The transport of nascent very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi determines their secretion by the liver and is mediated by a specialized ER-derived vesicle, the VLDL transport vesicle (VTV). Our previous studies have shown that the formation of ER-derived VTV requires proteins in addition to coat complex II proteins. The VTV proteome revealed that a 9-kDa protein, small valosin-containing protein-interacting protein (SVIP), is uniquely present in these specialized vesicles. Our biochemical and morphological data indicate that the VTV contains SVIP. Using confocal microscopy and co-immunoprecipitation assays, we show that SVIP co-localizes with apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB100) and specifically interacts with VLDL apoB100 and coat complex II proteins. Treatment of ER membranes with myristic acid in the presence of cytosol increases SVIP recruitment to the ER in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, we show that myristic acid treatment of hepatocytes increases both VTV budding and VLDL secretion. To determine the role of SVIP in VTV formation, we either blocked the SVIP protein using specific antibodies or silenced SVIP by siRNA in hepatocytes. Our results show that both blocking and silencing of SVIP lead to significant reduction in VTV formation. Additionally, we show that silencing of SVIP reduces VLDL secretion, suggesting a physiological role of SVIP in intracellular VLDL trafficking and secretion. We conclude that SVIP acts as a novel regulator of VTV formation by interacting with its cargo and coat proteins and has significant implications in VLDL secretion by hepatocytes.Aberrant secretion of very low density lipoproteins (VLDLs) from the liver contributes to the development of dyslipidemia, which constitutes a major risk factor for various metabolic disorders. A number of environmental and genetic factors have been identified that affect VLDL secretion. Insulin resistance is one of the most studied and a common factor that increases VLDL secretion from the liver as evident by both in vitro and in vivo studies (1-3). In contrast, hepatic infection with hepatitis C virus results in reduced VLDL secretion (4 -6). Although the significance of VLDL secretion and the factors affecting this process have been very well studied by numerous groups, the molecular mechanisms that control intracellular VLDL movement along the secretory pathway are poorly understood (7-9). We have adopted a proteomic, biochemical, and molecular approach to dissect the molecular machinery that controls intracellular VLDL trafficking and its eventual secretion (8, 10 -12).Several studies have shown that VLDLs are synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) 3 and exported to the Golgi for their maturation (13,14). The transport of nascent VLDLs from the ER to the Golgi determines the rate of their eventual secretion, and this step is mediated by a dedicated vesicular system that utilizes a unique vesicle, the VLDL transport vesicle (VTV), which buds off the hepatic ER (7-9...