Plant neutral lipids, also known as “vegetable oils”, are synthesized within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane and packaged into subcellular compartments called lipid droplets (LDs) for stable storage in the cytoplasm. The biogenesis, modulation, and degradation of cytoplasmic LDs in plant cells are orchestrated by a variety of proteins localized to the ER, LDs, and peroxisomes. Recent studies of these LD-related proteins have greatly advanced our understanding of LDs not only as steady oil depots in seeds but also as dynamic cell organelles involved in numerous physiological processes in different tissues and developmental stages of plants. In the past 2 decades, technology advances in proteomics, transcriptomics, genome sequencing, cellular imaging and protein structural modeling have markedly expanded the inventory of LD-related proteins, provided unprecedented structural and functional insights into the protein machinery modulating LDs in plant cells, and shed new light on the functions of LDs in nonseed plant tissues as well as in unicellular algae. Here, we review critical advances in revealing new LD proteins in various plant tissues, point out structural and mechanistic insights into key proteins in LD biogenesis and dynamic modulation, and discuss future perspectives on bridging our knowledge gaps in plant LD biology.

中文翻译：

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包装“植物油”：深入了解植物脂质液滴蛋白


植物中性脂质，也称为“植物油”，在内质网 （ER） 膜内合成，并包装到称为脂滴 （LD） 的亚细胞区室中，以稳定储存在细胞质中。植物细胞中细胞质 LD 的生物发生、调节和降解是由定位于 ER、LD 和过氧化物酶体的多种蛋白质协调的。最近对这些 LD 相关蛋白的研究极大地加深了我们对 LDs 的理解，LDs 不仅是种子中的稳定油库，而且是参与植物不同组织和发育阶段众多生理过程的动态细胞器。在过去的 2 年里，蛋白质组学、转录组学、基因组测序、细胞成像和蛋白质结构建模的技术进步显着扩大了 LD 相关蛋白质的库存，为调节植物细胞中 LD 的蛋白质机制提供了前所未有的结构和功能见解，并为 LD 在非种子植物组织和单细胞藻类中的功能提供了新的启示。在这里，我们回顾了揭示各种植物组织中新 LD 蛋白的关键进展，指出了 LD 生物发生和动态调节中关键蛋白质的结构和机制见解，并讨论了弥合植物 LD 生物学知识差距的未来前景。