...Zhiguo Ma; Zhonghua Liu; Xun Huang Members of the oxysterol binding protein (OSBP) family are involved in diverse biological processes, including non-vesicular sterol transport and vesicle trafficking. The mechanisms by which OSBPs integrate functionally with developmental and physiological...

... ortholog, regulates sterol homeostasis and is essential for molting hormone (20-hydroxyecdysone; 20E) biosynthesis. While only one npc2 gene is present in yeast, worm, mouse and human genomes, a family of eight npc2 genes ( npc2a-h ) exists in Drosophila . Among the encoded proteins, Npc2a has the broadest...

... dnpc1a , one of two Drosophila genes related to mammalian NPC1 . Cells throughout the bodies of dnpc1a mutants accumulated sterol in a punctate pattern, as in individuals with NPC1 mutations. The mutants developed only to the first larval stage and were unable to molt. Molting after the normal first...