Department of cell Biology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Ave. Box 5, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2011 Jun;13(3):242-8. doi: 10.1007/s11883-011-0172-5.
Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) describes the process whereby cholesterol in peripheral tissues is transported to the liver where it is ultimately excreted in the form of bile. Given the atherogenic role of cholesterol accumulation within the vessel intima, removal of cholesterol through RCT is considered an anti-atherogenic process. The major constituents of RCT include cell membrane- bound lipid transporters, plasma lipid acceptors, plasma proteins and enzymes, and lipid receptors of liver cell membrane. One major cholesterol acceptor in RCT is high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Both the characteristics and level of HDL are critical determinants for RCT. It is known that phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) impacts both HDL cholesterol level and biological quality of the HDL molecule. Recent data suggest that PLTP has a site-specific variation in its function. Moreover, the RCT pathway also has multiple steps both in the peripheral tissues and circulation. Therefore, PLTP may influence the RCT pathway at multiple levels. In this review, we focus on the potential role of PLTP in RCT through its impact on HDL homeostasis. The relationship between PLTP and RCT is expected to be an important area in finding novel therapies for atherosclerosis.
胆固醇逆向转运（RCT）描述了外周组织中的胆固醇被转运到肝脏，最终以胆汁的形式排出体外的过程。鉴于胆固醇在血管内膜中的积累具有动脉粥样硬化作用，通过 RCT 去除胆固醇被认为是一种抗动脉粥样硬化过程。RCT 的主要成分包括细胞膜结合的脂质转运蛋白、血浆脂质受体、血浆蛋白和酶以及肝细胞膜的脂质受体。RCT 中的一个主要胆固醇受体是高密度脂蛋白（HDL）。HDL 的特征和水平都是 RCT 的关键决定因素。已知磷脂转运蛋白（PLTP）既影响 HDL 胆固醇水平，也影响 HDL 分子的生物学质量。最近的数据表明，PLTP 在其功能上存在特定部位的变异。此外，RCT 途径在外周组织和循环中都有多个步骤。因此，PLTP 可能在多个水平上影响 RCT 途径。在这篇综述中，我们通过其对 HDL 稳态的影响，关注 PLTP 在 RCT 中的潜在作用。PLTP 与 RCT 之间的关系有望成为寻找动脉粥样硬化新疗法的一个重要领域。
