Sphingomyelin Acyl Chains Influence the Formation of Sphingomyelin- and Cholesterol-Enriched Domains.

ABSTRACT: The segregation of lipids into lateral membrane domains has been extensively studied. It is well established that the structural differences between phospholipids play an important role in lateral membrane organization. When a high enough cholesterol concentration is present in the bilayer, liquid-ordered (L_o) domains, which are enriched in cholesterol and saturated phospholipids such as sphingomyelin (SM), may form. We have recently shown that such a formation of domains can be facilitated by the affinity differences of cholesterol for the saturated and unsaturated phospholipids present in the bilayer. In mammalian membranes, the saturated phospholipids are usually SMs with different acyl chains, the abundance of which vary with cell type. In this study, we investigated how the

SUBMITTER: Engberg O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7474176 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature