Title:Cholesterol: A Prelate in Cell Nucleus and its Serendipity
Volume: 20
Issue: 9
Author(s): Nimisha Saxena*Nimai Chand Chandra*
Affiliation:
- Department of Biochemistry, KDMCH & Research Center, Akbarpur, Mathura - 281406,India
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Phulwarisharif, Patna - 801507,India
Keywords:
Cholesterol, LDL, LDL receptor, cell nucleus, cell proliferation, nuclear lipid.
Abstract: Cholesterol is a chameleon bio-molecule in cellular multiplex. It acts as a
prelate in almost every cellular compartment with its site specific characteristics viz.
regulation of structural veracity and scaffold fluidity of bio-membranes, insulation of
electrical transmission in nerves, controlling of genes by making steroid endocrines,
acting as precursors of metabolic regulators and many more with its emerging prophecy
in the cell nucleus to drive new cell formation. Besides the crucial legacy in cellular
functionality, cholesterol is ostracized as a member of LDL particle, which has been
proved responsible to clog blood vessels. LDL particles get deposited in the blood
vessels because of their poor clearance owing to the non-functioning LDL receptor on
the vessel wall and surrounding tissues. Blocking of blood vessel promotes heart attack
and stroke. On the other hand, cholesterol has been targeted as pro-cancerous
molecule. At this phase again cholesterol is biphasic. Although cholesterol is essential to
construct nuclear membrane and its lipid-rafts; in cancer tumour cells, cholesterol is not
under the control of intracellular feedback regulation and gets accumulated within cell
nucleus by crossing nuclear membrane and promoting cell proliferation. In precancerous
stage, the immune cells also die because of the lack of requisite concentration of
intracellular and intranuclear cholesterol pool. The existence of cholesterol within the cell
nucleus has been found in the nuclear membrane, epichromosomal location and
nucleoplasm. The existence of cholesterol in the microdomain of nuclear raft has been
reported to be linked with gene transcription, cell proliferation and apoptosis. Hydrolysis
of cholesterol esters in chromosomal domain is linked with new cell generation.
Apparently, Cholesterol is now a prelate in cell nucleus too ------ A serendipity in cellular
haven.
