Phosphatidate Phosphatase-1 is Functionally Conserved in Lipid Synthesis and Storage from Human to Yeast

Phosphatidate phosphatase-1 (PAP1) enzymes (yeast Pah1p/Smp2p, mammalian lipin1-3) have a key role in lipid homeostasis by controlling the relative proportions of its substrate phosphatidate (PA) and its product diacylglycerol (DAG). Recent investigation shows that mammalian lipin-1 complements phenotypes exhibited by yeast pah1Δ mutant cells, which indicates the functions of PAP1 enzymes are evolutionarily conserved. The observation was confirmed after transformation of human LPIN1 into PAH1-defective yeast, which resulted in human LPIN1-induced accumulation of triacylglycerol (TAG) and lipid droplet formation. In double mutants lacking Tgl3p and Tgl4p, overexpression of PAH1 or LPIN1-induced TAG accumulation and excessive obesity. Furthermore, the obese yeast was used as a model to study the anti-obesity effects of PAP1 activity inhibitors, including propranolol and clenbuterol. The data showed that the inhibitors significantly suppressed TAG accumulation and lipid droplets formation. These findings demonstrate that LPIN1 plays a functional role in lipid synthesis and storage, a role which is highly conserved from human to yeast. Inhibition of TAG synthesis will become an efficacious treatment strategy for obesity and our excessive obesity model will provide a very useful tool for discovery of new anti-obesity drugs in the future.