Mahley R W
Gladstone Foundation Laboratories for Cardiovascular Disease, University of California, San Francisco 94140-0608.
Science. 1988 Apr 29;240(4852):622-30. doi: 10.1126/science.3283935.
Apolipoprotein E is a plasma protein that serves as a ligand for low density lipoprotein receptors and, through its interaction with these receptors, participates in the transport of cholesterol and other lipids among various cells of the body. A mutant form of apolipoprotein E that is defective in binding to low density lipoprotein receptors is associated with familial type III hyperlipoproteinemia, a genetic disorder characterized by elevated plasma cholesterol levels and accelerated coronary artery disease. Apolipoprotein E is synthesized in various organs, including liver, brain, spleen, and kidney, and is present in high concentrations in interstitial fluid, where it appears to participate in cholesterol redistribution from cells with excess cholesterol to those requiring cholesterol. Apolipo-protein E also appears to be involved in the repair response to tissue injury; for example, markedly increased amounts of apolipoprotein E are found at sites of peripheral nerve injury and regeneration. Other functions of apolipoprotein E, unrelated to lipid transport, are becoming known, including immunoregulation and modulation of cell growth and differentiation.
载脂蛋白E是一种血浆蛋白，作为低密度脂蛋白受体的配体，并通过与这些受体的相互作用，参与体内各种细胞间胆固醇和其他脂质的转运。一种与低密度脂蛋白受体结合存在缺陷的载脂蛋白E突变形式与家族性III型高脂蛋白血症相关，这是一种以血浆胆固醇水平升高和冠状动脉疾病加速为特征的遗传性疾病。载脂蛋白E在包括肝脏、大脑、脾脏和肾脏在内的各种器官中合成，并以高浓度存在于组织液中，在那里它似乎参与了胆固醇从胆固醇过剩的细胞向需要胆固醇的细胞的重新分配。载脂蛋白E似乎也参与了对组织损伤的修复反应；例如，在外周神经损伤和再生部位发现载脂蛋白E的量明显增加。载脂蛋白E的其他与脂质转运无关的功能也逐渐为人所知，包括免疫调节以及对细胞生长和分化的调节。
