Cholesterol Chip for the Study of Cholesterol–Protein Interactions Using SPR

Cholesterol, an important lipid in animal membranes, binds to hydrophobic pockets within many soluble proteins, transport proteins and membrane bound proteins. The study of cholesterol–protein interactions in aqueous solutions is complicated by cholesterol’s low solubility and often requires organic co-solvents or surfactant additives. We report the synthesis of a biotinylated cholesterol and immobilization of this derivative on a streptavidin chip. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was then used to measure the kinetics of cholesterol interaction with cholesterol-binding proteins, hedgehog protein and tyrosine phosphatase 1B.