ANSWERS: 1
  • Cholesterol helps to form the membranes surrounding the cells in your body, thereby preserving and maintaining proper cell function. Cholesterol keeps the membranes fluid and helps determine what molecules enter and exit the cell.

    Membrane Integrity

    The cholesterol molecule has a water-soluble side that faces the environment outside and inside the cell. The molecule's water-insoluble side faces the interior of the membrane. This design allows the external and internal borders to stay somewhat permeable, while the membrane interior prevents it from being too permeable to unwanted molecules.

    Membrane Fluidity

    Cholesterol keeps the fatty acid chains in the membrane separate, preventing them from crystallizing and becoming rigid.

    Stabilizing Proteins

    The function of proteins in the membrane depends largely on their structure, shape and size. Cholesterol helps them keep their proper conformation, thereby maintaining normal protein function.

    Cellular Communication

    Communication inside a cell and between cells depends on proteins. Their interaction with cholesterol allows cell signaling to take place, thereby maintaining normal metabolic processes.

    Nerve Transmission

    Myelin, the special membrane coating of nerve cells, has a large amount of cholesterol that assists in nerve development and the transmission of nerve signals. The absence of myelin or problems with myelin synthesis can lead to conditions like multiple sclerosis.

    Source:

    Cholesterol-and-health.com: Cholesterol's Importance to the Cell Membrane

    The Myelin Project: What is Myelin?

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