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Cholesterol in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
For years, cholesterol was thought to only be in the outer membrane of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors -- receptor polypeptides that respond to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Simulations conducted at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications demonstrated the possibility that cholesterol -- colored yellow, orange and red in this graphic -- may actually bind to sites within the protein's transmembrane domain.
[Research supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. NCSA is supported in part by NSF.] (Date of Image: 2008)
Credit: Grace Brannigan, Temple University, and Jerome Henin
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