The purpose of this review is to highlight recent advances toward the refinement of a three-dimensional structure for lipid-bound apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) on recombinant HDL. Recently, X-ray crystallography has yielded a new structure for full-length, lipid-free apoA-I. Although this approach has not yet been successful in solving the threedimensional structure of lipid-bound apoA-I, analysis of the X-ray structures has been of immense help in the interpretation of structural data obtained from other methods that yield structural information. Recent studies emphasize the use of mass spectrometry to unambiguously identify crosslinked peptides or to quantify solvent accessibility using hydrogen-deuterium exchange. The combination of mass spectrometry, molecular modeling, molecular dynamic analysis, and small-angle X-ray diffraction has provided additional structural information on apoA-I folding that complements previous approaches. To understand the mechanism of HDL apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) protection against the development of coronary heart disease, recent investigations have focused on apoA-Iʼs dual functions in promoting lipid efflux (1-4) and its role in modulating immune cell activation (5-10). Recent attention has now focused on elucidating the threedimensional conformation of apoA-I, the most abundant protein constituent within the HDL particle, in response to its acquisition of phospholipid and cholesterol to form nascent lipoprotein particles.ApoA-I is a 28 kDa protein synthesized by the liver and small intestine. It plays a key role in the formation, metabolism, and catabolism of HDL, a plasma lipoprotein whose levels are highly linked to protection against the development of coronary artery disease, even in patients with very low LDL cholesterol levels (11). Formation of plasma HDL particles depends entirely on the initial lipidation of apoA-I by ABCA1 (12-14). Dimers of lipid-free or lipid-poor apoA-I acquire limited amounts of phospholipid and cholesterol from the membrane-bound ABCA1 transporter to form one of several classes of nascent HDL particles (15). Other classes of nascent HDL particles formed from this interaction contain more than two molecules of apoA-I per particle, with increased amounts of phospholipid and cholesterol (16)(17)(18).A second lipidation step essential for plasma HDL maturation is the activation of the enzyme LCAT by lipid-bound apoA-I. Activation of this enzyme results in the synthesis of cholesteryl esters on nascent HDL (19), providing a hydrophobic core and transforming the small, lipid-poor particle to a spherical lipid-rich HDL. Studies of human deficiencies have shown that if either ABCA1 or LCAT are inactive, plasma concentrations of HDL apoA-I are very low, owing to the rapid removal of the small lipid-poor HDL apoA-I from circulation (20,21). Thus, both of these two major apoA-I lipidation steps are absolutely essential for the formation of mature spherical plasma HDL and, to some extent, the functionality of the HDLs themselves (22-24).ApoA-I has...