This locus represents naturally occurring read-through transcription between the neighboring HNRNPUL2 (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein U-like 2) and BSCL2 (Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy 2 (seipin)) genes on chromosome 11. The read-through transcript is a candidate for nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), and is unlikely to produce a protein product. [provided by RefSeq, Mar 2011]
This gene encodes a member of the 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferase family. The protein is located within the endoplasmic reticulum membrane and converts lysophosphatidic acid to phosphatidic acid, the second step in de novo phospholipid biosynthesis. Mutations in this gene have been associated with congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL), or Berardinelli-Seip syndrome, a disease characterized by a near absence of adipose tissue and severe insulin resistance. Alternate transcriptional splice variants, encoding different isoforms, have been characterized. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]