Background:

Members of the AB hydrolase superfamily have diverse catalytic functions and play a crucial role in the metabolism of lipids. DAGLβ (diacylglycerol lipase beta), also known as KCCR13L, is a 672 amino acid multi-pass membrane protein that belongs to the AB hydrolase superfamily. DAGLβ uses calcium as a cofactor to catalyze the hydrolysis of diacylglycerol (DAG) to 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG), a reaction that is required for axonal growth and for retrograde synaptic signaling at mature synapses. DAGLβ functions at an optimal pH of 7 and its activity is inhibited by p-hydroxy-mercuri-benzoate and HgCl2, but not PMSF. There are three isoforms of DAGLβ that are produced as a result of alternative splicing events.