Why Do Cell Membranes Have Lipid Rafts?

💡 The Answer

• Lipid rafts are dynamic microdomains enriched with cholesterol and sphingolipids within the fluid membrane.
• They concentrate signaling proteins like receptors, allowing rapid and specific cellular responses.
• Pathogens such as viruses and bacteria often exploit lipid rafts to enter host cells.
• Malfunction of rafts is linked to neurodegenerative disorders and cancer progression.