Components of the lateral pressure in lipid bilayers deduced from HII phase dimensions

Absence of alka(e)nes triggers profound remodeling of glycerolipid and carotenoid composition in cyanobacteria membrane

Alka(e)nes are produced by many living organisms and exhibit diverse physiological roles, reflecting a high functional versatility. Alka(e)nes serve as waterproof wax in plants, communicating pheromones for insects, and microbial signaling molecules in some bacteria. Although alka(e)nes have been found in cyanobacteria and algal chloroplasts, their importance for photosynthetic membranes has remained elusive. In this study, we investigated the consequences of the absence of alka(e)nes on membrane lipid composition and photosynthesis using the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC6803 as a model organism. By following the dynamics of membrane lipids and the photosynthetic performance in strains defected and altered in alka(e)ne biosynthesis, we show that drastic changes in the glycerolipid contents occur in the absence of alka(e)nes, including a decrease in the membrane carotenoid content, a decrease in some digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) species and a parallel increase in monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) species. These changes are associated with a higher susceptibility of photosynthesis and growth to high light in alka(e)ne-deficient strains. All these phenotypes are reversed by expressing an algal photoenzyme producing alka(e)nes from fatty acids. Therefore, alkenes, despite their low abundance, are an essential component of the lipid composition of membranes. The profound remodeling of lipid composition that results from their absence suggests that they play an important role in one or more membrane properties in cyanobacteria. Moreover, the lipid compensatory mechanism observed is not sufficient to restore normal functioning of the photosynthetic membranes, particularly under high-light intensity. We conclude that alka(e)nes play a crucial role in maintaining the lipid homeostasis of thylakoid membranes, thereby contributing to the proper functioning of photosynthesis, particularly under elevated light intensities.

Modulation of a rapid neurotransmitter receptor-ion channel by membrane lipids

Membrane lipids modulate the proteins embedded in the bilayer matrix by two non-exclusive mechanisms: direct or indirect. The latter comprise those effects mediated by the physicochemical state of the membrane bilayer, whereas direct modulation entails the more specific regulatory effects transduced via recognition sites on the target membrane protein. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), the paradigm member of the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel (pLGIC) superfamily of rapid neurotransmitter receptors, is modulated by both mechanisms. Reciprocally, the nAChR protein exerts influence on its surrounding interstitial lipids. Folding, conformational equilibria, ligand binding, ion permeation, topography, and diffusion of the nAChR are modulated by membrane lipids. The knowledge gained from biophysical studies of this prototypic membrane protein can be applied to other neurotransmitter receptors and most other integral membrane proteins.

Molecular ruler mechanism and interfacial catalysis of the integral membrane acyltransferase PatA

Glycolipids are prominent components of bacterial membranes that play critical roles not only in maintaining the structural integrity of the cell but also in modulating host-pathogen interactions. PatA is an essential acyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannosides (PIMs), key structural elements and virulence factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We demonstrate by electron spin resonance spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance that PatA is an integral membrane acyltransferase tightly anchored to anionic lipid bilayers, using a two-helix structural motif and electrostatic interactions. PatA dictates the acyl chain composition of the glycolipid by using an acyl chain selectivity “ruler.” We established this by a combination of structural biology, enzymatic activity, and binding measurements on chemically synthesized nonhydrolyzable acyl–coenzyme A (CoA) derivatives. We propose an interfacial catalytic mechanism that allows PatA to acylate hydrophobic PIMs anchored in the inner membrane of mycobacteria, through the use of water-soluble acyl-CoA donors.

Lipid monolayer spontaneous curvatures: A collection of published values

Lipid monolayer spontaneous curvatures (or lipid intrinsic curvatures) are one of several material properties of lipids that enable the stored curvature elastic energy in a lipid aggregate to be determined. Stored curvature elastic energy is important since it can modulate the function of membrane proteins and plays a role in the regulatory pathways of phospholipid homeostasis. Due to the large number of different lipid molecules that might theoretically exist in nature, very few lipid spontaneous curvatures have been determined. Herein the values of lipid spontaneous curvatures that exist in the literature are collected, alongside key experimental details. Where possible, trends in the data are discussed and finally, obvious gaps in the knowledge are signposted.

