Lecithin retinol acyltransferase is a microsomal enzyme that catalyzes the esterification of all-trans-retinol into all-trans-retinyl ester during phototransduction, an essential reaction for the retinoid cycle in visual system and vitamin A status in liver.
Mutations in this gene have been associated with early-onset severe retinal dystrophy.[6]
LRAT was overexpressed in colorectal cancer cells compared to normal colonic epithelium. Strong LRAT expression was associated with a poor prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer.[7]
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Zhan HC, Gudas LJ, Bok D, et al. (2004). "Differential expression of the enzyme that esterifies retinol, lecithin:retinol acyltransferase, in subtypes of human renal cancer and normal kidney". Clin. Cancer Res. 9 (13): 4897–905. PMID14581364.
Sénéchal A, Humbert G, Surget MO, et al. (2006). "Screening genes of the retinoid metabolism: novel LRAT mutation in leber congenital amaurosis". Am. J. Ophthalmol. 142 (4): 702–4. doi:10.1016/j.ajo.2006.04.057. PMID17011878.