Isolation of Lipid Droplets from Cells by Density Gradient Centrifugation

Lipid droplets are organelles found in most mammalian cells, as well as in various plant tissues and yeast. They are composed of a core of neutral lipids surrounded by a membrane monolayer of phospholipids and cholesterol in which specific proteins are embedded. This unit provides protocols for isolating lipid droplets from mammalian cells by discontinuous density gradient centrifugation.