Previously regarded as simple fat storage particles,new evidence suggests thatlipid droplets(LDs)are dynamic and functional organelles involved in keycellular processes such as membrane biosynthesis,lipid metabolism,cellsignalling and inflammation.Indeed,an increased LD content is one of the mostapparent features resulting from lipid metabolism reprogramming necessary tosupport the basic functions of cancer cells.LDs have been associated to differentcellular processes involved in cancer progression and aggressiveness,such astumorigenicity,invasion and metastasis,as well as chemoresistance.Interestingly,all of these processes are controlled by a subpopulation of highly aggressivetumoral cells named cancer stem cells(CSCs),suggesting that LDs may befundamental elements for stemness in cancer.Considering the key role of CSCs onchemoresistance and disease relapse,main factors of therapy failure,the design ofnovel therapeutic approaches targeting these cells may be the only chance forlong-term survival in cancer patients.In this sense,their biology and functionalproperties render LDs excellent candidates for target discovery and design ofcombined therapeutic strategies.In this review,we summarise the currentknowledge identifying LDs and CSCs as main contributors to cancer aggressiveness,metastasis and chemoresistance.
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