结构生物学sturcture biology explore-55.pdfVIP

480 Insights into lipid raft structure and formation from experiments in model membranes Erwin London Rafts are sphingolipid/cholesterol-rich lipid domains believed and low-Tm phospholipids, it was thought that such to exist within certain eukaryotic cell membranes. Model membranes could be composed of co-existing solid-like membrane studies have been key to understanding the basic sphingolipid domains and fluid phospholipid domains [6]. physical principles behind raft formation. Recent fluorescence quenching studies have demonstrated that tight packing Despite this, and other hints from early studies (perhaps between sterols and sphingolipids is the driving force for raft the most noteworthy being the su estion that a sphin- formation, and have begun to decipher the rules governing golipid-rich detergent-insoluble membrane fraction how different molecules interact with rafts. isolated from erythrocytes might derive from special domains [7]), enthusiasm was dampened by a lack of Addresses sufficient evidence to convince most investigators that Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, and Department of such domains existed in cells. Furthermore, the behavior Chemistry, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, of cholesterol, a major component of plasma membranes, NY 11794-5215, USA; e-mail: Erwin.London@stonybrook.edu seemed to argue against the existence of domains. High Current Opinion in Structural Biology 2002, 12:480–486 levels of cholesterol suppressed the ability of the saturated lipid dipalmitoyl phosphatidylch