abetalipoproteinemia or (Brit.) abetalipoproteinaemia an autosomal recessive disorder in which plasma lipoproteins lack apolipoprotein B. There is defective assembly and secretion both of chylomicrons in intestinal mucosa and of very-low-density lipoproteins in the liver. The cause is a deficiency of the 88 kDa subunit of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein.
