GPD1

GPD1 (glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1) is a gene that encodes the cytosolic NAD-dependent enzyme glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. The enzyme catalyzes the reversible conversion between dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P), using NADH as a cofactor (EC 1.1.1.8). This reaction links carbohydrate metabolism to lipid biosynthesis and cellular redox balance.

In cells, GPD1 participates in glycerolipid and triglyceride synthesis by supplying G3P as a backbone for glycerolipid assembly. It also functions with the mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD2) as part of the glycerol-3-phosphate shuttle, a mechanism that transfers reducing equivalents from cytosolic NADH into mitochondria, helping to maintain NAD+/NADH balance during glycolysis. GPD1 is widely expressed, with particularly important roles in liver, adipose tissue, and muscle where lipid metabolism is active.

Genetic variants in GPD1 have been associated with rare metabolic conditions; loss-of-function mutations have been reported in syndromes characterized by early-onset hypertriglyceridemia and hepatic steatosis. Altered GPD1 activity has also been studied in the context of insulin resistance, obesity, and cancer metabolism. Because of its central metabolic role, GPD1 is a focus of biochemical and clinical research into metabolic regulation and disorders of lipid and redox homeostasis.