Dual function lipin proteins and glycerolipid metabolism

Lipin family proteins are emerging as crucial regulators of lipid metabolism. In triglyceride synthesis, lipins act as lipid phosphatase enzymes at the endoplasmic reticular membrane, catalyzing the dephosphorylation of phosphatidic acid to form diacylglycerol, which is the penultimate step in this process. However, lipin proteins are not integral membrane proteins, and can rapidly translocate within the cell. In fact, emerging evidence suggests that lipins also play crucial roles in the nucleus as transcriptional regulatory proteins. Thus, lipins are poised to regulate cellular lipid metabolism at multiple regulatory nodal points. This review summarizes the history of lipin proteins, and discusses the current state of our understanding of lipin biology.