title: Membrane cholesterol, protein phosphorylation, and lipid rafts.
abstract: The functions of cholesterol and membrane microdomains in transmembrane signaling remain controversial. Edidin discusses the questions surrounding lipid rafts, membrane microdomains that have been biochemically defined but are difficult to visualize in vivo. He also discusses whether experiments showing correlation of changes in plasma membrane cholesterol with differentiation and the formation of adherens junctions in endothelial cells are consistent with a model in which lipid rafts influence the regulation of these processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, 34th and Charles Streets, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. edidin@jhu.edu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Edidin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D002784:Cholesterol