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Lipid Droplets as Immune Modulators in Myeloid Cells

Lipid droplets (LDs) were initially described as fat storage organelles in adipocytes, but are increasingly recognized as dynamic players in lipid metabolism, with important roles not only in diseases such as diabetes and cancer, but also in immune regulation. Alterations in immune cell function, su...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in immunology 2018-05, Vol.39 (5), p.380-392
Main Authors: den Brok, Martijn H., Raaijmakers, Tonke K., Collado-Camps, Estel, Adema, Gosse J.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Lipid droplets (LDs) were initially described as fat storage organelles in adipocytes, but are increasingly recognized as dynamic players in lipid metabolism, with important roles not only in diseases such as diabetes and cancer, but also in immune regulation. Alterations in immune cell function, such as myeloid cell activation, are connected to profound changes in LD numbers and LD protein composition. Thus, these organelles appear to be essential to metabolically support immune responses, and have a vital role in antigen crosspresentation, interferon (IFN) responses, production of inflammatory mediators, and pathogen clearance. Here, we review recent studies that report on the role of LDs in the modulation of immune cell function, primarily focusing on myeloid cells, such as macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs). LDs are intracellular energy storage organelles, but studies in macrophages and, more recently, DCs have highlighted their role in immune regulation. For example, LDs have a critical role in IFN responses and antigen crosspresentation. Different LDs, with unique protein or lipid compositions, appear to exist in specific cells or even within one cell. Different types of immune activation are also reflected by modification of the LD profiles, tied to changes in cellular metabolism. Although the presence of LDs mostly appears to be correlated with positive immunological outcome, the LDs found in cancer or upon exposure to oxidized lipids are associated with unproductive immune responses.
ISSN:1471-4906
1471-4981
DOI:10.1016/j.it.2018.01.012