Regulation of cholesterol homeostasis.

Cholesterol homeostasis is among the most intensely regulated processes in biology. Since its isolation from gallstones at the time of the French Revolution, cholesterol has been extensively studied. Insufficient or excessive cellular cholesterol results in pathological processes including atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome. Mammalian cells obtain cholesterol from the circulation in the form of plasma lipoproteins or intracellularly, through the synthesis of cholesterol from acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA). This process is tightly regulated at multiple levels. In this review, we provide an overview of the multiple mechanisms by which cellular cholesterol metabolism is regulated. We also discuss the recent advances in the post-transcriptional regulation of cholesterol homeostasis, including the role of small non-coding RNAs (microRNAs). These novel findings may open new avenues for the treatment of dyslipidemias and cardiovascular diseases.