Lipin family proteins--key regulators in lipid metabolism.

BACKGROUND Proteins in the lipin family play a key role in lipid synthesis due to their phosphatidate phosphatase activity, and they also act as transcriptional coactivators to regulate the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism. The lipin family includes three members, lipin1, lipin2, and lipin3, which exhibit tissue-specific expression, indicating that they may have distinct roles in mediating disease. To date, most studies have focused on lipin1, whereas the roles of lipin2 and lipin3 are less understood. SUMMARY This review introduces the structural characteristics, physiological functions, relationship to lipid metabolism, and patterns of expression of the lipin family proteins, highlighting their roles in lipid metabolic homeostasis.