Apolipoprotein C-III is a protein component of very low density lipoprotein

Very low density lipoprotein

Very-low-density lipoprotein is a type of lipoprotein made by the liver. VLDL is one of the five major groups of lipoproteins that enable fats and cholesterol to move within the water-based solution of the bloodstream...

 (VLDL). APOC3 inhibits lipoprotein lipase

Lipoprotein lipase

Lipoprotein lipase is a member of the lipase gene family, which includes pancreatic lipase, hepatic lipase, and endothelial lipase. It is a water soluble enzyme that hydrolyzes triglycerides in lipoproteins, such as those found in chylomicrons and very low-density lipoproteins , into two free...

 and hepatic lipase

Hepatic lipase

Hepatic lipase is a form of lipase. It is expressed in the liver and adrenal glands.One of the principal functions of hepatic lipase is to convert IDL to LDL.-Clinical significance:...

; it is thought to inhibit hepatic uptake of triglyceride

Triglyceride

A triglyceride is an ester derived from glycerol and three fatty acids. There are many triglycerides, depending on the oil source, some are highly unsaturated, some less so....

-rich particles. The APOA1, APOC3 and APOA4

APOA4

Apolipoprotein A-IV is plasma protein that is the product of the human gene APOA4.- Gene :APOA4 resides on chromosome 11 in close linkage to APOA1 and APOC3. APOA4 contains 3 exons separated by two introns, and is polymorphic, although most of the reported sequence polymorphisms occur in exon 3...

 genes are closely linked in both rat and human genome

Genome

In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....

s. The A-I and A-IV genes are transcribed from the same strand, while the A-1 and C-III genes are convergently transcribed. An increase in apoC-III levels induces the development of hypertriglyceridemia

Hypertriglyceridemia

In medicine, hypertriglyceridemia denotes high blood levels of triglycerides, the most abundant fatty molecule in most organisms. It has been associated with atherosclerosis, even in the absence of hypercholesterolemia . It can also lead to pancreatitis in excessive concentrations In medicine,...

.

Clinical significance

Two novel susceptibility haplotypes (specifically, P2-S2-X1 and P1-S2-X1) have been discovered in ApoAI-CIII-AIV gene cluster

Gene cluster

A gene cluster is a set of two or more genes that serve to encode for the same or similar products. Because populations from a common ancestor tend to possess the same varieties of gene clusters, they are useful for tracing back recent evolutionary history...

 on chromosome

Chromosome

A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions.Chromosomes...

 11q23; these confer approximately threefold higher risk of coronary heart disease

Coronary heart disease

Coronary artery disease is the end result of the accumulation of atheromatous plaques within the walls of the coronary arteries that supply the myocardium with oxygen and nutrients. It is sometimes also called coronary heart disease...

 in normal as well as non-insulin diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...

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Further reading