The assembly of very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDLs) in the secretory apparatus of the hepatocyte relies on the mobilization of triacylglycerol (TAG) from the cytosolic pool by lipolysis and re-esterification. However, some of the re-esterified TAG products are returned to the cytosolic pool in the liver, which protects vulnerable body tissues from excess lipotoxic non-esterified fatty acids in the plasma. Some of the lipases involved in this process include arylacetamide deacetylase (AADAC) and its related proteins AADACL1 and AADACL2. AADAC, a single pass type II membrane protein of the endoplasmic reticulum, is expressed in hepatocytes, intestinal mucosal cells, pancreas and adrenal gland. It plays an important role in the metabolic activation of arylamine substrates to ultimate carcinogens. AADACL1 hydrolyzes the metabolic intermediate 2-acetyl monoalkylglycerol, and its inactivation results in disruption of ether lipid metabolism in cancer cells and impaired cell migration and tumor growth.