Interactions of perilipin-5 (Plin5) with adipose triglyceride lipase

Members of the perilipin family of lipid droplet scaffold proteins are thought to play important roles in tissue-specific regulation of triglyceride metabolism, but the mechanisms involved are not fully understood. Present results indicate that adipose triglyceride lipase (Atgl) interacts with perilipin-5 (Plin5) but not perilipin-1 (Plin1). Protein interaction assays in live cells and in situ binding experiments showed that Atgl and its protein activator, α-β-hydrolase domain-containing 5 (Abhd5), each bind Plin5. Surprisingly, competition experiments indicated that individual Plin5 molecules bind Atgl or Abhd5 but not both simultaneously. Thus, the ability of Plin5 to concentrate these proteins at droplet surfaces involves binding to different Plin5 molecules, possibly in an oligomeric complex. The association of Plin5-Abhd5 complexes on lipid droplet surfaces was more stable than Plin5-Atgl complexes, and oleic acid treatment selectively promoted the interaction of Plin5 and Abhd5. Analysis of chimeric and mutant perilipin proteins demonstrated that amino acids 200-463 are necessary and sufficient to bind both Atgl and Abhd5 and that the C-terminal 64 amino acids of Plin5 are critical for the differential binding of Atgl to Plin5 and Plin1. Mutant Plin5 that binds Abhd5 but not Atgl was defective in preventing neutral lipid accumulation compared with wild type Plin5, indicating that the ability of Plin5 to concentrate these proteins on lipid droplets is critical to functional Atgl activity in cells.