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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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DGAT2
diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2
Chromosome 11 · 11q13.5
NCBI Gene: 84649Ensembl: ENSG00000062282.16HGNC: HGNC:16940UniProt: Q96PD7
60PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
diacylglycerol metabolic processlipid dropletendoplasmic reticulum membraneendoplasmic reticulumgoutalcohol drinkingphysical activitytype 2 diabetes mellitus
✦AI Summary

DGAT2 is the acyltransferase catalyzing the terminal and rate-limiting step of triglyceride synthesis, converting diacylglycerol and fatty acyl-CoA into triacylglycerols 1. Localized to the endoplasmic reticulum, DGAT2 is essential for intracellular lipid storage and plays a central role in cytosolic lipid accumulation, particularly in hepatocytes where it incorporates endogenously synthesized fatty acids into triglycerides 1. Beyond triglyceride synthesis, DGAT2 functions as an acyl-CoA retinol acyltransferase and processes monoalkylglycerols for monoacylglycerol synthesis 2. DGAT2 has significant disease relevance in metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders. In nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), FXR agonists reduce hepatic lipid accumulation through DGAT2 repression independent of canonical lipogenic pathways 3. DGAT2 inhibition blocks SREBP-1 cleavage by redirecting diacylglycerol toward phosphatidylethanolamine synthesis, suppressing fatty acid synthesis and reducing hepatic steatosis 4. Loss-of-function variants in DGAT2 associate with lower plasma cholesterol and glucose levels, with selective DGAT2 inhibitors reducing fasting glucose and body weight in mice 5. In Alzheimer's disease pathology, microglial DGAT2 promotes lipid droplet formation upon amyloid-β exposure, impairing phagocytosis; DGAT2 inhibition restores microglial function and reduces amyloid burden 6. These findings establish DGAT2 as a multi-target therapeutic opportunity for metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.

Sources cited
1
DGAT2 catalyzes terminal step of triglyceride synthesis and is required for intracellular triglyceride synthesis and storage
PMID: 27184406
2
DGAT2 can use 1-monoalkylglycerol as an acyl acceptor for monoacylglycerol synthesis
PMID: 28420705
3
FXR activation reduces hepatic DGAT2 expression, leading to decreased mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acid levels and reduced liver lipids in NAFLD
PMID: 34270928
4
DGAT2 inhibition blocks SREBP-1 cleavage by increasing ER phosphatidylethanolamine, reducing fatty acid synthesis and hepatic steatosis
PMID: 38340721
5
Loss-of-function variants in DGAT2 are associated with lower plasma cholesterol and glucose levels; DGAT2 inhibitors reduce fasting glucose and body weight in mice
PMID: 31345219
6
DGAT2 promotes microglial lipid droplet formation upon amyloid-β exposure and impairs Aβ phagocytosis; DGAT2 inhibition improves microglial function and reduces plaque load in Alzheimer's disease models
PMID: 40393454
Disease Associationsⓘ20
goutOpen Targets
0.36Weak
alcohol drinkingOpen Targets
0.30Weak
physical activityOpen Targets
0.28Weak
type 2 diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.18Weak
Alzheimer diseaseOpen Targets
0.17Weak
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A1Open Targets
0.11Weak
COVID-19Open Targets
0.10Weak
psoriasisOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
gastric cancerOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
non-alcoholic steatohepatitisOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
hepatitis C virus infectionOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
Hepatic steatosisOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.04Suggestive
DK1-congenital disorder of glycosylationOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
obesityOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
steatosisOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
Zika virus infectious diseaseOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
infectionOpen Targets
0.03Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
SLC27A1Protein interaction97%PLPP4Protein interaction93%LIPCProtein interaction91%PNLIPProtein interaction91%DGKIProtein interaction91%LPIN2Protein interaction91%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Liver
100%
Brain
5%
Lung
4%
Heart
4%
Bone Marrow
3%
Ovary
1%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
DGAT2SLC27A1PLPP4LIPCPNLIPDGKILPIN2
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
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AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q96PD7
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.93LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.70 [0.53–0.93]
RankingsWhere DGAT2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #7,650of 20,598
    Most Researched60
  • #8,585of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.93
Genes detectedDGAT2
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
TXNIP/VDUP1 attenuates steatohepatitis via autophagy and fatty acid oxidation.
PMID: 33190588
Autophagy · 2021
1.00
2
FXR activation protects against NAFLD via bile-acid-dependent reductions in lipid absorption.
PMID: 34270928
Cell Metab · 2021
0.90
3
DGAT2 inhibition blocks SREBP-1 cleavage and improves hepatic steatosis by increasing phosphatidylethanolamine in the ER.
PMID: 38340721
Cell Metab · 2024
0.80
4
Amyloid-β induces lipid droplet-mediated microglial dysfunction via the enzyme DGAT2 in Alzheimer's disease.
PMID: 40393454
Immunity · 2025
0.70
5
Integrative analysis of loss-of-function variants in clinical and genomic data reveals novel genes associated with cardiovascular traits.
PMID: 31345219
BMC Med Genomics · 2019
0.60