Membrane fluidity adjusts the insertion of the transacylase PlsX to regulate phospholipid biosynthesis in Gram-positive bacteria

PlsX plays a central role in the coordination of fatty acid and phospholipid biosynthesis in Gram-positive bacteria. PlsX is a peripheral membrane acyltransferase that catalyzes the conversion of acyl-ACP to acyl-phosphate, which is in turn utilized by the polytopic membrane acyltransferase PlsY on the pathway of bacterial phospholipid biosynthesis. We have recently studied the interaction between PlsX and membrane phospholipids in vivo and in vitro, and observed that membrane association is necessary for the efficient transfer of acyl-phosphate to PlsY. However, understanding the molecular basis of such a channeling mechanism remains a major challenge. Here, we disentangle the binding and insertion events of the enzyme to the membrane, and the subsequent catalysis. We show that PlsX membrane binding is a process mostly mediated by phospholipid charge, whereas fatty acid saturation and membrane fluidity remarkably influence the membrane insertion step. Strikingly, the PlsX^L254E mutant, whose biological functionality was severely compromised in vivo but remains catalytically active in vitro, was able to superficially bind to phospholipid vesicles, nevertheless, it loses the insertion capacity, strongly supporting the importance of membrane insertion in acyl-phosphate delivery. We propose a mechanism in which membrane fluidity governs the insertion of PlsX and thus regulates the biosynthesis of phospholipids in Gram-positive bacteria. This model may be operational in other peripheral membrane proteins with an unprecedented impact in drug discovery/development strategies.

Analytical calculation of the lipid bilayer bending modulus

Bending and Gaussian moduli of a homogenious single-component lipid bilayer are calculated analytically using microscopic model of the lipid hydrocarbon chains. The approach allows for thermodynamic averaging over different chains conformations. Each chain is modeled as a flexible string with finite bending rigidity and an incompressible cross-section area. The interchain steric repulsion is accounted for self-consistently determined single-chain confining parabolic potential. The model provides a simple analytical expression for the membrane bending modulus, which falls within a range of experimental values. An observed dependence of the modulus on hydrocarbon chain length is also reproduced. Correspondence between our microscopic model and the membrane theory of elasticity is established.

Monogalactosyldiacylglycerol and digalactosyldiacylglycerol role, physical states, applications and biomimetic monolayer films

The relevance of biomimetic membranes using galactolipids has not been expressed in any extensive experimental study of these lipids. Thus, on the one hand, we present an in-depth article about the presence and role of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) in thylakoid membranes, their physical states and their applications. On the other hand, we use the Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) techniques to prepare biomimetic monolayers of saturated galactolipids MGDG, DGDG and MGDG:DGDG 2:1 mixture (MD)--biological ratio--. These monolayers are studied using surface pressure-area isotherms and their data are processed to enlighten their physical states and mixing behaviour. These monolayers, once transferred to a solid substrate at several surface pressures are topographically studied on mica using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and using cyclic voltammetry for studying the electrochemical behaviour of the monolayers once transferred to indium-tin oxide (ITO), which has good optical and electrical properties. Moreover, MD presents other differences in comparison with its pure components that are explained by the presence of different kinds of galactosyl headgroups that restrict the optimal orientation of the MGDG headgroups.

Amyloid-β (1-40) restores adhesion properties of pulmonary surfactant, counteracting the effect of cholesterol

A pulmonary surfactant (PS) is a thin lipid-protein film covering the surface of the lung alveoli at the air/liquid interface. The primary purpose of a PS is to control the surface tension of the air/liquid interface and to reduce the work of breathing. High levels of cholesterol in a PS are associated with life-threatening acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and acute lung injury (ALI). Finding therapeutics to counteract the effect of cholesterol in a PS is a matter of contemporary research. In our earlier work, we showed that the addition of amyloid-β (1-40) (Aβ40), the protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease, can reverse the detrimental effects of cholesterol in surfactants by improving multilayer formation and restoring PS surface active properties. We hypothesized that this phenomenon was due to Aβ40 improving adhesion properties of a surfactant. In this work we used atomic force spectroscopy to demonstrate that Aβ40 counteracts the adhesive properties of a PS compromised by high levels of cholesterol in a PS and helps to restore the functionality of a PS.

