title: Rab8a-AS160-MSS4 regulatory circuit controls lipid droplet fusion and growth.
abstract: Rab GTPases, by targeting to specific membrane compartments, play essential roles in membrane trafficking. Lipid droplets (LDs) are dynamic subcellular organelles whose growth is closely linked to obesity and hepatic steatosis. Fsp27 is shown to be required for LD fusion and growth by enriching at LD-LD contact sites. Here, we identify Rab8a as a direct interactor and regulator of Fsp27 in mediating LD fusion in adipocytes. Knockdown of Rab8a in the livers of ob/ob mice results in the accumulation of smaller LDs and lower hepatic lipid levels. Surprisingly, it is the GDP-bound form of Rab8a that exhibits fusion-promoting activity. We further discover AS160 as the GTPase activating protein (GAP) for Rab8a, which forms a ternary complex with Fsp27 and Rab8a to positively regulate LD fusion. MSS4 antagonizes Fsp27-mediated LD fusion activity through Rab8a. Our results have thus revealed a mechanistic signaling circuit controlling LD fusion and fatty liver formation.
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Lizhen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Dijin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Linkang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing University, Pukou District, Nanjing 210061, China.
authors.forename: Bingxian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Hongyuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology Core Facility and Proteomics Facility, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology Core Facility and Proteomics Facility, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Haiteng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore.
authors.forename: Y Adam
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing University, Pukou District, Nanjing 210061, China.
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: li-peng@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000378:metabolism*; D020690:GTPase-Activating Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008820:Mice, Obese; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D011485:Protein Binding; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020691:rab GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020690:GTPase-Activating Proteins; C000592935:MSS4 protein, mouse; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D011506:Proteins; C546061:Rab8a protein, mouse; C505647:Tbc1d4 protein, mouse; C525805:fat-specific protein 27, mouse; D020691:rab GTP-Binding Proteins