HDL biology
Review contrasts how CETP and PLTP remodel HDL size distribution through distinct mechanisms (Trends Cardiovasc Med 1997)
Original title: The role of cholesteryl ester transfer protein and phospholipid transfer protein in the remodeling of plasma high-density lipoproteins
Alterations in the size distribution of HDL subpopulations, detectable by polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis, have emerged as reliable markers of coronary artery disease risk. This review synthesizes evidence that all HDL subpopulations are metabolically interrelated and that their relative abundances depend on plasma factors including CETP and phospholipid transfer protein. While both proteins can promote size redistribution or conversion of HDL particles, the review concludes they alter the plasma HDL distribution profile through distinct mechanisms rather than a shared pathway, positioning HDL subpopulation profiling as a potential clinical tool for identifying patients at elevated cardiovascular risk.
Original abstract
Recent studies demonstrated that alterations in the size distribution of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) constitute reliable markers for the risk of coronary artery disease. These observations suggested that the determination of the size distribution of HDL subpopulations by using polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis might constitute an effective tool in clinical practice for the detection of patients with elevated risk. During the last decade, concordant observations revealed that all the HDL subpopulations are metabolically interrelated, and their relative abundances are dependent on the activity of several plasma factors, among them the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and the phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP). As reviewed in the present article, although both CETP and PLTP can promote the size redistribution or conversion of HDL, the two plasma lipid transfer proteins can alter differently the plasma HDL distribution profile through distinct mechanisms. (Trends Cardiovasc Med 1997;7:218-224). © 1997, Elsevier Science Inc.
Summary written by cetpinhibition.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 18 August 2026. Methods.