Neutral Cholesterol Ester Hydrolase 1 (NCEH1)

NCEH1 expression in adult amygdala, followed by whole adult and fetal brain and most adult brain regions examined. Strong expression was also detected in adult kidney, heart, liver, skeletal muscle, and ovary and in fetal liver. Weaker expression was detected in all other adult tissues examined.The deduced 408-amino acid protein contains an N-terminal transmembrane domain, a central catalytic core domain, and a C-terminal lipid-binding domain. Mouse and human HCEH share 87.5% amino acid identity. Northern blot analysis revealed high Nceh expression in mouse peritoneal macrophages and kidney, with weaker expression in heart and adrenal tissue, and none in other tissues examined. NCEH expression was low in freshly isolated human monocytes, but it was induced during differentiation to mature macrophages.