Perilipin-3

Perilipin-3 (PLIN3) is a 434-amino acid structural protein that localizes to lipid droplets, where it is essential for their formation and maintenance (UniProt: O60664). The protein also functions in vesicular trafficking, mediating transport of mannose 6-phosphate receptors from endosomes to the trans-Golgi network. These roles position PLIN3 at the intersection of lipid homeostasis and intracellular protein trafficking.

PLIN3 is expressed broadly and is involved in lipid storage pathways. No primary genetic disease association is documented in UniProt for this protein, though lipid metabolism dysregulation has been implicated in neuroinflammatory and neurodegeneration contexts.

Chaparral AD proteomics data indicate that PLIN3 is upregulated in post-mortem Alzheimer's disease brain tissue compared to age-matched controls, with a mean log2 fold-change of 0.72 across two of four analyzed subcellular fractions in a TMT-labeled, data-dependent acquisition proteomics experiment. This elevation may reflect altered lipid droplet dynamics or membrane trafficking disturbances in AD pathology, though the functional significance requires further investigation.