Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026

Preparation of Synaptic Plasma Membrane and Postsynaptic Density Proteins Using a Discontinuous Sucrose Gradient
Published on: September 3, 2014
Cholesterol and phospholipids in frontal cortex and synaptosomes of suicide completers: relationship with endosomal
Erika Freemantle1, Naguib Mechawar, Gustavo Turecki
1Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Abstract:
Cholesterol (CHL) and phospholipid (PL) levels in synaptosomal membranes in particular can have an impact on cell signalling. Alterations in peripheral CHL measures have been consistently reported in suicidal behaviour. As CHL and PL turnover in the brain are important in synapse maintenance and function, the objective of this study was to determine if differences exist in synaptosomal cholesterol and phospholipid levels between suicide completers and controls. Expression measures of genes involved in lipid trafficking suggest an association between Lysosomal acid lipase A, cholesteryl ester hydrolase (LIPA) and brain PL levels, with LIPA being significantly increased in violent suicides and associated with alterations in brain PL. The results of this study suggest an altered PL content mediated by LIPA expression in violent suicides in the prefrontal cortex, which would have important consequences for inhibitory neurotransmission.
Related Concept Videos
Synthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in the ER Membrane
The major components of all eukaryotic cell...
Membrane Lipids
Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin are the most common phospholipids present in mammalian membranes. At physiological pH, phosphatidylserine is negatively charged, while the other three...
Cholesterol: Significance and Regulation
Considering cholesterol and...
Fusion of Secretory Vesicles with the Plasma Membrane
In 1993, Jim Rothman proposed that the antiparallel pairing of vesicular and transmembrane SNAREs, or...
Biosynthesis of Lipids
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...

