Apolipoprotein D /ApoD [APOD/3412]

Lipids, such as phospholipids, triacylglycerols and cholesterol, are weakly soluble in aqueous solution and therefore are transported by circulation as components of lipoproteins. Lipoproteins are globular particles that consist of a non-polar core of triacylglycerols and cholesteryl esters surrounded by phospholipid, cholesterol and an amphiphilic coating of protein, known as apolipoproteins (apo). These complexes allow the dissolution and shuttling of their non-polar lipid components. At least nine different apolipoproteins are distributed in significant amounts in different human lipoproteins. Apolipoprotein D (apoD) is a member of the lipocalin superfamily of transporter proteins that bind small hydrophobic molecules, including arachidonic acid (AA). The ability of apoD to bind AA implicates it in pathways associated with membrane phospholipid signal transduction and metabolism. apoD expression has been shown to correlate both with cell cycle arrest and with prognosis in several types of malignancy, including central nervous system astrocytomas and medulloblastomas.