The Evolution of Cholesterol-Rich Membrane in Oxygen Adaption: The Respiratory System as a Model

Abstract

The increase in atmospheric oxygen levels imposed significant environmental pressure on primitive organisms concerning intracellular oxygen concentration management. Evidence suggests the rise of cholesterol, a key molecule for cellular membrane organization, as a cellular strategy to restrain free oxygen diffusion under the new environmental conditions. During evolution and the increase in organismal complexity, cholesterol played a pivotal role in the establishment of novel and more complex functions associated with lipid membranes. Of these, caveolae, cholesterol-rich membrane domains, are signaling hubs that regulate important in situ functions. Evolution resulted in complex respiratory systems and molecular response mechanisms that ensure responses to critical events such as hypoxia facilitated oxygen diffusion and transport in complex organisms. Caveolae have been structurally and functionally associated with respiratory systems and oxygen diffusion control through their relationship with molecular response systems like hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF), and particularly as a membrane-localized oxygen sensor, controlling oxygen diffusion balanced with cellular physiological requirements. This review will focus on membrane adaptations that contribute to regulating oxygen in living systems.

Alteration of cholesterol content and oxygen level in intestinal organoids after infection with Staphylococcus aureus

“…This is also reported for lung tissues, where cholesterol-rich areas of the membrane were suggested to react to control the oxygen diffusion. 53 Our findings in Caco-2 cells also are in line with previous results, 54 which showed that 18 h exposure to hypoxia does not result in alteration in total cholesterol level of primary epithelial monolayer cells.…”

Stimulation of Surface Polysaccharide Production under Aerobic Conditions Confers Aerotolerance in Campylobacter jejuni

“…In particular, LPS makes the bacterial outer membrane impermeable to hydrophobic compounds ( 58 – 60 ), and so does LOS in C. jejuni ( 34 ). Oxygen, as a small nonpolar molecule, can freely diffuse across biological membranes ( 61 , 62 ). However, the hydrophilic polar headgroup regions of phospholipids are barriers to oxygen permeation through membranes ( 63 , 64 ).…”

Alveolar Dynamics and Beyond – The Importance of Surfactant Protein C and Cholesterol in Lung Homeostasis and Fibrosis

“…The last step oxygen encounters in its way to the rest of the organs is the erythrocyte membrane. Red blood cells present a rather high cholesterol content, which comprises a 1:1 phospholipid to cholesterol ratio (Zuniga-Hertz and Patel, 2019). In addition, it has been described that oxygen diffusion through red blood cell membranes is decreased in the presence of increased cholesterol content (Buchwald et al, 2000).…”