PPARα in lysosomal biogenesis: A perspective.

Lysosomes are membrane-bound vesicles containing hydrolytic enzymes, ubiquitously present in all eukaryotic cells. Classically considered to be central to the cellular waste management machinery, recent studies revealed the role of lysosomes in a wide array of cellular processes like, degradation, cellular development, programmed cell death, secretion, plasma membrane repair, nutritional responses, and lipid metabolism. We recently studied the regulation of TFEB, considered to be the master regulator of lysosomal biogenesis, by activation of peroxisomal proliferator activated receptor α (PPARα), one of the key regulators of lipid metabolism. In this article, we discuss how the recent finding could be put in to perspective with the previous findings that relate lysosomal biogenesis to lipid metabolism, and comment on the possibility of a bi-directional interplay between these two distinct cellular processes upon activation of PPARα.