Fat (LDL) Degradation: PMAP

http://www.proteolysis.org/proteases Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is a type of lipoprotein that transports cholesterol and triglycerides from the liver to peripheral tissues. LDL is one of the five major groups of lipoproteins; these groups include chylomicrons, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL), low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Like all lipoproteins, LDL enables fats and cholesterol to move within the water based solution of the blood stream. LDL also regulates cholesterol synthesis at these sites. It commonly appears in the medical setting as part of a cholesterol blood test, and since high levels of LDL cholesterol can signal medical problems like cardiovascular disease, it is sometimes called "bad cholesterol" (as opposed to HDL, the "good cholesterol"). Degradation of phosphatidylcholine to lysophosphatidylcholine occurs during oxidative modification of low density lipoproteins (LDL). It has been shown that this phospholipid hydrolysis is brought about by an LDL-associated phospholipase A2 that can hydrolyze oxidized but not intact LDL phosphatidylcholine.