Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Lipid Metabolism : Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential

Abstract EN

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays a crucial role in protein folding, assembly, and secretion.

Disruption of ER homeostasis may lead to accumulation of misfolded or unfolded proteins in the ER lumen, a condition referred to as ER stress.

In response to ER stress, a signal transduction pathway known as the unfolded protein response (UPR) is activated.

UPR activation allows the cell to cope with an increased protein-folding demand on the ER.

Recent studies have shown that ER stress/UPR activation plays a critical role in lipid metabolism and homeostasis.

ER-stress-dependent dysregulation of lipid metabolism may lead to dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

In this paper, we examine recent findings illustrating the important role ER stress/UPR signalling pathways play in regulation of lipid metabolism, and how they may lead to dysregulation of lipid homeostasis.