Bad cholesterol carrier: visualization technique reveals unusual shape

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley Research Laboratory and Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute have developed a new 3-D technique called individual particle electron tomography (IPET), allowing them to visualize the carriers of cholesterol. Their research has revealed a unique polyhedral shape to very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), implicated in the development of cardiovascular disease. This discovery in shape can direct future studies into how flat faces and sharp edges of these molecules affect cholesterol transport and lead to disease

Paper : Polyhedral 3D structure of human plasma very low density lipoproteins by individual particle cryo-electron tomography

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