Description
Bile acids play multiple roles in vertebrate metabolism by facilitating lipid absorption in the intestine and acting as a signaling molecule in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Bile acids are also the main route to excrete excess cholesterol out of the body. Alpha-methyl-Coa racemase (Amacr) is one of the enzymes needed to produce bile acids from cholesterol. The mouse model lacking Amacr can produce only minor (less than 10%) amounts of bile acids, but still they are symptomless in normal laboratory conditions.