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[Function of PAT family proteins in the lipid metabolism]
1Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100083, China.
Abstract:
Triglycerides are stored in intracellular lipid droplets in mammalian cells. Current evidences suggest that the intracellular lipid droplets are active participants in a variety of metabolic processes, and thus are considered as functional organelles in cells. The lipid droplet is composed of a triglyceride core surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer in which several proteins are embedded. Four of these proteins belong to a family of structurally related PAT protein, which includes perilipin, ADRP, TIP47 and S3-12. In this review, we summarize the functions of these proteins in the modulation of lipolysis and lipid droplets formation.
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