Application of electron microscopy to the study of plasma lipoprotein structure.

Publisher Summary Plasma lipoproteins are macromolecules composed of proteins and lipids. They perform the important function of transporting complex lipids in the plasma. The transported lipids are biologically important in the energy metabolism of tissues and in the structure of cell membranes. This chapter focuses on the morphological properties of lipoproteins as shown by various electron microscopic techniques including fixation and shadowing, fixation and sectioning, freeze-etching, and negative staining. It emphasizes on the isolated lipoprotein fractions because such fractions are physically and chemically well defined. The lipoprotein fractions are from human plasma. Lipoproteins isolated from plasma and serum appear to be identical in their chemical and physical properties. The chapter discusses the capabilities and the limitations of the various electron microscopic techniques in the analysis of lipoprotein structure. Studies on morphological aspects of lipid-protein interactions in plasma lipoproteins as well as in model systems containing specific lipids and proteins have been stimulated.