Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-1-2016

Publication Title

Chemistry and Physics of Lipids

Volume

199

First Page

17

Keywords

Cholesterol, Lipid domains, Membrane dynamics, Membrane structure, Sterol

Last Page

25

Abstract

It is well known that cholesterol modifies the physical properties of lipid bilayers. For example, the much studied liquid-ordered Lo phase contains rapidly diffusing lipids with their acyl chains in the all trans configuration, similar to gel phase bilayers. Moreover, the Lo phase is commonly associated with cholesterol-enriched lipid rafts, which are thought to serve as platforms for signaling proteins in the plasma membrane. Cholesterol's location in lipid bilayers has been studied extensively, and it has been shown – at least in some bilayers – to align differently from its canonical upright orientation, where its hydroxyl group is in the vicinity of the lipid–water interface. In this article we review recent works describing cholesterol's location in different model membrane systems with emphasis on results obtained from scattering, spectroscopic and molecular dynamics studies.

DOI

10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2016.04.001

ISSN

00093084

E-ISSN

18732941

PubMed ID

27056099

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