Yeast lipid rafts? – An emerging view

In various eukaryotes, sterol-rich membrane domains have been proposed to play an important role in polarization and compartmentalization of the plasma membrane. Several studies have reported the cellular distribution of sterols in genetically tractable yeast species and the identification of molecules that might regulate the localization of sterol-rich membrane domains. Here, we attempt to synthesize our understanding of the function and organization of these domains from the study of fungi and identify some outstanding issues.