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Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Measuring the Rate of Lipolysis in Ex Vivo Murine Adipose Tissue and Primary Preadipocytes Differentiated In Vitro
Published on: March 17, 2023
Defining the human targets of phorbol ester and diacylglycerol
Markus Geiger1, Oliver A Wrulich, Marcel Jenny
1Institute of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Innsbruck, Fritz-Pregistr 3, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. markus.geiger@uibk.ac.at
Abstract:
Phorbol esters (PEs) and their derivatives are potent tumor-promoting agents. The best known receptors for these substances are the novel and classical isotypes of protein kinase C (PKC), which bind PE and the physiological second messenger diacylglycerol (DAG) by cysteine-rich domains, the C1 domains. However, PKC is not the sole receptor of PE, a concept that has been largely ignored in the past. PE (in addition to DAG) also targets C1-containing receptors unrelated to PKC. In order to get a better insight into DAG/PE-mediated signaling and the pathways involved, it is necessary to first determine all ligand-interacting proteins. Employing various sources of data, 66 different C1-containing human proteins are presented and predictions of their DAG/PE-binding potential are attempted. Defining the entire set of key mediators for the physiological DAG responses and for PE-induced tumorigenesis may aid our understanding of signal integration and can also help to design new strategies for therapeutic cancer intervention.
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