Summary and Future Perspectives

Abstract

The process of intracellular cholesterol trafficking is involved in many physiological events, including lipoprotein synthesis and secretion in hepatocytes and intestinal enterocytes, steroidogenesis in steroid hormone-producing cells, cholesterol accumulation in macrophages, synthesis and maintenance of neuronal cell membranes. It is also involved in embryogenesis and development. Abnormalities in these events often lead to diseases in animals and humans. As editors of this book, Dale Freeman and I are grateful to have had many leading scientists contributing chapters and furthering the advancement of this field. It is clear that this area of research will continue to grow during the next decade, and I wish to recommend the following topics as key areas for future investigations.