Adipose triglyceride lipase, also known as patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 2 and ATGL, is an

enzyme An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...

that in

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

s is encoded by the ''PNPLA2''

gene In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...

. ATGL catalyses the first reaction of

lipolysis Lipolysis is the metabolic pathway through which lipid triglycerides are hydrolysis, hydrolyzed into a glycerol and free fatty acids. It is used to mobilize stored energy during fasting or exercise, and usually occurs in Adipose tissue, fat adip ...

, where

triacylglycerols A triglyceride (from '' tri-'' and '' glyceride''; also TG, triacylglycerol, TAG, or triacylglyceride) is an ester derived from glycerol and three fatty acids. Triglycerides are the main constituents of body fat in humans and other vertebrates a ...

are

hydrolysed Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water is the nucleophile. Biological hydrolysis ...

diacylglycerols A diglyceride, or diacylglycerol (DAG), is a glyceride consisting of two fatty acid chains covalently bonded to a glycerol molecule through ester linkages. Two possible forms exist, 1,2-diacylglycerols and 1,3-diacylglycerols. Diglycerides are n ...

Properties

ATGL has very high substrate specificity for triacylglycerols. It contains a catalytic dyad using

serine Serine (symbol Ser or S) is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It contains an α- amino group (which is in the protonated − form under biological conditions), a carboxyl group (which is in the deprotonated − ...

aspartic acid Aspartic acid (symbol Asp or D; the ionic form is known as aspartate), is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. The L-isomer of aspartic acid is one of the 22 proteinogenic amino acids, i.e., the building blocks of protei ...

Function

ATGL catalyses the first reaction of

. It

hydrolysis Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution reaction, substitution, elimination reaction, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water ...

by attacking the

fatty acid In chemistry, in particular in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated and unsaturated compounds#Organic chemistry, saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an ...

attached to carbon-3 of

glycerol Glycerol () is a simple triol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, sweet-tasting, viscous liquid. The glycerol backbone is found in lipids known as glycerides. It is also widely used as a sweetener in the food industry and as a humectant in pha ...

. ATGL acts as a control mechanism of lipolysis, as variations in diacylglycerol concentration impact enzymes in later stages of lipolysis.

Clinical significance

Defects in ATGL can cause problems in lipolysis, leading to

neutral lipid storage disease Neutral lipid storage disease (also known as Chanarin–Dorfman syndrome) is a congenital autosomal recessive disorder characterized by accumulation of triglycerides in the cytoplasm of leukocytes (Jordans' anomaly), muscle, liver, fibroblasts, a ...

. As triacylglycerols are not hydrolysed to diacylglycerols, there is a build-up of triacylglycerol droplets in

granulocyte Granulocytes are cells in the innate immune system characterized by the presence of specific granules in their cytoplasm. Such granules distinguish them from the various agranulocytes. All myeloblastic granulocytes are polymorphonuclear, that i ...

s. ATGL is regulated by insulin, and is similar to structure with adiponutrin, a protein that is regulated by nutrition. When there is a lack of insulin, there is an increased expression of the ATGL protein. Because adipose tissue triglyceride is a major form of energy storage, the study of how ATGL regulation and dysregulation can lead to potential problems will increase understanding of the pathophysiology behind metabolic disorders. ATGL is also the key enzyme that would be able to maintain a balance between mobilization and lipid storage. Lipolytic breakdown performed by ATGL would impact regulatory functions including but not limited to cell death, growth, signaling, metabolism, and gene expression.

Regulation

There must be mechanisms set to maintain the balance between energy storage, and energy release; a dysregulation in the equilibrium result in metabolic disorder, a prime one being diabetes. Adipose Triglyceride Lipase (ATGL) can undergo activation through two different pathways: transcriptionally and through post-translational modification. Through the transcriptional pathway, Beta-adrenergic, a receptor that can form a complex with agonist such as epinephrine, results in the signal transduction pathway activation of Adipose Triglyceride Lipase (ATGL). The alternative pathway is through a post-translational modification specifically phosphorylation of a serine 406 residue located on the enzyme by a kinase known as AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK). Both pathways facilitate the activation of the enzyme, resulting in the breakdown of triglyceride. Insulin is a hormone that regulate the enzyme ATGL, it inhibits the enzyme by favoring lipid storage over lipolysis. One pathway of inhibition of ATGL when insulin is present is the activation of SIRT1, which inhibits FoxO1. Specifically, FoxO1 is repressed from localizing in the nucleus by deacetylation in adipocytes.

References

External links