title: The size of cytoplasmic lipid droplets varies between tumour cell lines of the nervous system: a 1H NMR spectroscopy study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cytoplasmic lipid droplets (LDs) are dynamic cellular organelles; their accumulation is associated with several cellular processes, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis and necrosis. (1)H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy detects resonances from lipids present in cytoplasmic (LDs); an understanding of the relationship between LD characteristics and NMR lipid signals is important.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, five nervous system cancer cell lines were investigated. Nile red staining was used to measure the diameter of LDs. High-resolution magic angle spinning NMR (HR-MAS) was performed on harvested cell pellets to quantify the patterns of lipid signals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LDs were present in all five cell lines with different morphology. An average LD diameter of approximately 0.2 μm was found in all cell types. Diameter of the largest LDs varied across the cell lines. The intensity of NMR lipid signals varied greatly between cell types, and a good correlation was found between total volume of LDs and the proton NMR lipid signal intensity at 0.9 and 1.3 ppm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The correlation implied that little NMR signal is detected from LDs of diameters less than approximately 0.34 μm, most likely due to restriction of rotational motion of the lipids.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. xiaoyan.pan@ndm.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Carmel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McConville
authors.forename: Theodoros N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Arvanitis
authors.forename: Risto A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kauppinen
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Peet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009336:Necrosis; D009420:Nervous System / Q000473:pathology*; D010078:Oxazines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D007211:Indoles; D008055:Lipids; D010078:Oxazines; C007293:DAPI; C044808:nile red