Cholesterol

Dr. Anna Bukiya’s PhD laboratory focuses on lipid modulation of ion channel function in excitable tissues and sensitivity to drugs. Dr. Bukiya’s work has been consistently funded by the NIH and private foundations, and she has published 43 original research articles, authored or co-authored 10 reviews, and 9 book chapters. Dr. Bukiya also co-edited two books and served as a sole editor on one book, all focused on the role of lipids in modulating protein function during normal physiology and pathological conditions. The Bukiya laboratory utilizes computational modelling of cholesterol-protein interactions, biochemical and fluorescence microscopy-based quantification of cellular cholesterol levels, rat models of high-cholesterol diet, and statin use to control cholesterol levels in vivo. Dr. Bukiya is a current member of several societies, including Biophysical Society, International Drug Abuse Research Society, and American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. Dr. Alex Dopico MD, PhD received his M.D. from the University of Buenos Aires, specializing in arterial hypertension. Following his Ph.D. in Pharmacology, he conducted postdoctoral training at UMass Worcester focusing on the regulation of ion channels by lipids and alcohols. Over two decades, the Dopico laboratory has addressed ion channel regulation by a wide variety of lipids, including fatty acids, leukotrienes, glycerophospholipids, PIP2 and related phosphoinositides, bile acids and other cholanes, pregnenolone and cholesterol itself. His studies on alcohol and toluene aim at determining the relative contribution of ion channels and their surrounding membrane lipids to drug action, addressing the impact of drug action on organ function, with a focus on cerebral arteries. In 2009, he received a Merit Award from NIAAA for his work on ethanol actions on slo1 channels. He is member of the National Advisory Committee on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism.

Part 1. Cholesterol Chemistry and Cell Function

1. Cholesterol chemistry, and laboratory synthesis Hélio M.T. Albuquerque, Clementina M.M. Santos, and Artur M.S. Silva

2. Molecular evolution of cholesterol and other higher sterols in relation to membrane structure Ole G. Mouritsen

3. Role of cholesterol in maintaining the physical properties of the plasma membrane Witold K. Subczynski, Marta Pasenkiewicz-Gierula, Justyna Widomska, and Natalia Stein

4. The fundamental interaction of cholesterol with lipid membranes: The umbrella model Juyang Huang

5. Model peptides and cholesterol István P. Sugár and Parkson Lee-Gau Chong

6. Cholesterol and ceramide: An unlikely pair Aritz B. García-Arribas, Alicia Alonso, and Félix M. Goñi

7. Cholesterol-recognizing amino acid consensus motifs in transmembrane proteins: Comparative analysis of in silico studies and structural data Fodil Azzaz, Henri Chahinian, Nouara Yahi, Coralie Di Scala, Carlos J. Baier, Francisco J. Barrantes, and Jacques Fantini

8. Effects of cholesterol on the GPCR AT1 receptor and its interplay with AT1 antagonists S. Kiriakidi, Z. Cournia, and T. Mavromoustakos

9. Principles of cholesterol regulation of ion channels Qiu-Xing Jiang and Irena Levitan

10. Fluorescent probes for microscopy visualization of cholesterol topography and dynamics in membranes Francisco J. Barrantes

11. Cholesterol transport in blood, lipoproteins, and cholesterol metabolism Mark T Mc Auley and Amy E Morgan

12. Common laboratory research methods for detection and quantification of cholesterol Anna N. Bukiya, Hanxuan Li, Steven Mysiewicz, and Wei Li

Part 2. Cholesterol Homeostasis and its disruption

14. Diet-induced hypercholesterolemia in small laboratory animal models Tina Herfel

15. Nutrition and cholesterol metabolism Ghada A. Soliman

16. Cholesterol and early development Isabella Ellinger and Waranya Chatuphonprasert

17. Clinical and biochemical diagnostic methods: What do blood lipid levels tell us? Marshall B. Elam

18. Familial hypobetalipoproteinemia and abetalipoproteinemia Francine K. Welty

19. Critical illness and cholesterol levels Zdenek Zadak

20. Familial hypercholesterolemia Shifa Jebari-Benslaiman, Unai Galicia-Garcia, Asier Larrea-Sebal, Kepa B. Uribe, Cesar Martin, and Asier Benito-Vicente

21. Niemann-Pic type C disease (NPC) Agnieszka Lugowska

22. Rare monogenic disorders of cholesterol metabolism Malgorzata Bednarska-Makaruk and Agnieszka Lugowska

23. Secondary (acquired) hypercholesterolemia Arrigo F.G. Cicero and Ivan R. Cincione

24. Blood lipids and molecular pathways of atherogenesis Ricardo Stein, Filipe Ferrari, and Vítor M. Martins

25. Lysosomal acid lipase: Roles in rare deficiency diseases, myeloid cell biology, innate immunity, and common neutral lipid diseases Gregory A. Grabowski and Hong Du

26. Cholesterol and pathogens Tatiana M. Clemente and Stacey D. Gilk

27. Involvement of cholesterol and ß-amyloid in the initiation and progression of Alzheimer’s disease Luis G. Aguayo, Jorge P. Roa, Carlos F. Burgos, and Juliana  Gonzalez-Sanmiguel

28. Cholesterol and alcohol Andrew S. Bell, Emma M. O’Connell, and Falk W. Lohoff

Part 3. Pharmacological Considerations and Perspectives

29. Cholesterol stiffening of lipid membranes and drug interactions: Insights from neutron spin echo and deuterium NMR spectroscopy Sudipta Gupta, Fathima T. Doole, Teshani Kumarage, Milka Doktorova, George Khelashvili, Rana Ashkar, and Michael F. Brown

30. Cholesterol in drug delivery systems DanRong Hu and ZhiYong Qian

31. Modification of vascular receptor pharmacology by cholesterol: From molecular determinants to impact on arterial function Alex M. Dopico, Anna N. Bukiya, and Kelsey C. North

32. Clinical strategies for reducing cholesterol levels Claude K. Lardinois and Samantha Karr

33. Medicinal chemistry and pharmacology of statins Bob M. Moore, II and George A. Cook

34. Cyclodextrins as promising therapeutics against cholesterol overload Florina Zakany, Tamas Kovacs, Lajos Szente, and Zoltan Varga

35. Hyperlipidemia and rheumatoid arthritis Aliki I. Venetsanopoulou, Paraskevi V. Voulgari, and Alexandros A. Drosos

36. Management of hypercholesterolemia in individuals living with HIV/AIDS Musaab Ahmed, Marium Ahmed, Dushyant Mital, and Mohamed H Ahmed