Regulation of LHCII aggregation by different thylakoid membrane lipids

In the present study the influence of the lipid environment on the organization of the main light-harvesting complex of photosystem II (LHCII) was investigated by 77K fluorescence spectroscopy. Measurements were carried out with a lipid-depleted and highly aggregated LHCII which was supplemented with the different thylakoid membrane lipids. The results show that the thylakoid lipids are able to modulate the spectroscopic properties of the LHCII aggregates and that the extent of the lipid effect depends on both the lipid species and the lipid concentration. Addition of the neutral galactolipids monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) seems to induce a modification of the disorganized structures of the lipid-depleted LHCII and to support the aggregated state of the complex. In contrast, we found that the anionic lipids sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) exert a strong disaggregating effect on the isolated LHCII. LHCII disaggregation was partly suppressed under a high proton concentration and in the presence of cations. The strongest suppression was visible at the lowest pH value (pH 5) and the highest Mg(2+) concentration (40 mM) used in the present study. This suggests that the negative charge of the anionic lipids in conjunction with negatively charged domains of the LHCII proteins is responsible for the disaggregation. Additional measurements by photon correlation spectroscopy and sucrose gradient centrifugation, which were used to gain information about the size and molecular mass of the LHCII aggregates, confirmed the results of the fluorescence spectroscopy. LHCII treated with MGDG and DGDG formed an increased number of aggregates with large particle sizes in the micromm-range, whereas the incubation with anionic lipids led to much smaller LHCII particles (around 40 nm in the case of PG) with a homogeneous distribution.

Lateral pressure profile, spontaneous curvature frustration, and the incorporation and conformation of proteins in membranes

Lipid-protein interactions are an important determinant of the stability and function of integral and transmembrane proteins. In addition to local interactions at the lipid-protein interface, global interactions such as the distribution of internal lateral pressure may also influence protein conformation. It is shown here that the effects of the membrane lateral pressure profile on the conformation or insertion of proteins in membranes are equivalent to the elastic response to the frustrated spontaneous curvature, c(o), of the component lipid monolayer leaflets. The chemical potential of the protein in the membrane is predicted to depend linearly on the spontaneous curvature of the lipid leaflets, just as does the contribution of the protein to the elastic bending energy of the lipid, and to be independent of the hydrophobic tension, gamma(phob), at the lipid-water interface. Analysis of the dependence of protein partitioning or conformational transitions on spontaneous curvature of the constituent lipids gives an experimental estimate for the cross-sectional intramembrane shape of the protein or its difference between conformations. Values in the region of 50-110 A(2) are estimated for the effective cross-sectional shape changes on the insertion and conductance transitions of alamethicin, and on the activation of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase or rhodopsin in lipid membranes. Much larger values are estimated for the mechanosensitive channel, MscL. Values for the change in intramembrane shape may also be used, together with determinations of lipid relative association constants, to estimate contributions of direct lipid-protein interactions to the lateral pressure experienced by the protein. Changes in chemical potential approximately 12 kJ mol(-1) can be estimated for radial changes of 1 A in a protein of diameter 40 A.

Nonbilayer lipids affect peripheral and integral membrane proteins via changes in the lateral pressure profile

Nonbilayer lipids can be defined as cone-shaped lipids with a preference for nonbilayer structures with a negative curvature, such as the hexagonal phase. All membranes contain these lipids in large amounts. Yet, the lipids in biological membranes are organized in a bilayer. This leads to the question: what is the physiological role of nonbilayer lipids? Different models are discussed in this review, with a focus on the lateral pressure profile within the membrane. Based on this lateral pressure model, predictions can be made for the effect of nonbilayer lipids on peripheral and integral membrane proteins. Recent data on the catalytic domain of Leader Peptidase and the potassium channel KcsA are discussed in relation to these predictions and in relation to the different models on the function of nonbilayer lipids. The data suggest a general mechanism for the interaction between nonbilayer lipids and membrane proteins via the membrane lateral pressure.

