Characterization of lipid droplet-associated proteins in chronic steatotic liver disease and in cell culture models of steatosis

Fatty change is the most frequent liver pathology in western countries. It is caused by a broad range of disorders such as alcohol abuse and metabolic syndrome and is characterized by intracellular lipid droplet (LD) accumulation. The surface layer of LDs contains amphiphilic proteins of the PAT-family, named after their constituents, perilipin, adipophilin, and TIP47, which are fundamental for the stabilization of LDs. We recently showed that PAT-proteins are differentially expressed in liver and that perilipin is de novo expressed in human steatotic hepatocytes. In the last years, other proteins have been desc…