Triglycerides form an important energy store in many living organisms. Adipose tissue serves as the primary storage depot for triglycerides in mammals. Lipolytic enzymes mobilize triglycerides during periods of starvation to provide organisms with necessary energy. Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), the first identified lipolytic enzyme, hydrolyzes triglycerides in mammalian adipose tissues. Additional lipolytic enzymes, including adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), have also been discovered. The primary function of ATGL is to catalyze the hydrolysis of the first ester bond of lipid molecules. This enzyme may provide diglyceride substrates for HSL hydrolysis. ATGL is abundantly expressed in murine white and brown adipose tissue, and is highly substrate specific. ATGL was independently identified as desnutrin and the TG-hydrolace inducible phospholipase-A2-z.
