Apical and basolateral plasma membranes in epithelial cells have distinct lipidomes and biophysical properties.

ABSTRACT: Epithelial cell polarization is essential for many physiological processes, including tissue morphogenesis, nutrient absorption, barrier integrity, and directional secretion. A defining feature of such polarization is the separation of plasma membrane lipids and proteins into distinct apical and basolateral compartments. It has long been suggested that the apical compartment is rich in glycolipids and cholesterol and that this composition arises through trafficking of self-assembled membrane domains (termed lipid rafts). However, neither the detailed composition nor the mechanisms of protein and lipid sorting between plasma membrane compartments in epithelial cells have been fully resolved. Particularly, the lipid profile of the basolateral membrane, and consequently the lipid disparity be

SUBMITTER: Shurer CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12667887 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature