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StAR-related lipid transfer protein 4 (STARD4) is a soluble protein involved in cholesterol transport. It can transfer up to 7 sterol molecules per minute between artificial membranes. ==Function== STARD4 may regulate cholesterol levels in many cells, including in the liver. STARD4 has specifically been linked to the movement of cholesterol to the endoplasmic reticulum. The protein is associated with the endoplasmic reticulum and lipid droplets. Increases in the protein relate to cell stress. High levels of STARD4 increases the synthesis of bile acids and cholesterol esters in liver hepatocytes. Reductions in cholesterol synthesis by cells increase STARD4 levels while StarD4 declines in mice fed a high cholesterol diet. Increases in levels of either master gene regulator SREBP-1a or SREBP2, which both promote the production of proteins involved in cholesterol synthesis, increase StarD4 levels in mouse liver. Conversely, increased STARD4 increases active SREBP2 levels. Loss of the protein in mice has little effect. Mice without functional STARD4 weigh less and females tend to have lower cholesterol profiles. The most dramatic change observed to date is a reduction in NPC-1, a protein involved in bringing cholesterol into cells. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「STARD4」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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