Simons K, Ikonen E
Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
Science. 2000 Dec 1;290(5497):1721-6. doi: 10.1126/science.290.5497.1721.
Cholesterol plays an indispensable role in regulating the properties of cell membranes in mammalian cells. Recent advances suggest that cholesterol exerts many of its actions mainly by maintaining sphingolipid rafts in a functional state. How rafts contribute to cholesterol metabolism and transport in the cell is still an open issue. It has long been known that cellular cholesterol levels are precisely controlled by biosynthesis, efflux from cells, and influx of lipoprotein cholesterol into cells. The regulation of cholesterol homeostasis is now receiving a new focus, and this changed perspective may throw light on diseases caused by cholesterol excess, the prime example being atherosclerosis.
胆固醇在调节哺乳动物细胞膜特性方面发挥着不可或缺的作用。最近的研究进展表明，胆固醇主要通过维持鞘脂筏处于功能状态来发挥其许多作用。筏如何在细胞内促进胆固醇代谢和转运仍是一个未解决的问题。长期以来，人们一直知道细胞胆固醇水平是通过生物合成、细胞外流以及脂蛋白胆固醇流入细胞来精确控制的。胆固醇稳态的调节现在正受到新的关注，这种视角的转变可能会为由胆固醇过量引起的疾病带来启示，其中最典型的例子就是动脉粥样硬化。
