Serum apolipoprotein j in health, coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Apolipoprotein (apo) J, clusterin, is ubiquitously expressed in many tissues, and is a component of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). There is experimental evidence that it may be anti-atherogenic through its effects on cholesterol transport, smooth muscle cell proliferation and lipid peroxidation. HDLs containing apo J and apo A-I carry paraoxonase (PON1), which protects low-density lipoproteins from oxidative modification; however, the extent to which apo J affects coronary heart disease (CHD) is not known.