**5.5 Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP)**

Another gene that affects HDL levels is CETP*,* encoding for the cholesteryl ester transfer protein that exchanges cholesteryl esters and triglycerids from HDL to other lipoproteins. This protein is also called the "lipid transfer protein:' People with two copies of a common allele at position 279 of this gene tend to have low HDL levels and elevated levels of LDL and VLDL. A variation (279G>A) that decreases plasma levels of CETP is associated with increased HDL levels, decreased LDL and VLDL levels, and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than the more common (GG) form (DeBusk, 2009; Musunuru., 2010).

A recent meta-analysis which confirms that the I405V and TaqIB variants are indeed associated with lower CETP activity and higher high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels (Boekholdt., 2004).

The currently available evidence suggests that several genetic variants in the CETP gene are associated with altered CETP plasma levels and activity, high-density lipoproteincholesterol plasma levels, low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein particle size, and perhaps the risk of coronary heart disease (Boekholdt., 2004).
