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The effect of cholesterol on the morphology and reactivity of the mixture of lipids used in syphilis serology
Author(s) -
ØRum OLE,
Nielsen JØRN RIIS,
BirchAndersen AKSEL
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
apmis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0903-4641
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1990.tb00995.x
Subject(s) - cardiolipin , lecithin , cardiolipins , cholesterol , liposome , epitope , chemistry , morphology (biology) , antigen , egg lecithin , membrane , biochemistry , phospholipid , biology , immunology , genetics
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.