Proteomic study and marker protein identification of Caenorhabditis elegans lipid droplets

Peng Zhang, Huimin Na, Zhenglong Liu, Shuyan Zhang, Peng Xue, Yong Chen, Jing Pu, Gong Peng, Xun Huang, Fuquan Yang, Zhensheng Xie, Tao Xu, Pingyong Xu, Guangshuo Ou, Shaobing O. Zhang, Pingsheng Liu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

108 Scopus citations

Abstract

Lipid droplets (LDs) are a neutral lipid storage organelle that is conserved across almost all species. Many metabolic syndromes are directly linked to the over-storage of neutral lipids in LDs. The study of LDs in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) has been difficult because of the lack of specific LD marker proteins. Here we report the purification and proteomic analysis of C. elegans lipid droplets for the first time. We identified 306 proteins, 63% of these proteins were previously known to be LD-proteins, suggesting a similarity between mammalian and C. elegans LDs. Using morphological and biochemical analyses, we show that short-chain dehydrogenase, DHS-3 is almost exclusively localized on C. elegans LDs, indicating that it can be used as a LD marker protein in C. elegans. These results will facilitate further mechanistic studies of LDs in this powerful genetic system, C. elegans.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)317-328
Number of pages12
JournalMolecular and Cellular Proteomics
Volume11
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2012
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Proteomic study and marker protein identification of Caenorhabditis elegans lipid droplets'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this