SREBF1/SREBP-1 concurrently regulates lipid synthesis and lipophagy to maintain lipid homeostasis and tumor growth

Cholesterol is an essential structural component of the cell membrane, whereas excess cholesterol can be toxic and thus is stored in intracellular lipid droplets (LDs). Malignant tumor cells grow rapidly and require abundant cholesterol to build new membranes. How they maintain cholesterol homeostasis is largely unknown. We recently revealed that SREBF1/SREBP-1 (sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1), a key lipogenic transcription factor, plays a critical role in maintaining cholesterol homeostasis in tumor cells. We found that in addition to activation of