Physiological significance of apolipoprotein mutants.

The major plasma lipids, cholesterol, and triglycerides are transported in the blood by different classes of lipoprotein, which can be differentiated from each other by their apoprotein and lipid constituents. Defects in the genes coding for the apolipoprotein components, besides those coding for lipolytic enzymes and cellular receptors, can cause an imbalance in the plasma lipid homeostasis. The physiological significance on lipid metabolism of genetic defects, both rare inborn errors or common genetic variation at these gene loci, are the topics of this review.