm in diameter, occupying >90% of the cell. Cidec, which is strictly required for the formation of large LDs, is concentrated at interfaces between adjacent LDs and facilitates directional flux of neutral lipids from the smaller to the larger LD. The mechanism of lipid transfer is unclear, in part because the architecture of interfaces between LDs remains elusive. Here we visualize interfaces between LDs by electron cryo-tomography and analyze the kinetics of lipid transfer by quantitative live fluorescence microscopy. We show that transfer occurs through closely apposed monolayers, is slowed down by increasing the distance between the monolayers, and follows exponential kinetics. Our data corroborate the notion that Cidec facilitates pressure-driven transfer of neutral lipids through two "leaky" monolayers between LDs.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112107 | DOI Listing |
J Chem Inf Model
January 2025
Unit of Biophysics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Facultat de Medicina, Av. Can Domènech s/n, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain.
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) can translocate into cells without inducing cytotoxicity. The internalization process implies several steps at different time scales ranging from microseconds to minutes. We combine adaptive Steered Molecular Dynamics (aSMD) with conventional Molecular Dynamics (cMD) to observe nonequilibrium and equilibrium states to study the early mechanisms of peptide-bilayer interaction leading to CPPs internalization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Psychiatry
January 2025
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry; Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Anxiety disorders are one of the top contributors to psychiatric burden worldwide. Recent years have seen a dramatic rise in the potential anxiolytic properties ascribed to cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating constituent of the Cannabis Sativa plant. This has led to several clinical trials underway to examine the therapeutic potential of CBD for anxiety disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Chromatogr A
January 2025
Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS and Inserm, Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, UMR 7275, Sophia Antipolis, Valbonne, France.
The introduction of high-performance TLC (HPTLC) instrumentation that allows precise control of critical parameters has transformed the technique into an efficient and rapid tool for analyzing various metabolites, namely lipids. Although mass spectrometry (MS) has largely replaced lipid analysis techniques over recent decades due to its comprehensive lipidome profiling capabilities, it typically lacks the rapidity and simplicity of TLC. HPTLC remains advantageous due to its ease of use, simpler data interpretation, and compatibility with complementary techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Chem Theory Comput
January 2025
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968, United States.
In this work, we describe a computational tool designed to determine the local dielectric constants (ε) of charge-neutral heterogeneous systems by analyzing dipole moment fluctuations from molecular dynamics (MD) trajectories. Unlike conventional methods, our tool can calculate dielectric constants for dynamically evolving selections of molecules within a defined region of space, rather than for fixed sets of molecules. We validated our approach by computing the dielectric constants of TIP3P water nanospheres, achieving results consistent with literature values for bulk water.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Dairy Sci
January 2025
Riddet Institute, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand. Electronic address:
The nutritional value of any food product has historically been measured by the calorific value of individual components, harking back to the days of the development of the bomb calorimeter. A fuller understanding of nutrition later took into account the need for specific components, such as proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, that ere known to be required for good human health and growth. In milk and milk products, these include casein and whey proteins, lactose, milk fat triacylglycerides, minor lipid components (both charged and neutral), calcium, and micronutrients.
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