Bile acids facilitate the absorption of dietary lipids and fat-soluble vitamins and are
physiological ligands for the farnesoid X-activated receptor (FXR), a member of the nuclear
hormone receptor superfamily. FXR functions as a heterodimer with the retinoid X receptor
and in the presence of ligand, the heterodimer binds to specific DNA sequences in the
promoters of target genes to regulate gene transcription. Phospholipid transfer protein
(PLTP) has been identified as a possible target gene for FXR because the human promoter …