Effects of chemical modification of sphingomyelin ammonium group on formation of liquid-ordered phase

A progesterone derivative linked to a stable phospholipid activates breast cancer cell response without leaving the cell membrane

In hormone-responsive breast cancer cells, progesterone (P4) has been shown to act via its nuclear receptor (nPR), a ligand-activated transcription factor. A small fraction of progesterone receptor is palmitoylated and anchored to the cell membrane (mbPR) forming a complex with estrogen receptor alpha (ERα). Upon hormone exposure, either directly or via interaction with ERα, mbPR activates the SRC/RAS/ERK kinase pathway leading to phosphorylation of nPR by ERK. Kinase activation is essential for P4 gene regulation, as the ERK and MSK1 kinases are recruited by the nPR to its genomic binding sites and trigger chromatin remodeling. An interesting open question is whether activation of mbPR can result in gene regulation in the absence of ligand binding to intracellular progesterone receptor (iPR). This matter has been investigated in the past using P4 attached to serum albumin, but the attachment is leaky and albumin can be endocytosed and degraded, liberating P4. Here, we propose a more stringent approach to address this issue by ensuring attachment of P4 to the cell membrane via covalent binding to a stable phospholipid. This strategy identifies the actions of P4 independent from hormone binding to iPR. We found that a membrane-attached progestin can activate mbPR, the ERK signaling pathway leading to iPR phosphorylation, initial gene regulation and entry into the cell cycle, in the absence of detectable intracellular progestin.

Assembly formation of minor dihydrosphingomyelin in sphingomyelin-rich ordered membrane domains

The lipidome of mammalian cells not only contain sphingomyelin (SM) but also, as a minor component, dihydrosphongomyelin (DHSM), in which the double bond at C4–C5 in the sphingosine base is reduced to a single-bond linkage. It has been indicated that DHSM forms ordered domains more effectively than SM due to its greater potential to induce intermolecular hydrogen bonds. However, direct information on partition and dynamic behaviors of DHSM in raft-like liquid-ordered (L_o) and non-raft-like liquid-disordered (L_d) phase-segregated membranes has been lacking. In the present study, we prepared fluorescent derivatives of DHSM and compared their behaviors to those of fluorescent SM and phosphatidylcholine (PC) derivatives. Fluorescence microscopy showed that DHSM is more preferentially localized to the L_o domains in the L_o/L_d phase-segregated giant unilamellar vesicles than SM and PC. Most importantly, diffusion coefficient measurements indicated that DHSM molecules form DHSM-condensed assembly inside the SM-rich L_o domain of the SM/dioleoylphosphatidylcholine/cholesterol system even when DHSM accounts for 1–3.3 mol% of total lipids. Such heterogeneous distribution of DHSM in the SM-rich L_o domains was further confirmed by inter-lipid FRET experiments. This study provides new insights into the biological functions and significance of minor component DHSM in lipid rafts.

Raft-based sphingomyelin interactions revealed by new fluorescent sphingomyelin analogs

Sphingomyelin (SM) has been proposed to form cholesterol-dependent raft domains and sphingolipid domains in the plasma membrane (PM). How SM contributes to the formation and function of these domains remains unknown, primarily because of the scarcity of suitable fluorescent SM analogs. We developed new fluorescent SM analogs by conjugating a hydrophilic fluorophore to the SM choline headgroup without eliminating its positive charge, via a hydrophilic nonaethylene glycol linker. The new analogs behaved similarly to the native SM in terms of their partitioning behaviors in artificial liquid order-disorder phase-separated membranes and detergent-resistant PM preparations. Single fluorescent molecule tracking in the live-cell PM revealed that they indirectly interact with each other in cholesterol- and sphingosine backbone-dependent manners, and that, for ∼10-50 ms, they undergo transient colocalization-codiffusion with a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein, CD59 (in monomers, transient-dimer rafts, and clusters), in CD59-oligomer size-, cholesterol-, and GPI anchoring-dependent manners. These results suggest that SM continually and rapidly exchanges between CD59-associated raft domains and the bulk PM.

