Cholesterol effects on nicotinic acetylcholine receptor: cellular aspects

Cholesterol is an essential partner of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR). It is not only an abundant component of the postsynaptic membrane but also affects the stability of the receptor protein in the membrane, its supramolecular organization and function. In the absence of innervation, early on in ontogenetic development of the muscle cell, embryonic AChRs occur in the form of diffusely dispersed molecules. At embryonic day 13, receptors organize in the form of small aggregates. This organization can be mimicked in mammalian cells in culture.