Atherosclerosis, driven by inflamed lipid-laden lesions, can occlude the coronary arteries
and lead to myocardial infarction. This chronic disease is a major and expensive health
burden. However, the body is able to mobilize and excrete cholesterol and other lipids, thus
preventing atherosclerosis by a process termed reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). Insight
into the mechanism of RCT has been gained by the study of two rare syndromes caused by
the mutation of ABC transporter loci. In Tangier disease, loss of ABCA1 prevents cells from …