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A new twist in the function of the cardiac lipid droplet

Nature Medicine volume 17, pages 1045–1046 (2011)Cite this article

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Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are important transcriptional regulators of genes involved in energy metabolism. Hydrolysis of cardiac lipid droplets by adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) is now shown to be required for PPAR-mediated gene regulation and mitochondrial function, suggesting new therapeutic possibilities for neutral lipid storage disease caused by mutations in ATGL (also known as PNPLA2) (pages 1076–1085).

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Figure 1: Fatty acids (FAs), which are the major energy substrate for the heart, are derived predominantly from hydrolysis of triglyceride (TAG-rich lipoproteins and, to a lesser extent, from albumin-conjugated non-esterified FAs.

Katie Vicari

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. E. Dale Abel is in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes and the Program in Molecular Medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.,

    E Dale Abel

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  1. E Dale Abel
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Correspondence to E Dale Abel.

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Abel, E. A new twist in the function of the cardiac lipid droplet. Nat Med 17, 1045–1046 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.2432

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