The formation of sphingolipid-cholesterol microdomains in cellular membranes has been
proposed to function in sorting and transport of lipids and proteins as well as in signal
transduction. An increasing number of cell biological and biochemical studies now supports
this concept. Here we discuss the structural properties of lipids in a cell biological context.
The sphingolipid-cholesterol microdomains or rafts are described as dispersed liquid
ordered phase domains. These domains are dynamic assemblies to which specific proteins …