ore recently, another protein involved in lipid metabolism was also identified as an additional entry
factor. Indeed, the cholesterol transporter Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) was shown to play a role
in HCV entry [78]. NPC1L1 is a cholesterol transport protein principally located on the apical surface
of hepatocytes, facing the bile canaliculi, and it plays a role in regulating hepatic cholesterol levels by
reabsorbing biliary cholesterol secreted in the bile. Since this receptor is located at the apical membrane
of hepatocytes and HCV entry is supposed to occur at the basolateral membrane, the role of NPC1L1
may occur indirectly via cholesterol regulation.