START (StAR-related lipid-transfer) is a lipid-binding domain in StAR, HD-ZIP and signalling proteins [ PUBMED:10322415 ]. StAR (Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory protein) is a mitochondrial protein that is synthesised in response to luteinising hormone stimulation [ PUBMED:7961770 … expand

START (StAR-related lipid-transfer) is a lipid-binding domain in StAR, HD-ZIP and signalling proteins [ PUBMED:10322415 ]. StAR (Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory protein) is a mitochondrial protein that is synthesised in response to luteinising hormone stimulation [ PUBMED:7961770 ]. Expression of the protein in the absence of hormone stimulation is sufficient to induce steroid production, suggesting that this protein is required in the acute regulation of steroidogenesis. Representatives of the START domain family have been shown to bind different ligands such as sterols (StAR protein) and phosphatidylcholine (PC-TP). Ligand binding by the START domain can also regulate the activities of other domains that co-occur with the START domain in multidomain proteins such as Rho-gap, the homeodomain, and the thioesterase domain [ PUBMED:10322415 PUBMED:11276083 ].