Unraveling the mystery surrounding cholesterol's condensing effect.
The results of nearest-neighbor recognition experiments that have been carried out with exchangeable dimers derived from 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine, in the presence of cholesterol, dihydrocholesterol, coprostanol, cholestane, cholesteryl methy ether, and sitosterol, provide strong support for a condensing mechanism in which the flexible acyl chains of the phospholipids complement, perfectly, the shape of neighboring sterols, thereby leading to a high number of hydrophobic contacts and tight packing.
Cao
Honghua
H
Department of Chemistry, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, USA.
Tokutake
Nobuya
N
Regen
Steven L
SL
D002784:Cholesterol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D007700:Kinetics; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D012855:Sitosterols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D010743:Phospholipids; D012855:Sitosterols; C025473:gamma-sitosterol; D002784:Cholesterol