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Organelle dynamics

A histone anchor on lipid droplets

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 13, page 753 (2012)Cite this article

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The authors had previously shown that histones H2A and H2B are present in high levels on lipid droplets of early embryos. This raises the possibility that histones are bound to the droplet surface via specific protein anchors. If true, then these anchors should be present on the droplets. To determine this, the authors separated co-purifying proteins by SDS–PAGE and identified the most prominent bands by mass spectrometry. One of these proteins, which the authors termed Jabba, was specifically enriched in the droplet compartment. Immunostaining with a Jabba-specific antibody in wild-type embryos revealed cytoplasmic structures with a ring pattern, which is characteristic of proteins that are present on the surface of lipid droplets; these structures were absent from Jabba-deleted mutants. After purification of lipid droplets and SDS–PAGE separation, several bands, including H2A and H2B, were missing from the mutant sample, indicating that a lack of Jabba leads to a loss of particular proteins that localize on lipid droplets.

Jabba acts as a histone-docking protein, recruiting histones to lipid droplets by direct physical interactions

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Li, Z. et al. Lipid droplets control the maternal histone supply of Drosophila embryos. Curr. Biol. 17 Oct 2012 (doi:10.1016/j.cub.2012.09.018)

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  1. Bryony Jones
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Jones, B. A histone anchor on lipid droplets. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 13, 753 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm3480

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