The protein encoded by this gene coats lipid storage droplets in adipocytes, thereby protecting them until they can be broken down by hormone-sensitive lipase. The encoded protein is the major cAMP-dependent protein kinase substrate in adipocytes and, when unphosphorylated, may play a role in the inhibition of lipolysis. Alternatively spliced transcript variants varying in the 5' UTR, but encoding the same protein, have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Feb 2009]
Forensic Context
A study in humans demonstrated that the PLIN1 is expressed in adipose tissue with an average read count of 21,176 and was used as part of a 46-plex targeted mRNA panel for definitive organ tissue identification, showing high specificity and successful validation in a single-blind study [Hanson & Ballantyne DOI:10.3390/genes8110319]. Research in mice showed that the PLIN1 serves as an adipocyte marker, with an increased number of PLIN1-positive cells observed in the myocardium of a genetic model of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, correlating with pathological adipogenesis [Yuan et al. DOI:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.120.052928].