Cholesterol, fatty acids and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

ANTOLLINI, S. S.; WENZ, J. J.; BARRANTES, F. J.

Signal transduction in nervous cells

Research Signpost

Lugar: Kerala, India; Año: 2009; p. 39 - 61

The boundary membrane lipid environment is a requisite partner of the AChR. Both the ion-channel function and the ligand-induced conformational transitions of the receptor are influenced by the lipid milieu. The exact contribution of lipid specificity and of the physical state of the membrane environments experienced by the AChR through its lifetime, and the influence of these factors on AChR function, are still not fully understood. In this Chapter we briefly review the interactions between lipids and the AChR protein, focusing on the effects of sterols -cholesterol in particular- and fatty acids.