Skip to Content
Merck

Acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferases.

American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism (2009-01-15)
Ta-Yuan Chang, Bo-Liang Li, Catherine C Y Chang, Yasuomi Urano
PMID19141679
ABSTRACT

The enzymes acyl-coenzyme A (CoA):cholesterol acyltransferases (ACATs) are membrane-bound proteins that utilize long-chain fatty acyl-CoA and cholesterol as substrates to form cholesteryl esters. In mammals, two isoenzymes, ACAT1 and ACAT2, encoded by two different genes, exist. ACATs play important roles in cellular cholesterol homeostasis in various tissues. This chapter summarizes the current knowledge on ACAT-related research in two areas: 1) ACAT genes and proteins and 2) ACAT enzymes as drug targets for atherosclerosis and for Alzheimer's disease.