Role of Membrane Cholesterol Levels in Activation of Lyn upon Cell Detachment

• Main Authors: Takao Morinaga, Noritaka Yamaguchi, Yuji Nakayama, Masatoshi Tagawa, Naoto Yamaguchi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-06-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: cholesterol; Src-family kinases; subcellular localization; membrane distribution; Lyn activation; cell–scaffold interactions; cell detachment
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/19/6/1811

Cholesterol, a major component of the plasma membrane, determines the physicalproperties of biological membranes and plays a critical role in the assembly of membranemicrodomains. Enrichment or deprivation of membrane cholesterol affects the activities of manysignaling molecules at the plasma membrane. Cell detachment changes the structure of the plasmamembrane and influences the localizations of lipids, including cholesterol. Recent studies showedthat cell detachment changes the activities of a variety of signaling molecules. We previously reportedthat the localization and the function of the Src-family kinase Lyn are critically regulated by itsmembrane anchorage through lipid modifications. More recently, we found that the localization andthe activity of Lyn were changed upon cell detachment, although the manners of which vary betweencell types. In this review, we highlight the changes in the localization of Lyn and a role of cholesterolin the regulation of Lyn’s activation following cell detachment.