Lipid droplets (LDs) are not an inert storage of excessive lipids, but play various roles in cellular lipid metabolism. Autophagy involves several mechanisms for the degradation of cellular components, and is related to many aspects of lipid metabolism. LD and autophagic membranes often distribute in proximity, but their relationship is complex. LDs can be degraded by autophagy, but LDs are also generated as a result of autophagy or support the execution of autophagy. Moreover, several proteins crucial for autophagy were shown to affect different aspects of LD formation. This article aims to categorize this multifaceted and seemingly entangled LD–autophagy relationship and to discuss unresolved issues.

脂滴 (LDs) 不是过量脂质的惰性储存，而是在细胞脂质代谢中发挥各种作用。自噬涉及多种细胞成分降解机制，并与脂质代谢的许多方面有关。LD 和自噬膜通常分布在附近，但它们的关系很复杂。LDs 可以被自噬降解，但 LDs 也作为自噬的结果产生或支持自噬的执行。此外，几种对自噬至关重要的蛋白质被证明会影响 LD 形成的不同方面。本文旨在对这种多方面且看似纠缠不清的 LD-自噬关系进行分类，并讨论未解决的问题。