Lipolysis is a critical metabolic pathway contributing to energy homeostasis through degradation of triacylglycerides stored in lipid droplets (LDs), releasing fatty acids. Neutral lipid lipases act at the oil/water interface. In mammalian cells, LD surfaces are coated with one or more members of the perilipin protein family, which serve important functions in regulating lipolysis. We investigated mechanisms by which three perilipin proteins control lipolysis by adipocyte triglyceride lipase (ATGL), a key lipase in adipocytes and non-adipose cells. Using a cell culture model, we examined interactions of ATGL and its co-lipase CGI-58 with perilipin 1 (perilipin A), perilipin 2 (adipose differentiation-related protein), and perilipin 5 (LSDP5) using multiple techniques as follows: anisotropy Forster resonance energy transfer, coimmunoprecipitation, [32 P]orthophosphate radiolabeling, and measurement of lipolysis. The results show that ATGL interacts with CGI-58 and perilipin 5; the latter is selectively expressed in oxidative tissues. Both proteins independently recruited ATGL to the LD surface, but with opposite effects; interaction of ATGL with CGI-58 increased lipolysis, whereas interaction of ATGL with perilipin 5 decreased lipolysis. In contrast, neither perilipin 1 nor 2 interacted directly with ATGL. Activation of protein kinase A (PKA) increased [ 32 P]orthophosphate incorporation into perilipin 5 by 2-fold, whereas neither ATGL nor CGI-58 was labeled under the incubation conditions. Cells expressing both ectopic perilipin 5 and ATGL showed a 3-fold increase in lipolysis following activation of PKA. Our studies establish perilipin 5 as a novel ATGL partner and provide evidence that the protein composition of perilipins at the LD surface regulates lipolytic activity of ATGL.
Hydrolysis of triacylglycerol (TAG)3 stored in the lipid droplet (LD) compartment provides a convenient source of cellular fuel for energy production during conditions such as fasting. However, lipolysis can contribute to the build up of toxic lipid intermediates and/or oxidized lipids in pathological conditions when cellular lipid homeostasis is altered, e.g. with obesity (1). Therefore, TAG hydrolysis must be carefully controlled to meet tissue-specific requirements for energy or lipid substrates in both adipose and non-adipose tissues. A better understanding of the mechanisms by which cells control lipid mobilization is needed to design novel approaches for intervention and prevention of the pathophysiological consequences of obesity.During the past 10 years, key players in the lipolytic pathway of adipocytes were identified through the study of transgenic mouse models (2-8). Phenotypic analysis of hormone-sensitive lipase null mice suggested the existence of another lipase (7), leading to the identification of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) (6, 9, 10). Characterization of ATGL null mice helped to establish the respective roles of these two lipases in the lipolytic cascade (7). Complete lipolysis requires three enzyme reactions t...