Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42399516›Full record

ArticleThe EMBO journal2026

Mitochondrial calcium regulates lipid metabolism by modulating tethering of mitochondria to lipid droplets.

Rebeca Acin-Perez, Essam A Assali, Michaela Veliova, Jennifer Ngo, Alexandra J Brownstein, Francisco Villalobos, Anton Petcherski, Pablo Hernansanz-Agustin, Doyeon Kim-Vasquez, Shili Xu and 9 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The EMBO journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors.

Rebeca Acin-Perez *Department of Medicine, Endocrinology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9553-8337
Essam A Assali *Department of Medicine, Endocrinology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7788-7047
Michaela VeliovaMetabolism Theme, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1117-691X
Jennifer NgoDepartment of Medicine, Endocrinology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5829-6866
Alexandra J BrownsteinMetabolism Theme, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0920-722X
Francisco VillalobosDepartment of Medicine, Endocrinology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Anton PetcherskiDepartment of Medicine, Endocrinology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3143-3867
Pablo Hernansanz-AgustinCentro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), Madrid, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2935-207X
Doyeon Kim-VasquezDepartment of Medicine, Endocrinology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-4843-9798
Shili XuDepartment of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Mikayla TambolineDepartment of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Raquel Maria SilvaElectron Microscopy Unit. Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Alexander UpcherElectron Microscopy Unit. Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0910-6552
Cynthia ShuDepartment of Medicine, Endocrinology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8215-2195
Daniel E FerrissDepartment of Medicine, Endocrinology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-2451-4623
Marc LiesaDepartment of Medicine, Endocrinology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5909-8570
Jose Antonio EnriquezCentro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), Madrid, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3671-2961
Israel SeklerDepartment of Physiology and Cell Biology, Ben Gurion University of The Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. sekler@bgu.ac.il.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7550-1550
Orian S ShirihaiDepartment of Medicine, Endocrinology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Oshirihai@mednet.ucla.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8466-3431

Funding

Transgenic & Knock-out MouseP30DK063491 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI MILES Frome WILKINSON · 2003 to 2026
$40.4M
Pilot and Feasibility ProgramP30DK041301 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI ROZENGURT, JUAN ENRIQUE · 1990 to 2019
$18.0M
PE methylation in skeletal muscle energy efficiencyR01DK107397 · NIDDK · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · PI FUNAI, KATSUHIKO · 2017 to 2025
$3.8M
OPTIMIZATION OF NANOPARTICLE TUMOR-LOCALIZATION AND DRUG-LOADINGFOR TREATING MESOTHELIOMAR01CA232056 · NCI · BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS) · PI COLSON, YOLONDA L, GRINSTAFF, MARK W. · 2019 to 2023
$2.7M
Mitochondrial regulation of energy efficiencyR01DK099618 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI CORKEY, BARBARA E., SHIRIHAI, ORIAN S · 2014 to 2018
$1.8M
The Role of Mitochondria in Dysregulated Insulin Secretion in ObesityR01DK144611 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI Orian S Shirihai · 2025 to 2026
$1.3M
R21: Acidic Nanoparticles for Restoration of Autophagy in Age-associated NAFLDR21AG063373 · NIA · BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS) · PI GRINSTAFF, MARK W., SHIRIHAI, ORIAN S · 2019 to 2020
$458k
A novel approach for reversal of autophagic defects using lysosome-targeted nanoparticlesR21AG060456 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI GRINSTAFF, MARK W., SHIRIHAI, ORIAN S · 2019 to 2020
$455k
American Diabetes Association (ADA) ADA Grant No. 1-19-IBS-049BBVA | Fundación BBVA (FBBVA) Beca Leonardo LEO22-2-1659-BBM-BIO-18ERDF EU grant ERDF AHHS | National Institutes of Health (NIH) DDRC NIH-NIDDK P30 DK041301HHS | National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 CA232056-01HHS | National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 DK099618-05HHS | National Institutes of Health (NIH) R21AG060456-01HHS | National Institutes of Health (NIH) R21 AG063373-01HHS | National Institutes of Health (NIH) UCLA/UCSD DERC NIH-NIDDK: P30 DK063491Israel Science Foundation (ISF) 1424/17,DIP SE 2372/1-1Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCIN) MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCIN) PID2021-127278NB-I00NCI NIH HHS R01 CA232056NIA NIH HHS R21 AG060456NIA NIH HHS R21 AG063373NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK041301NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK063491NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK099618NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK107397NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK144611UC | UCLA | David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles (DGSOM) Seed award from DGSOM
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Adrenergic stimulation of brown adipocytes induces a robust detachment of mitochondria from lipid droplets (LD), which is followed by lipolysis and lipid catabolism. However, the signals inducing mitochondria attachment or detachment, and their role in lipid metabolism, remain unknown. Here, we reconstituted mitochondria-LD interaction in brown adipocyte tissue (BAT) ex vivo. We find that removal of mitochondria from lipid droplets permits higher lipolytic activity of recombinant lipases. Testing the effect of thermogenic secondary messengers and metabolites on attachment and detachment identified elevated mitochondrial matrix calcium as a potent inducer of detachment. Further, deletion of the mitochondrial sodium/calcium exchanger, NCLX, resulted in reduced attachment and increased detachment, while activation of NCLX increased attachment. We find that elevated matrix calcium causes detachment by inducing architectural transformation of peridroplet mitochondria (PDM) from their typical LD-surface-bound crescent shape into a round shape. PDE2A inhibition activates NCLX and increases PDM content in BAT in vitro and in vivo. We conclude that a surge in mitochondrial matrix calcium ions serves as a potent signal to induce mitochondrial detachment from lipid droplets, thereby facilitating lipolysis.

Indexed as

Adipocytes, BrownCalciumLipid MetabolismMitochondriaAnimalsLipolysisMiceSodium-Calcium ExchangerCalciumSodium-Calcium Exchanger

Identifiers

PMID42399516
PMCPMC13373242

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.