AUP1 (Gene)

The protein encoded this gene is involved in several pathways including quality control of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum and lipid droplet accumulation. Lipid droplets are organelles in the cytoplasm that store neutral lipids such as cholesterol esters and trigylycerides to prevent the overabundance of free cholesterol and fatty acids in cells, but also to act as storage for other metabolic processes, such as membrane biogenesis. Reduced expression of this gene results in reduced lipid droplet clustering, a function that is dependent on ubiquitination of the protein. This protein contains multiple domains including a hydrophobic N-terminal domain, an acetyltranferase domain, a ubiquitin-binding CUE domain, and a UBE2B2-binding domain (G2BR). Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, Nov 2014]