Structural information about organized cholesterol domains from specific antibody recognition

Cholesterol-rich domains have been observed to exist in cell membranes under physiological and pathological conditions. Their compositions and the microenvironment of their formation vary over a wide range. Very little information is however available on the molecular structure and organization of these domains. The techniques available to provide such structural information are reviewed here first. The possibility of using tailor-made antibodies as reporters of molecular organization in membranes is then considered. The concept of antibodies recognizing molecular organization rather than single molecular epitopes is established, reviewing the existing works on antibody and protein recognition of crystalline molecular arrays. The information that such antibodies could provide in cells is finally examined together with a proof of application. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V All rights reserved.