Cellular signal transductants: a new role for HDL

Recent findings establish that artificial or native lipoprotein particles containing apolipoprotein A rapidly trigger Ca2+ mobilization from intracellular stores, diacylglycerol production from phosphatidylcholine and translocation of protein kinase C(s) to the plasma membrane. These events appear to be coupled to cholesterol translocation from intracellular pools to the cell surface, leading in turn to its desorption from the surface of cholesterol-loaded cells.