Novel Raman-tagged sphingomyelin that closely mimics original raft-forming behavior

Three Raman probes of sphingomyelin (SM) were synthesized and evaluated for their applicability to imaging experiments. One probe containing a hydroxymethyl-1,3-butadiyne moiety in the polar head group showed strong scattering. The solid-state (2)H NMR spectra of this probe in oriented bilayer membrane revealed excellent compatibility with natural SM in phase behavior since the probe undergoes phase separation to form raft-like liquid ordered (Lo) domains in the raft-mimicking mixed bilayers.

Agomelatine strongly interacts with zwitterionic DPPC and charged DPPG membranes

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric diseases in the population. Agomelatine is a novel antidepressant drug with melatonin receptor agonistic and serotonin 5-HT2C antagonistic properties. Furthermore, being a melatonergic drug, agomelatine has the potential of being used in therapeutic applications like melatonin as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic drug. The action mechanism of agomelatine on the membrane structure has not been clarified yet. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the interaction of agomelatine with model membranes of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylgylcerol (DPPG) by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). We found that agomelatine interacts with the head group in such a manner that it destabilizes the membrane architecture to a large extent. Thus, agomelatine causes alterations in the order, packing and dynamics of the DPPC and DPPG model membranes. Our results suggest that agomelatine strongly interacts with zwitterionic and charged membrane phospholipids. Because lipid structure and dynamics may have influence on the structure of membrane bound proteins and affect the signal transduction systems of membranes, these effects of agomelatine may be important in its action mechanism.

Practical labeling methodology for choline-derived lipids and applications in live cell fluorescence imaging

Lipids of the plasma membrane participate in a variety of biological processes, and methods to probe their function and cellular location are essential to understanding biochemical mechanisms. Previous reports have established that phosphocholine-containing lipids can be labeled by alkyne groups through metabolic incorporation. Herein, we have tested alkyne, azide and ketone-containing derivatives of choline as metabolic labels of choline-containing lipids in cells. We also show that 17-octadecynoic acid can be used as a complementary metabolic label for lipid acyl chains. We provide methods for the synthesis of cyanine-based dyes that are reactive with alkyne, azide and ketone metabolic labels. Using an improved method for fluorophore conjugation to azide or alkyne-modified lipids by Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), we apply this methodology in cells. Lipid-labeled cell membranes were then interrogated using flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, we explored the utility of this labeling strategy for use in live cell experiments. We demonstrate measurements of lipid dynamics (lateral mobility) by fluorescence photobleaching recovery (FPR). In addition, we show that adhesion of cells to specific surfaces can be accomplished by chemically linking membrane lipids to a functionalized surface. The strategies described provide robust methods for introducing bioorthogonal labels into native lipids.

Molecular properties of various structurally defined sphingomyelins -- correlation of structure with function

Sphingomyelins are important phospholipids in plasma membranes of most cells. Because of their dominantly saturated nature, they affect the lateral structure of membranes, and contribute to the regulation of cholesterol distribution within membranes, and in cells. However, the abundance of molecular species present in cells also implies that sphingomyelins have other, more specific functions. Many of these functions are currently unknown, but are under extensive study. Mostly model membrane studies have shown that sphingomyelins (and other sphingolipids), in contrast to glycerophospholipids, have important hydrogen bonding properties which in several important ways confer specific functional properties to this abundant class of membrane phospholipids. The often very asymmetric nature of sphingomyelins, arising from mismatch in length between the long chain base and N-acyl chains, also impose specific properties (e.g., interdigitation) to sphingomyelins not seen with glycerophospholipids. In this review, the latest sphingomyelin literature will be scrutinized, and an effort will be made to correlate the molecular structure of sphingomyelin with functional properties. In particular, the effects of head group properties, interfacial hydrogen bonding, long chain base hydroxylation, N-acyl chain hydroxylation, and N-acyl chain methyl-branching will be discussed.