Abstract
PREVIOUS models1–3 for the interaction of phospholipid with cholesterol have been based on the idea of highly specific one-to-one complexes of these molecules. But on the basis of our interpretation of recent nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)4, electron spin resonance (ESR)5, calorimetric6, and X-ray7 data we propose a model in which steric interaction of the phospholipid hydrocarbon chains with the cholesterol molecule is the dominant feature. The validity of the model does not depend on a stoichiometric ratio, such as one-to-one, although it is consistent with such a ratio. The shape of the cholesterol molecule is such that variations in the length and degree of saturation of the phospholipid hydrocarbon chains can be readily accommodated within a stable bilayer structure.
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ROTHMAN, J., ENGELMAN, D. Molecular Mechanism for the Interaction of Phospholipid with Cholesterol. Nature New Biology 237, 42–44 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio237042a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio237042a0
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