HSL (hormone-sensitive lipase), a cytosolic neutral lipase regulated by reversible phosphorylation, catalyzes the rate limiting step in triglyceride lipolysis. HSL hydrolyzes stored triglycerides to free fatty acids in adipose and heart tissues. In organs with steroidogenic tissues, such as small intestine, HSL converts cholesteryl esters to free cholesterol for steroid hormone production. HSL is highly expressed in jejunal enterocytes and in the mucosa of the small intestine. Two major isoforms of HSL have been described resulting from the use of alternative translational start codons. The short isoform is expressed in adipose tissue while the long isoform is expressed in steroidogenic tissues such as testis. The long isoform, often referred to as testicular HSL contains an N-terminus of approximately 300 amino acids not present in the short isoform of HSL.
