aalto1 untyped-item.component.html
Investigating the effects of membrane curvature inducing proteins on lipid droplets in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Loading...
Access rights
openAccess
CC BY
CC BY
Creative Commons license
Except where otherwised noted, this item's license is described as openAccess
publishedVersion
URL
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
This publication is imported from Aalto University research portal.
View publication in the Research portal (opens in new window)
View/Open full text file from the Research portal (opens in new window)
View publication in the Research portal (opens in new window)
View/Open full text file from the Research portal (opens in new window)
Unless otherwise stated, all rights belong to the author. You may download, display and print this publication for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Date
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Language
en
Pages
19
Series
Molecular Biology Reports, Volume 53, issue 1
Abstract
Background: Reticulons (Rtn1p, Rtn2p) and Yop1p are proteins shaping the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane curvature their function being to a large degree responsible for molding the membrane curvature in the tubular ER area. Lipid biosynthesis mainly takes place in the tubular parts of the ER and lipid droplets are formed in the tubular ER membrane. Nucleation constitutes the rate-limiting step in lipid droplet formation and is modulated by membrane curvature; specifically increasing membrane curvature lowers the activation energy required for lipid lens nucleation. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects, modifying the ER membrane curvature would have on lipid droplets in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Methods and results: We created and screened strains overexpressing different combinations of the membrane curvature inducing genes RTN1, RTN2 and YOP1 and additionally the gene inducing ER membrane expansion, DGK1, in four different genetic strain backgrounds. We examined the strains by microscopy and quantified lipid composition by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We found that overexpressing membrane curvature inducing proteins decreases the size of the lipid droplets. A reduction in lipid droplet size was accompanied by an apparent increase in their number. We observed that the change in cell size seemed to be partially connected to the strain background. We also noticed altered lipid composition which was linked to the strain backgrounds. Conclusions: Overexpression of curvature inducing proteins affected lipid droplet size and number, presumably by affecting nucleation. However, the morphological changes of lipid droplets were not accompanied by increased lipid production. Our findings provide a basis for future research on how ER structure modifications influence the lipid droplet dynamics in S. cerevisiae.
Description
Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025.
Other note
Citation
Niemelä, L R K, Tunn, I & Frey, A D 2026, 'Investigating the effects of membrane curvature inducing proteins on lipid droplets in Saccharomyces cerevisiae', Molecular Biology Reports, vol. 53, no. 1, 102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-025-11261-0