Activation of hormone-sensitive lipase requires two steps, protein phosphorylation and binding to the PAT-1 domain of lipid droplet coat proteins.

Lipolysis is an important metabolic pathway controlling energy homeostasis through degradation of triglycerides stored in lipid droplets and release of fatty acids. Lipid droplets of mammalian cells are coated with one or more members of the PAT protein family, which serve important functions in regulating lipolysis. In this study, we investigate the mechanisms by which PAT family members, perilipin A, adipose differentiation-related protein (ADFP), and LSDP5, control lipolysis catalyzed by hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), a major lipase in adipocytes and several non-adipose cells. We applied fluorescence microscopic tools to analyze proteins in situ in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and anisotropy Forster resonance energy transfer. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching data show that ADFP and LSDP5 exchange between lipid droplet and cytoplasmic pools, whereas perilipin A does not. Differences in protein mobility do not correlate with PAT protein-mediated control of lipolysis catalyzed by HSL or endogenous lipases. Forster resonance energy transfer and co-immunoprecipitation experiments reveal that each of the three PAT proteins bind HSL through interaction of the lipase with amino acids within the highly conserved amino-terminal PAT-1 domain. ADFP and LSDP5 bind HSL under basal conditions, whereas phosphorylation of serine residues within three amino-terminal protein kinase A consensus sequences of perilipin A is required for HSL binding and maximal lipolysis. Finally, protein kinase A-mediated phosphorylation of HSL increases lipolysis in cells expressing ADFP or LSDP5; in contrast, phosphorylation of perilipin A exerts the major control over HSL-mediated lipolysis when perilipin is the main lipid droplet protein.

Perilipin A and the control of triacylglycerol metabolism.

Perilipin A is the most abundant protein associated with the lipid droplets of adipocytes and functions to control both basal and stimulated lipolysis. Under basal or fed conditions, perilipin A shields stored triacylglycerols from cytosolic lipases, thus promoting triacylglycerol storage. When catecholamines bind to cell surface receptors to initiate signals that activate cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), phosphorylated perilipin A facilitates maximal lipolysis. Mutagenesis studies have revealed that central sequences of moderately hydrophobic amino acids are required to target nascent perilipin A to lipid droplets and provide an anchor into the hydrophobic environment of lipid droplets. Sequences of amino acids in the unique carboxyl terminus of perilipin A and those in amino terminal sequences flanking the first hydrophobic stretch are required for the barrier function of perilipin A in promoting triacylglycerol storage. Site-directed mutagenesis studies of serine residues within six PKA consensus sites of perilipin A reveal functions for phosphorylation of at least three of the sites. Phosphorylation of one or more of the serines within three amino terminal PKA sites is required to facilitate hormone-sensitive lipase access to lipid substrates. Phosphorylation of serines within two carboxyl terminal sites is also required for maximal lipolysis. Phosphorylation of serine 492 (site 5) triggers a massive remodeling of lipid droplets, whereby large peri-nuclear lipid droplets fragment into myriad lipid micro-droplets that scatter throughout the cytoplasm. We hypothesize that perilipin A binds accessory proteins to provide assistance in carrying out these functions.

The phosphorylation of serine 492 of perilipin a directs lipid droplet fragmentation and dispersion.

Perilipin A is a key regulator of triacylglycerol storage and hydrolysis in adipocytes; phosphorylation of perilipin A by protein kinase A facilitates maximal lipolysis. Chronic stimulation of lipolysis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes causes large perinuclear lipid droplets to fragment into myriad dispersed perilipin A-covered microlipid droplets. In cultured fibroblasts stably expressing ectopic perilipin A, clustered lipid droplets disperse throughout the cytoplasm upon incubation of the cells with forskolin and isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX) to elevate levels of cAMP and activate protein kinase A, mirroring events observed in adipocytes. Furthermore, diethylum-belliferyl phosphate inhibits stimulated lipolysis but not the dispersion of lipid droplets, suggesting that products of lipolysis are not required for this remodeling process. We hypothesized that protein kinase A-mediated phosphorylation of perilipin A triggers the remodeling of lipid droplets. The mutation of serine 492 of perilipin A to alanine prevented the dispersion of clustered lipid droplets in fibroblasts stably expressing the mutated perilipin upon incubation with forskolin and IBMX. In contrast, the substitution of serines 81, 222, 276, or 433 with alanine, either singly or in combinations, did not affect the protein kinase A-mediated remodeling of lipid droplets. Interestingly, substitution of serines 433, 492, and 517 of perilipin A with glutamic acid residues blocked the dispersion of clustered lipid droplets in cells incubated with forskolin and IBMX, indicating that the addition of a negative charge does not mimic a phosphate group. We conclude that protein kinase A-mediated phosphorylation of serine 492 of perilipin A drives the fragmentation and dispersion of lipid droplets.