Abstract

than 25 years ago, remains today a fascinating subject of re-search both because of its presumed association with athero-sclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) (2-14) and the many challenges it is offering to geneticists, structural biolo-gists, physiologists, epidemiologists, cardiologists, and clini-cians in general. Among these challenges is the elucidation of the remarkable heterogeneity exhibited by this lipoprotein particle, which is a key for understanding its biology. We will examine the various aspects of this heterogeneity and attempt to provide a global view on past and current knowledge on Lp(a) and identify those controversial areas where intensified research efforts are likely to provide important new advances. Physicochemical basis ofheterogeneity The heterogeneity of Lp(a) went largely unrecognized until Harvie and Schultz (15) reported that their preparations of