25-Hydroxycholesterol Effect on Membrane Structure and Mechanical Properties
Open Access
- 4 March 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in International Journal of Molecular Sciences
- Vol. 22 (5), 2574
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22052574
Abstract
Cholesterol is responsible for the plasticity of plasma membranes and is involved in physiological and pathophysiological responses. Cholesterol homeostasis is regulated by oxysterols, such as 25-hydroxycholesterol. The presence of 25-hydroxycholesterol at the membrane level has been shown to interfere with several viruses’ entry into their target cells. We used atomic force microscopy to assess the effect of 25-hydroxycholesterol on different properties of supported lipid bilayers with controlled lipid compositions. In particular, we showed that 25-hydroxycholesterol inhibits the lipid-condensing effects of cholesterol, rendering the bilayers less rigid. This study indicates that the inclusion of 25-hydroxycholesterol in plasma membranes or the conversion of part of their cholesterol content into 25-hydroxycholesterol leads to morphological alterations of the sphingomyelin (SM)-enriched domains and promotes lipid packing inhomogeneities. These changes culminate in membrane stiffness variations.Keywords
Funding Information
- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PTDC/BBB-BQB/3494/2014, CEECIND/02961/2017)
This publication has 42 references indexed in Scilit:
- Membrane Lipid Composition: Effect on Membrane and Organelle Structure, Function and Compartmentalization and Therapeutic AvenuesInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2019
- Molecular Pathways Underlying Cholesterol HomeostasisNutrients, 2018
- Cell membrane modulation as adjuvant in cancer therapyCancer Treatment Reviews, 2016
- Membrane lipid therapy: Modulation of the cell membrane composition and structure as a molecular base for drug discovery and new disease treatmentProgress in Lipid Research, 2015
- Lipid Rafts, Caveolae, and Their EndocytosisInternational Review of Cell and Molecular Biology, 2010
- The liquid-ordered phase in membranesBiochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes, 2009
- How principles of domain formation in model membranes may explain ambiguities concerning lipid raft formation in cellsBiochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Cell Research, 2005
- Model Systems, Lipid Rafts, and Cell MembranesAnnual Review of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, 2004
- Mutant Mammalian Cells as Tools to Delineate the Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein Pathway for Feedback Regulation of Lipid SynthesisArchives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 2002
- Reconstituting the Barrier Properties of a Water-tight Epithelial Membrane by Design of Leaflet-specific LiposomesOnline Journal of Public Health Informatics, 2000