Role of Cholesterol in Membrane Microdomain Signaling

摘要: In monolayers of synthetic mixtures phospholipids, sphingolipids, and free cholesterol (FC), the spontaneous formation FC/sphingolipid-rich domains has been shown (Dietrich et al., 2001, 2002). Over last decade, evidence accumulated that comparable structures are present in plasma membranes living cells (Anderson, 1998; Smart, al, 1999; Simons Toomre, 2000; Fielding Fielding, Parton, 2003). Because their lipid composition, membrane insoluble nonionic detergents (Brown London, 1998) on this basis have purified, together with a characteristic pattern associated proteins. Flotation fraction absence detergent purifies similar (Smart 1996). More recently, it become clear two distinct nonconvertible kinds microdomains (lipid rafts caveolae) (Iwabuchi Abrami 2001; Sowa 2001) both types preparations. The classes increasingly recognized to play divergent roles at cell surface.