Lipid droplets as flexible substrates for protein phase separation

Biomolecular condensates have been shown to nucleate the formation of amyloid fibrils for many proteins implicated in neurodegenerative disorders, such as alpha synuclein in Parkinson's disease and fused in sarcoma (FUS) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Within these fibrils, a distinct lipid signal is often observable, and indeed, a membrane environment is favorable for the formation of amyloid fibrils for a variety of biophysical reasons, including an increase in local protein concentration and conformational shift upon membrane binding.