The Human Plasma Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein: Structure, Function and Physiology

Abstract

The first report of net transfer of preformed cholesteryl esters between plasma lipoprotein species was by Rehnborg and Nichols in 1964 (1). The identification of a protein factor catalysing the exchange of cholesteryl esters between plasma lipoproteins was first made by Zilversmit and colleagues in 1975 (2). A factor with similar properties was identified in human plasma by the same laboratory in 1978 (3). Since that time there has been a rapid increase both in interest and information concerning cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP). A summary of earlier attempts to isolate plasma cholesteryl ester transfer activity is contained in a recent review (4). The recent isolation of human plasma CETP, cloning of its cDNA, and the expression of the cloned gene intransfected cells (5,6) provides an appropriate opportunity to review the nature of this protein and its significance in plasma lipid metabolism.