Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase

Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT, also called phosphatidylcholine-sterol O-acyltransferase) is an enzyme which converts free cholesterol into cholesteryl ester (a more hydrophobic form of cholesterol) which is then sequestered into the core of a lipoprotein particle eventually making the newly synthesized HDL spherical and forcing the reaction to become unidirectional since the particles are removed from the surface. The enzyme is bound to high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) and low-density lipoproteins in the blood plasma