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Review
. 2020 Nov 2;21(21):8208.
doi: 10.3390/ijms21218208.

SEIPIN: A Key Factor for Nuclear Lipid Droplet Generation and Lipid Homeostasis

Yi Jin  1   2 , Yanjie Tan  1   3 , Pengxiang Zhao  1 , Zhuqing Ren  1   2
Affiliations
Review

SEIPIN: A Key Factor for Nuclear Lipid Droplet Generation and Lipid Homeostasis

Yi Jin et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Lipid homeostasis is essential for normal cell physiology. Generally, lipids are stored in a lipid droplet (LD), a ubiquitous organelle consisting of a neutral lipid core and a single layer of phospholipid membrane. It is thought that LDs are generated from the endoplasmic reticulum and then released into the cytosol. Recent studies indicate that LDs can exist in the nucleus, where they play an important role in the maintenance of cell phospholipid homeostasis. However, the details of nuclear lipid droplet (nLD) generation have not yet been clearly characterized. SEIPIN is a nonenzymatic protein encoded by the Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy type 2 (BSCL2) gene. It is associated with lipodystrophy diseases. Many recent studies have indicated that SEIPIN is essential for LDs generation. Here, we review much of this research in an attempt to explain the role of SEIPIN in nLD generation. From an integrative perspective, we conclude by proposing a theoretical model to explain how SEIPIN might participate in maintaining homeostasis of lipid metabolism.

Keywords: SEIPIN; lipid droplet; lipid homeostasis; nuclear.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The distribution of lipid droplets (LDs). LDs have been found in the cytosol, nucleus, and mitochondria. Cytosolic LDs account for a large proportion of total LDs.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Structure of Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy type 2 protein (SEIPIN). (A) SEIPIN consists of two transmembrane domains and a hydrophobic helix domain. (B) Human SEIPIN is a ring-shaped trans-membrane protein complex, which consists of 11 subunits.
Figure 3
Figure 3
SEIPIN is involved in nuclear lipid droplets generation. SEIPIN mediated the generation of a lipidic bridge, which connects the nascent nLD and the inner nuclear membrane.
Figure 4
Figure 4
SEIPIN localization affects nuclear lipid droplets generation. (A) SEIPIN is normally an endoplasm reticulum (ER)-localized protein. SEIPIN localized at the ER induces the generation of cLDs. (B) When expressing nuclear-ER-trapped SEIPIN in SEIPIN knockout cells, more nLDs were observed.
Figure 5
Figure 5
SEIPIN and partner proteins (that interact with SEIPIN) play an important role in cell lipid homeostasis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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