The effect of cholesterol on the morphology and reactivity of the mixture of lipids used in syphilis serology

APMIS : Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica, Et Immunologica Scandinavica
O OrumA Birch-Andersen

Abstract

The effect of increasing amounts of cholesterol on the morphology of the liposomes constituting the VDRL-antigen was studied. The morphological parameters examined were the shape of the lipoidal particles and especially the number of lamellae on each particle in the various mixtures of lipids studied. Cholesterol in the presence of cardiolipin and lecithin is observed as rhomboid crystals, indicating that the majority of the cholesterol is located exterior to the lamellar membranes of lecithin and cardiolipin. It is shown that the effect of cholesterol is to reduce the number of individual lamellae per liposome, mainly by mechanically dispersing the cardiolipin and lecithin on the surface of the cholesterol crystals. It is suggested that cholesterol has no effect on the structure of the epitopes which react with antibodies in sera from patients with syphilis, but that, as a result of the mechanical dispersion of cardiolipin and lecithin, it creates liposomes with more accessible epitopes.

References

Jul 1, 1975·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·G M Humphires, H M McConnell
Jun 1, 1965·Journal of Biochemistry·K InoueT Tomizawa
Apr 1, 1965·The Journal of Cell Biology·J M FRASCA, V R PARKS
Mar 1, 1951·The British Journal of Venereal Diseases·H SCHMIDT

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Citations

Jun 1, 1996·Genitourinary Medicine·G B Pham-KanterR C Ballard
Sep 4, 2009·The Korean journal of laboratory medicine·Yeong Sic KimSoo-Young Kim

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