Niemann-Pick Cl-like 1 protein

Field, F.J., Bom, E., and Mathur, S.N. 2004. Stanol esters decrease plasma cholesterol independently of intestinal ABC sterol transporters and Niemann-Pick Cl-like 1 protein gene expression. J. Lipid Res. 45, 2252-2259. 

Altmann SW, Davis HR Jr, Zhu LJ, Yao X, Hoos LM, Tetzloff G, Iyer SP, Maguire M, Golovko A, Zeng M, Wang L, Murgolo N, Graziano MP (2004) Niemann-Pick Cl Like 1 protein is critical for intestinal cholesterol absorption. Science 303 1201-1204... 

Cholesterol is absorbed by intestinal epithelial cells via a Niemann-Pick Cl-Like 1 (NPCILI) protein. This is the target of a number of anti-hyperhpidaemic drugs used to lower cholesterol levels. Examples include miglustafi aUopregnanolone, oxysterols and cyclodextrins all are able to slow the progress of the disease, but none as yet provides an... 

Matsuoka K, Nakazawa T, Nakamura A, Honda C, Endo K, Tsukada M (2008) Study of thermodynamic parameters for solubilization of plant sterol and stanol in bile salt micelles. Chem Phys Lipids 154(2) 87-93. doi 10.1016/j.chemphyslip. 2008.05.002 Jia L, Betters JL, Yu L (2011) Niemann-Pick Cl-Like 1 (NPCILI) protein in intestinal and hepatic cholesterol transport. Annu Rev Physiol 73 239-259... 

Dietary cholesterol is absorbed by intestinal ABC cholesterol transporter (Chapter 41). Once inside the cell, cholesterol is esterified by acyl CoA-cholesterol-acyl transferase (ACAT) to form the hydro-phobic cholesteryl ester. This reaction facilitates and maximises absorption of cholesterol, which is probably an advantage to people deprived of cholesterol-rich food such as meat. Unfortunately, efficient absorption of cholesterol is not an advantage to the affluent. However, margarines enriched with plant sterols have been used to inhibit cholesterol absorption in an attempt to lower blood cholesterol. Research is under way to develop ACAT inhibitors that potentially are cholesterol-lowering drugs. Ezetimibe is a new drug that inhibits cholesterol absorption by inhibition of the intestinal cholesterol-transporter protein NPCILI (Niemann-Pick Cl-like protein 1). 

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