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Chirality

Chirality

Chirality is a term that describes the lack of mirror symmetry in an object. In other words, chiral objects cannot be superposed on their mirror images. For example, our feet are chiral, as the mirror image of the left foot, the right foot, cannot be superposed on the left foot.
Chiral objects exhibit a sense of handedness when they interact with another chiral object. For example, our left foot can only fit in the left shoe and not in the right shoe. Achiral objects — objects that have...

Chirality in Nature

Chirality in Nature

Chirality is the most intriguing yet essential facet of nature, governing life’s biochemical processes and precision. It can be observed from a snail shell pattern in a macroscopic world to an amino acid, the minutest building block of life. Most of the snails around the world have right-coiled shells because of the intrinsic chirality in their genes. All the amino acids present in the human body exist in an enantiomerically pure state, except for glycine - the sole achiral amino acid.

Structural Protein Function

Structural Protein Function

Structural proteins are a category of proteins responsible for functions ranging from cell shape and movement to providing support to major structures such as bones, cartilage, hair, and muscles. This group includes proteins such as collagen, actin, myosin, and keratin.
Collagen, the most abundant protein in mammals, is found throughout the body. In connective tissue, such as skin, ligaments, and tendons, it provides tensile strength and elasticity. In bones and teeth, it mineralizes to...

Structural Protein Function

Structural Protein Function

Mechanical Protein Functions

Mechanical Protein Functions

Proteins perform many mechanical functions in a cell. These proteins can be classified into two general categories- proteins that generate mechanical forces and proteins that are subjected to mechanical forces. Proteins providing mechanical support to the structure of the cell, such as keratin, are subjected to mechanical force, whereas proteins involved in cell movement and transport of molecules across cell membranes, such as an ion pump, are examples of generating mechanical force.

Cholesterol: Significance and Regulation

Cholesterol: Significance and Regulation

Although not a source of energy, cholesterol plays a significant role as a foundational structure for bile salts, steroid hormones, and vitamin D, as well as being a crucial component of plasma membranes. Approximately 15% of blood cholesterol is derived from our diet, with the remainder synthesized from acetyl CoA by the liver and intestines. Cholesterol is eliminated from the body through its conversion into bile salts, which are eventually discarded in the feces.
Considering cholesterol and...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Differential Effects of Lipid-lowering Drugs in Modulating Morphology of Cholesterol Particles

Differential Effects of Lipid-lowering Drugs in Modulating Morphology of Cholesterol Particles

Published on: November 10, 2017

Chirality Effect on Cholesterol Modulation of Protein Function.

Jitendra D Belani¹

¹Thomas Jefferson University, College of Pharmacy, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Jitendra.belani@jefferson.edu.

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology

|January 17, 2019

Summary

Ent-cholesterol, a mirror image of natural cholesterol, acts as a probe to differentiate specific and non-specific interactions. This approach helps understand cholesterol

Keywords:

Cholesterol Enantiomer Stereospecificity Sterol–membrane interactions Synthesis ent-Cholesterol

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A Micropatterning Assay for Measuring Cell Chirality

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Enrichment of Mammalian Tissues and Xenopus Oocytes with Cholesterol

Enrichment of Mammalian Tissues and Xenopus Oocytes with Cholesterol

Published on: March 25, 2020

Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Biophysics
Cell Biology

Background:

Cholesterol is a vital lipid biomolecule in eukaryotic cell membranes, regulating fluidity and permeability.
It is crucial for the function of membrane proteins like ion-channels and GPCRs.
Cholesterol's interactions with cellular components are complex, involving both specific and non-specific mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the literature on ent-cholesterol as a probe for studying cholesterol's biophysical and biological interactions.
To explore how ent-cholesterol can help distinguish between specific and non-specific cholesterol interactions.
To understand the role of chirality in cholesterol-protein and cholesterol-lipid binding.

Main Methods:

Utilizing ent-cholesterol, the enantiomer of natural cholesterol (nat-cholesterol), as a molecular probe.
Comparing the effects of ent-cholesterol and nat-cholesterol in biological systems.
Analyzing the formation of diastereomeric complexes in specific binding interactions.

Main Results:

Ent-cholesterol exhibits identical physicochemical properties to nat-cholesterol.
Differences in biological effects between ent-cholesterol and nat-cholesterol indicate specific binding to chiral molecules.
This enantiomeric approach provides a method to discern specific from non-specific cholesterol interactions.

Conclusions:

Ent-cholesterol serves as a valuable tool for dissecting the complex interactions of cholesterol in biological systems.
The use of enantiomers is critical for understanding chiral recognition in molecular interactions.
Further research utilizing ent-cholesterol can elucidate cholesterol's precise roles in cellular function.