CHIMs are versatile cholesterol analogs mimicking and visualizing cholesterol behavior in lipid bilayers and cells.

ABSTRACT: Cholesterol is an essential component of cellular membranes regulating the structural integrity and fluidity of biological bilayers and cellular processes such as signal transduction and membrane trafficking. However, tools to investigate the role and dynamics of cholesterol in live cells are still scarce and often show limited applicability. To address this, we previously developed a class of imidazolium-based cholesterol analogs, CHIMs. Here we confirm that CHIM membrane integration characteristics largely mimic those of cholesterol. Computational studies in simulated phospholipid bilayers and biophysical analyses of model membranes reveal that in biologically relevant systems CHIMs behave similarly to natural cholesterol. Importantly, the analogs can functionally replace cholesterol in

SUBMITTER: Matos ALL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8196198 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature