Science Signaling Podcast: 8 October 2013

This Podcast features an interview with Ariel Feldstein, senior author of a Research Article that appears in the 8 October 2013 issue of Science Signaling on a mechanism by which fat-loaded liver cells contribute to the progression of fatty liver disease. Hepatic steatosis is the process by which fats accumulate in large vacuoles inside liver cells and may result from alcoholism, metabolic disorders, or obesity. Hepatic steatosis may progress to steatohepatitis, which is commonly referred to as fatty liver disease. Fatty liver disease is characterized not only by the presence of lipid droplets in liver cells but also by inflammation and scarring of the liver and neovascularization in the liver. Povero et al . report that fat-laden liver cells release microparticles that stimulate angiogenesis, thus contributing to the neovascularization that accompanies the progression of hepatic steatosis to full-blown fatty liver disease.