Lipoprotein particles contain a hydrophobic core of lipids within a shell of polar lipids and proteins. Lipoproteins are vehicles for the transport of hydrophobic substances through the plasma, such as cholesterol. Their surfaces contain signals regulating the transport of the lipids they carry into and out of specific cells. The receptors on target cells for LDL, for example, the major carrier of cholesterol in the blood, are localized in clathrin coated pits, so that binding of LDL leads to receptor mediated endocytosis. The vesicle containing LDL will subsequently fuse with a lysosome.
![]() ![]() WikiPremed is a trademark of Wisebridge Learning Systems LLC. The work of WikiPremed is published under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike License. There are elements of work here, such as a subset of the images in the archive from WikiPedia, that originated as GNU General Public License works, so take care to follow the unique stipulations of that license in printed reproductions. |