NPC intracellular cholesterol transporter 1 (NPC1)

Intracellular cholesterol transporter which acts in concert with NPC2 and plays an important role in the egress of cholesterol in the endosomal/lysosomal compartment (PubMed:9211849, PubMed:9927649, PubMed:10821832, PubMed:18772377, PubMed:27238017, PubMed:12554680). Unesterified cholesterol that has been released from LDLs in the lumen of the late endosomes/lysosomes is moved by NPC2 into the cholesterol- binding pocket at the N-terminal domain of NPC1 (PubMed:9211849, PubMed:9927649, PubMed:18772377, PubMed:19563754, PubMed:27238017, PubMed:28784760).

Cholesterol binds to NPC1 with the hydroxyl group buried in the binding pocket (PubMed:19563754). Binds oxysterol with greater affinity than cholesterol.