ACYL-COA-CHOLESTEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE GENES AND KNOCKOUT MICE

Acyl coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) (EC 2.3.1.26) is an enzyme, located in the endoplasmic reticulum of many types of cells, that catalyzes cholesterol ester formation from cholesterol and fatty acyl CoA substrates. Sterol esterification by ACAT or homologous enzym es is conserved in evolution dating back to yeast. The recent cloning of a human cDNA for ACAT, together with genome sequencing projects, ha s led to the identification of an ACAT gene family and provided molecu lar tools for determining ACAT's functions in vivo. Summarized here is the current knowledge concerning the molecular genetics of ACAT. (C) 1998 Rapid Science Ltd.