It is widely believed that HDL functions to transport cholesterol from peripheral cells to the
liver by reverse cholesterol transport, a pathway that may protect against atherosclerosis by
clearing excess cholesterol from arterial cells. A cellular ATP-binding cassette transporter
(ABC) called ABCA1 mediates the first step of reverse cholesterol transport: the transfer of
cellular cholesterol and phospholipids to lipid-poor apolipoproteins. Mutations in ABCA1
cause Tangier disease (TD), a severe HDL deficiency syndrome characterized by …