cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP), a plasma glycoprotein that plays a role in the movement of cholesterol from the peripheral tissue to the liver by mediating the transfer of cholesteryl esters from HDL cholesterol to apolipoprotein B–containing proteins, which are then metabolized to lipoproteins that are removed from the circulation by receptors in the liver. Deficiency of this protein, an autosomal-dominant trait, results in markedly higher plasma levels of HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I. Also called plasma lipid transfer protein.
