CIDEC: May act as a CEBPB coactivator in white adipose tissue to control the expression of a subset of CEBPB downstream target genes, including SOCS1, SOCS3, TGFB1, TGFBR1, ID2 and XDH. Binds to lipid droplets and regulates their enlargement, thereby restricting lipolysis and favoring storage. At focal contact sites between lipid droplets, promotes directional net neutral lipid transfer from the smaller to larger lipid droplets. The transfer direction may be driven by the internal pressure difference between the contacting lipid droplet pair. When overexpressed in preadipocytes, induces apoptosis or increases cell susceptibility to apoptosis induced by serum deprivation or TGFB treatment. As mature adipocytes, that express high CIDEC levels, are quite resistant to apoptotic stimuli, the physiological significance of its role in apoptosis is unclear. In omental adipose tissue of obese patients matched for BMI, expression levels tend to correlate with insulin sensitivity. Expression is increased 2-3 fold in the group of patients with high insulin sensitivity, compared to the insulin- resistant group. This observation is consistent with the idea that triglyceride storage in adipocytes plays an important role in sequestering triglycerides and fatty acids away from the circulation and peripheral tissues, thus enhancing insulin sensitivity in liver and muscle. This effect is not significant in subcutaneous adipose tissue (PubMed:18509062). In subcutaneous adipose tissue of diabetic patients, tends to negatively correlate with body mass index and total fat mass, independently of insulin sensitivity (PubMed:18334488). 3 isoforms of the human protein are produced by alternative splicing.
Protein type: Apoptosis
Chromosomal Location of Human Ortholog: 3p25.3
Cellular Component: endoplasmic reticulum; lipid particle; cytosol; nucleus
Biological Process: regulation of apoptosis; transcription, DNA-dependent; regulation of transcription, DNA-dependent; apoptosis
Disease: Lipodystrophy, Familial Partial, Type 5
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