Folding patterns of membrane proteins: diversity and the limitations of their prediction

Significantly more high resolution structures of membrane proteins, obtained either by X-ray analysis, electron crystallographic methods or, in the future, by NMR spectroscopy, will be required for reliable structure predictions. Aberrations from the motifs of alpha-helical bundles and beta-barrels occur that are not easily identified by algorithms unless structural homologies exist in the data banks. The coexistence of secondary structure motifs, originally proposed for a neurotransmitter receptor, has now been confirmed for a bacterial iron-siderophore translocating protein (FhuA) by X-ray analysis to 2.7 A resolution. This protein contains a plug domain that has both alpha- and beta-structures.

Is the high propensity of ethanolamine plasmalogens to form non-lamellar lipid structures manifested in the properties of biomembranes?

Plasmalogens are glycerophospholipids characterized by an alk-1'-enylether bond in position sn-1 and an acyl bond in position sn-2. These ubiquitous etherlipids exhibit a different molecular structure as compared to diacyl phospholipids. The most peculiar change is a perpendicular orientation of the sn-2 acyl chain at all segments to the membrane surface. This extended conformation results in an effectively longer aliphatic chain in plasmalogen than in the diacyl analog. Moreover, the lack of the carbonyl oxygen in position sn-1 affects the hydrophilicity of the headgroup and allows stronger intermolecular hydrogen-bonding between the headgroups of the lipid. These properties favour the formation of non-lamellar structures which are expressed in the high affinity of ethanolamine plasmalogen to adopt the inverse hexagonal phase. Such structures may be involved in membrane processes, either temporarily, like in membrane fusion or locally, e.g. to affect the activity of membrane-bound proteins. The predominant distribution of ethanolamine plasmalogens in some cellular membranes like nerve tissues or plasma membranes and their distinctly different properties in model membranes as compared to diacyl phospholipids impose the question, whether these differences are also manifested in the heterogeneous environment of biological membranes. The integration of biophysical studies and biochemical findings clearly indicated that the high propensity of ethanolamine plasmalogen to form non-lamellar structures is reflected in several physiological functions. So far it seems to be evident that ethanolamine plasmalogens play an important role in maintaining the balance between bilayer and non-lamellar phases which is crucial for proper cell function. Furthermore, they are the major phospholipid component of inverse hexagonal phase inclusions in native retina and are able to mediate membrane fusion as demonstrated between neurotransmitter vesicles and presynaptic membranes.

Intrinsic curvature in normal and inverted lipid structures and in membranes

The intrinsic or spontaneous radius of curvature, R(o), of lipid monolayer assemblies is expressed in terms of a lipid molecular packing parameter, V/AI, for various geometries. It is shown that the equivalent lipid length, 1, in inverted hexagonal (HII) phases, defined by a cylindrical shell of equal total lipid volume, yields an expression for R o identical to that for inverted cylindrical micelles (or, equivalently, HII phases in the presence of excess hydrocarbon). This identity is used to obtain values of the effective packing parameter for various phosphatidylethanolamines. The temperature dependence of the intrinsic radius of curvature is predicted to be negative and to be considerably greater than that for the lipid length in nearly all cases. The thermal expansion coefficient is not constant but is found to vary, depending on the value of the lipid packing parameter. A possible addition rule is constructed for the intrinsic radius of curvature of lipid mixtures, based on the linear additivity of the effective molecular volumes, V, and molecular areas, A. This relation is found to hold for mixtures of dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine (DOPC) with dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine, and a value of R(o) of > or = 9 A (V/AI = 1.08) is obtained for DOPC. The energetics of the intrinsic curvature and lamellar-nonlamellar transitions are also discussed within the framework of the model.