Figure 1.

The LDL receptor pathway.

Notes: The low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLr) is synthesized as a 120 KDa precursor protein and processed in the golgi apparatus (GOLGI) producing the glycosylated mature receptor that is transported to the cell surface and is directed towards clathrin-coated pits through interactions involving LDL particle, enriched with apolipoprotein B (APOB) where it binds to LDL particle. The complex is transported to endosomes where the acidic pH causes a dissociation of the receptor–ligand complex, releasing the LDLr to its recycling so the LDL is degraded in the lysosomal compartment. The proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) and Idol protein participate in a decreasing of receptor recycling and increasing the LDLr degradation.