The mechanism and regulation of fat mobilization from adipose tissue: desnutrin, a newly discovered lipolytic enzyme

A new member of a family of proteins functioning in the regulation of lipolysis in adipose tissue has been discovered and named 'desnutrin.' Desnutrin is transiently induced by fasting and decreased by re-feeding. A close homolog, termed adiponutrin, has the opposite expression pattern, being induced by feeding and disappearing upon fasting. Desnutrin functions by acting as the first enzyme in lipolysis, hydrolyzing triglycerides to diglycerides, whereas the well-known hormone-sensitive lipase takes the diglycerides to monoglycerides and on to free fatty acids. Key words: free fatty acids, adipocytes, lipase, hormone-sensitive, perilipin, triglycerides, diglycerides, monoglycerides, desnutrin, cyclic-AMP