The Chemical Potential of Plasma Membrane Cholesterol: Implications for Cell Biology

Biophysical Journal
Artem G Ayuyan, Fredric S Cohen

Abstract

Cholesterol is abundant in plasma membranes and exhibits a variety of interactions throughout the membrane. Chemical potential accounts for thermodynamic consequences of molecular interactions, and quantifies the effective concentration (i.e., activity) of any substance participating in a process. We have developed, to our knowledge, the first method to measure cholesterol chemical potential in plasma membranes. This was accomplished by complexing methyl-β-cyclodextrin with cholesterol in an aqueous solution and equilibrating it with an organic solvent containing dissolved cholesterol. The chemical potential of cholesterol was thereby equalized in the two phases. Because cholesterol is dilute in the organic phase, here activity and concentration were equivalent. This equivalence allowed the amount of cholesterol bound to methyl-β-cyclodextrin to be converted to cholesterol chemical potential. Our method was used to determine the chemical potential of cholesterol in erythrocytes and in plasma membranes of nucleated cells in culture. For erythrocytes, the chemical potential did not vary when the concentration was below a critical value. Above this value, the chemical potential progressively increased with concentration. We used s...Continue Reading

Citations

Feb 6, 2020·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Eugenia CammarotaPietro Cicuta
Nov 21, 2018·The Journal of General Physiology·Ofer KimchiBenjamin B Machta
Sep 16, 2020·Traffic·Yvonne Lange, Theodore L Steck
Sep 6, 2020·Chemistry and Physics of Lipids·Swapnil BaralEdward Lyman
Mar 13, 2021·Annual Review of Physical Chemistry·Thomas R ShawSarah L Veatch
Aug 17, 2020·Biophysical Journal·Thomas R Shaw, Sarah L Veatch

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