PLIN4
Description
The PLIN4 (perilipin 4) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 19.
Perilipin 4, also known as S3-12, is a protein encoded by the PLIN4 gene on human chromosome 19. It is highly expressed in white adipose tissue, with lower levels in heart, skeletal muscle, and brown adipose tissue. PLIN4 coats lipid droplets in adipocytes, shielding them from lipases. The PLIN4 gene might be linked to insulin resistance and obesity risk. The gene resides on chromosome 19 at band 19p13.3 and comprises 9 exons. The protein belongs to the perilipin family and contains 27 approximate tandem repeats of 33 amino acids. It is also a member of the PATS (PLIN, ADFP, TIP47, S3-12) family, characterized by structural proteins with high amino acid sequence similarity and association with lipid droplets. PLIN4 shares a conserved C-terminal region of 14 amino acids with other PATS members, which folds into a hydrophobic cleft. However, it lacks the conserved N-terminal region of approximately 100 amino acids. Within its 33-amino acid repeat sequence, PLIN4 possesses a long stretch of imperfect 11-mer repeats, predicted to form amphipathic helices with three helical turns per 11 amino acid residues. These 11-mer repeats are believed to anchor the protein to the phospholipid monolayer of lipid droplets for its assembly, although a specific targeting sequence has not yet been identified in PLIN4.
PLIN4 is also known as KIAA1881, MDRV, MRUPAV, NIPA2, S3-12.
