Sterol-O-Acyltransferase 1 (SOAT1)

Acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACACT; EC 2.3.1.26) is an intracellular protein located in the endoplasmic reticulum that forms cholesterol esters from cholesterol. Accumulation of cholesterol esters as cytoplasmic lipid droplets within macrophages and smooth muscle cells is a characteristic feature of the early stages of atherosclerotic plaques

A deletion of ARE2 reduced the sterol ester levels to approximately 25% of normal levels, whereas disruption of ARE1 did not affect sterol ester biosynthesis. Deletion of both genes resulted in a viable cell with undetectable esterified sterol. With the use of a consensus sequence to the yeast and human genes, an additional member of the SOAT gene family was identified in humans.