Synthesis, storage, and turnover of triacylglycerols (TAGs) in adipocytes are critical cellular
processes to maintain lipid and energy homeostasis in mammals. TAGs are stored in
metabolically highly dynamic lipid droplets (LDs), which are believed to undergo
fragmentation and fusion under lipolytic and lipogenic conditions, respectively. Time lapse
fluorescence microscopy showed that stimulation of lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes causes
progressive shrinkage and almost complete degradation of all cellular LDs but without any …