Considerable advances occurred during the past year in nutrient absorp
tion. The movement of triacylglycerol from the endoplasmic reticulum t
o the Golgi was studied with the finding that it is likely a vesicle-b
ased cytosolic protein dependent on ATP and that the delivery is speci
fic for intestinal Golgi. With respect to gene regulation, important i
nformation concerning the editing of the full length apolipoprotein B
transcript was generated, including the identification of two promoter
s that are tissue specific and a polymorphism in the human gene that p
roduces a frame shift resulting in a truncated, inactive apobec-1 pept
ide. Intestinal fatty acid binding protein was shown to be induced by
peptide YY. The cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator was shown to b
e more closely linked to the Na+-glucose cotransporter than expected.
Mutations in the Na+-glucose and ileal Na+-bile acid cotransporter wer
e shown to account for congenital glucose/galactose and bile acid mala
bsorption, respectively.