Lipid rafts and their analytical methods.

Lipid rafts, caveolae, and their endocytosis.

Lipid rafts are plasma membrane microdomains enriched in cholesterol and sphingolipids that are involved in the lateral compartmentalization of molecules at the cell surface. Internalization of ligands and receptors by these domains occurs via a process defined as raft-dependent endocytosis. Caveolae are caveolin-1-enriched smooth invaginations of the plasma membrane that form a subdomain of li...

Membrane lipid rafts and their role in axon guidance.

The plasma membrane of cells contains a variety of lipid and protein molecules that are often segregated and heterogeneously distributed in microdomains. Lipid rafts represent a generalized concept of membrane microdomains that are enriched in cholesterol and sphingolipids and, characteristically, resistant to cold detergent extraction. Lipid rafts have recently received considerable attention ...

Lipid rafts and their roles in T-cell activation.

Lipid rafts are defined as detergent-resistant membrane microdomains of specific lipid and protein composition. They are involved in many aspects of cell biology, including T-cell activation and immunoreceptor signaling. This review discusses current controversies around lipid rafts and summarizes recent developments in the area.

Lipid rafts and their possible involvements in neuroimmunological disorders.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica (NMO) are presumed to be an autoimmune disease in the central nervous system (CNS). Although lipids are most abundant components in the nervous system, it has been believed that cellular and/or humoral immunity to various myelin proteins causes these neuroinflammatory diseases. Recent research advances enable us to study lipids in the membranes a...

Cholesterol, lipid rafts, and disease.