Hormone-sensitive lipase

• OMIM: 151750
• UniProt: Q05469

The hormone- sensitive lipase ( HSL) is the enzyme that splits fats stored in fat cells and cholesterol esters into their components and so this provides. The HSL is therefore of central importance for lipid metabolism and the synthesis of steroid hormones. Through her - depending on phosphorylation - different activity it is also a starting point for the regulation of fat loss induced by hormones signaling cascades, which catecholamines increase fat loss and insulin slows him. HSL homologs have been found in two-sided animals. In humans, it is localized in the fat cells and tissue types, that require cholesterol. This includes the islet cells of the pancreas with an as there cholesterol is consumed for the process of insulin secretion.

Mice lacking HSL switch the energy of lipid to carbohydrate in their skeletal muscles. The far-reaching changes in the metabolism of such mice suggest that fat loss products play a role as signaling molecules. Such mice are no longer able to extract energy from their fat reserves. Studies shown that it is possible that the observed in diabetes mellitus Obesity arises from insufficient degradation of skeletal muscle fats by HSL. For these and other reasons, HSL is a target for the treatment of this disease.

Catalyzed reaction

H2O ⇒ fatty acid

Fatty acid is cleaved from an acylglycerol. As substrate also cholesteryl ester, steroid fatty acid esters, retinyl esters, and p -nitrophenyl esters are accepted. HSL is thus the lipase with the broadest spectrum of action.