Porcine Niemann Pick-C1 protein is expressed in steroidogenic tissues and modulated by cAMP.

Niemann-Pick C-1 (NPC-1) protein is essential for trafficking of low density lipoprotein-derived cholesterol in mammalian cells. The low density lipoprotein pathway is a major route for supply of cholesterol for steroidogenesis in the adrenals and gonads of many species. We investigated the occurrence and regulation of NPC-1 in porcine tissues, with emphasis on the corpus luteum and on granulosa cells undergoing luteinization in vitro.