Apolipoprotein E

APOE
Available structures
PDBOrtholog search: PDBe RCSB
Identifiers
AliasesAPOE, AD2, APO-E, LDLCQ5, LPG, apolipoprotein E, ApoE4
External IDsOMIM: 107741; MGI: 88057; HomoloGene: 30951; GeneCards: APOE; OMA:APOE - orthologs
Orthologs
SpeciesHumanMouse
Entrez

348

11816

Ensembl

ENSG00000130203

ENSMUSG00000002985

UniProt

P02649

P08226

RefSeq (mRNA)

NM_001302691
NM_000041
NM_001302688
NM_001302689
NM_001302690

NM_009696
NM_001305819
NM_001305843
NM_001305844

RefSeq (protein)

NP_000032
NP_001289617
NP_001289618
NP_001289619
NP_001289620

NP_001292748
NP_001292772
NP_001292773
NP_033826

Location (UCSC)Chr 19: 44.91 – 44.91 MbChr 7: 19.43 – 19.43 Mb
PubMed search
Wikidata
View/Edit HumanView/Edit Mouse

Apolipoprotein E (Apo-E) is a protein involved in the metabolism of fats in the body of mammals. A subtype is implicated in Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular diseases. It is encoded in humans by the gene APOE.

Apo-E belongs to a family of fat-binding proteins called apolipoproteins. In the circulation, it is present as part of several classes of lipoprotein particles, including chylomicron remnants, VLDL, IDL, and some HDL. Apo-E interacts significantly with the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), which is essential for the normal processing (catabolism) of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. In peripheral tissues, Apo-E is primarily produced by the liver and macrophages, and mediates cholesterol metabolism. In the central nervous system, Apo-E is mainly produced by astrocytes and transports cholesterol to neurons via Apo-E receptors, which are members of the low density lipoprotein receptor gene family. Apo-E is the principal cholesterol carrier in the brain. Apo-E qualifies as a checkpoint inhibitor of the classical complement pathway by complex formation with activated C1q.