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Cholesterol asymmetry in synaptic plasma membranes

  1. W. Gibson Wood1,
  2. Urule Igbavboa1,
  3. Walter E. Müller2,
  4. Gunter P. Eckert2

Article first published online: 7 JAN 2011

DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2010.07017.x

Issue

Journal of Neurochemistry

Journal of Neurochemistry

Volume 116, Issue 5, pages 684–689, March 2011

Additional Information

How to Cite

Gibson Wood, W., Igbavboa, U., Müller, W. E. and Eckert, G. P. (2011), Cholesterol asymmetry in synaptic plasma membranes. Journal of Neurochemistry, 116: 684–689. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2010.07017.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, School of Medicine, Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

  2. 2

    Department of Pharmacology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

*Address correspondence and reprint requests to W. Gibson Wood, Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Jackson Hall 6-120, 321 Church St., Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. E-mail: woodx002@umn.edu

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 9 FEB 2011
  2. Article first published online: 7 JAN 2011
  3. Received July 30, 2010; revised manuscript received September 13, 2010; accepted September 15, 2010.

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Keywords:

  • aging;
  • apolipoprotein E;
  • asymmetry;
  • caveolin;
  • cholesterol;
  • lipid domains

J. Neurochem. (2011) 116, 684–689.

Abstract

Lipids are essential for the structural and functional integrity of membranes. Membrane lipids are not randomly distributed but are localized in different domains. A common characteristic of these membrane domains is their association with cholesterol. Lipid rafts and caveolae are examples of cholesterol enriched domains, which have attracted keen interest. However, two other important cholesterol domains are the exofacial and cytofacial leaflets of the plasma membrane. The two leaflets that make up the bilayer differ in their fluidity, electrical charge, lipid distribution, and active sites of certain proteins. The synaptic plasma membrane (SPM) cytofacial leaflet contains over 85% of the total SPM cholesterol as compared with the exofacial leaflet. This asymmetric distribution of cholesterol is not fixed or immobile but can be modified by different conditions in vivo: (i) chronic ethanol consumption; (ii) statins; (iii) aging; and (iv) apoE isoform. Several potential candidates have been proposed as mechanisms involved in regulation of SPM cholesterol asymmetry: apoE, low-density lipoprotein receptor, sterol carrier protein-2, fatty acid binding proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, P-glycoprotein and caveolin-1. This review examines cholesterol asymmetry in SPM, potential mechanisms of regulation and impact on membrane structure and function.

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