| Apolipoprotein | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Apolipoprotein e3 (Apoe3) | |||||||||
| Identifiers | |||||||||
| Symbol | Apolipoprotein | ||||||||
| Pfam | PF01442 | ||||||||
| InterPro | IPR000074 | ||||||||
| SCOP2 | 1oef / SCOPe / SUPFAM | ||||||||
| OPM superfamily | 172 | ||||||||
| OPM protein | 3r2p | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Apolipoproteins are proteins that bind lipids (oil-soluble substances such as fats, cholesterol and fat soluble vitamins) to form lipoproteins. They transport lipids in blood, cerebrospinal fluid and lymph.
The lipid components of lipoproteins are insoluble in water. However, because of their detergent-like (amphipathic) properties, apolipoproteins and other amphipathic molecules (such as phospholipids) can surround the lipids, creating a lipoprotein particle that is itself water-soluble, and can thus be carried through body fluids (i.e., blood, lymph).
In addition to stabilizing lipoprotein structure and solubilizing the lipid component, apolipoproteins interact with lipoprotein receptors and lipid transport proteins, thereby participating in lipoprotein uptake and clearance. They also serve as enzyme cofactors for specific enzymes involved in the metabolism of lipoproteins.[1]
Apolipoproteins are also exploited by hepatitis C virus (HCV) to enable virus entry, assembly, and transmission. They play a role in viral pathogenesis and viral evasion from neutralizing antibodies.[2]
- ^ Ramasamy I (December 2014). "Recent advances in physiological lipoprotein metabolism". Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. 52 (12): 1695–727. doi:10.1515/cclm-2013-0358. PMID 23940067. S2CID 6925754.
- ^ Wrensch F, Crouchet E, Ligat G, Zeisel MB, Keck ZY, Foung SK, et al. (2018). "Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)-Apolipoprotein Interactions and Immune Evasion and Their Impact on HCV Vaccine Design". Frontiers in Immunology. 9: 1436. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2018.01436. PMC 6021501. PMID 29977246.