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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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PLIN2
perilipin 2
Chromosome 9 · 9p22.1
NCBI Gene: 123Ensembl: ENSG00000147872.11HGNC: HGNC:248UniProt: Q6FHZ7
140PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
cellular response to glucose starvationlipid droplet disassemblylipid dropletlipid storageneurodegenerative diseasebasal cell carcinomanon-alcoholic fatty liver diseaseneoplasm
✦AI Summary

PLIN2 (perilipin 2) is a structural component of lipid droplets that plays essential roles in lipid metabolism and cellular energy homeostasis. PLIN2 is required for the formation and maintenance of lipid storage droplets, serving as a stabilizing protein on the lipid droplet surface 1. The protein undergoes dynamic regulation through post-translational modifications, including phosphorylation by PFKL under glucose starvation conditions, which promotes its interaction with CPT1A to facilitate lipid droplet-mitochondria tethering for enhanced fatty acid oxidation 2. PLIN2 is subject to ubiquitin-mediated degradation, with essential amino acids like leucine and isoleucine promoting its polyubiquitination and subsequent degradation to ameliorate hepatic steatosis 1. In disease contexts, PLIN2 accumulates in degenerating microglia associated with white matter injury and ferroptosis 3, and is upregulated in alcoholic liver disease through Setdb1 suppression, contributing to hepatosteatosis 4. PLIN2 also promotes colorectal cancer progression through CD36-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition 5. Additionally, PLIN2-containing lipid droplets in microglia facilitate cholesterol transfer to neuronal progenitor cells, supporting brain development 6. These findings highlight PLIN2's central role in lipid homeostasis and its involvement in various pathological conditions.

Sources cited
1
PLIN2 acts as a lipid droplet-stabilizing protein and is targeted for degradation by essential amino acids through ubiquitination
PMID: 35245436
2
PFKL phosphorylates PLIN2 under glucose starvation to promote lipid droplet-mitochondria tethering
PMID: 38773347
3
PLIN2 accumulates in degenerating microglia in aging white matter injury associated with ferroptosis
PMID: 37605362
4
PLIN2 is upregulated in alcoholic liver disease through Setdb1 suppression, contributing to hepatosteatosis
PMID: 37419179
5
PLIN2 promotes colorectal cancer progression through CD36-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition
PMID: 40640171
6
PLIN2-containing lipid droplets in microglia facilitate cholesterol transfer to neuronal progenitor cells
PMID: 37914940
Disease Associationsⓘ20
neurodegenerative diseaseOpen Targets
0.46Moderate
basal cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.13Weak
non-alcoholic fatty liver diseaseOpen Targets
0.10Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
oral squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
azoospermiaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
nonpapillary renal cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
Alzheimer diseaseOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
lung adenocarcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
Male infertility with spermatogenesis disorder due to single gene mutationOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Female infertility due to fertilization defectOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
Rare genetic female infertilityOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
type 2 diabetes mellitusOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
partial chromosome Y deletionOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
plasma fibronectin deficiencyOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
triple-negative breast cancerOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
steatosisOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
atherosclerosisOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 55Open Targets
0.06Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
XDHProtein interaction100%BTN1A1Protein interaction97%PNPLA2Protein interaction97%HSPA8Protein interaction97%BTN3A1Protein interaction97%BTN3A2Protein interaction96%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Liver
100%
Lung
40%
Heart
10%
Brain
9%
Ovary
8%
Bone Marrow
7%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
PLIN2XDHBTN1A1PNPLA2HSPA8BTN3A1BTN3A2
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
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AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q6FHZ7
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.39LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF1.03 [0.77–1.39]
RankingsWhere PLIN2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #3,288of 20,598
    Most Researched140 · top quartile
  • #14,436of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.39
Genes detectedPLIN2
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Glycolytic enzyme PFKL governs lipolysis by promoting lipid droplet-mitochondria tethering to enhance β-oxidation and tumor cell proliferation.
PMID: 38773347
Nat Metab · 2024
1.00
2
Parallel CRISPR-Cas9 screens identify mechanisms of PLIN2 and lipid droplet regulation.
PMID: 37494933
Dev Cell · 2023
0.90
3
iPS-cell-derived microglia promote brain organoid maturation via cholesterol transfer.
PMID: 37914940
Nature · 2023
0.80
4
PLIN2 promotes colorectal cancer progression through CD36-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition.
PMID: 40640171
Cell Death Dis · 2025
0.70
5
Integration of scRNA-Seq and Bulk RNA-Seq Reveals Molecular Characterization of the Immune Microenvironment in Acute Pancreatitis.
PMID: 36671463
Biomolecules · 2022
0.60