1
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Wilson KJ, Nguyen HQ, Gervay-Hague J, Keller SL. Sterol-lipids enable large-scale, liquid-liquid phase separation in bilayer membranes of only 2 components. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.02.578692. [PMID: 38370758 PMCID: PMC10871287 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.02.578692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Despite longstanding excitement and progress toward understanding liquid-liquid phase separation in natural and artificial membranes, fundamental questions have persisted about which molecules are required for this phenomenon. Except in extraordinary circumstances, the smallest number of components that has produced large-scale, liquid-liquid phase separation in bilayers has stubbornly remained at three: a sterol, a phospholipid with ordered chains, and a phospholipid with disordered chains. This requirement of three components is puzzling because only two components are required for liquid-liquid phase separation in lipid monolayers, which resemble half of a bilayer. Inspired by reports that sterols interact closely with lipids with ordered chains, we tested whether phase separation would occur in bilayers in which a sterol and lipid were replaced by a single, joined sterol-lipid. By evaluating a panel of sterol-lipids, some of which are found in bacteria, we discovered a minimal bilayer of only two components (PChemsPC and diPhyPC) that robustly demixes into micron-scale, liquid phases. It suggests a new role for sterol-lipids in nature, and it reveals a membrane in which tie-lines (and, therefore, the lipid composition of each phase) are straightforward to determine and will be consistent across multiple laboratories. Significance Statement A wide diversity of bilayer membranes, from those with hundreds of lipids (e.g., vacuoles of living yeast cells) to those with very few (e.g., artificial vesicles) phase separate into micron-scale liquid domains. The number of components required for liquid-liquid phase separation has been perplexing: only two should be necessary, but more are required except in extraordinary circumstances. What minimal set of molecular characteristics leads to liquid-liquid phase separation in bilayer membranes? This question inspired us to search for single, joined "sterol-lipid" molecules to replace both a sterol and a phospholipid in membranes undergoing liquid-liquid phase separation. By producing phase-separating membranes with only two components, we mitigate experimental challenges in determining tie-lines and in maintaining constant chemical potentials of lipids.
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2
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Sharma KD, Doktorova M, Waxham MN, Heberle FA. Cryo-EM images of phase-separated lipid bilayer vesicles analyzed with a machine-learning approach. Biophys J 2024:S0006-3495(24)00291-1. [PMID: 38689500 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.04.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Lateral lipid heterogeneity (i.e., raft formation) in biomembranes plays a functional role in living cells. Three-component mixtures of low- and high-melting lipids plus cholesterol offer a simplified experimental model for raft domains in which a liquid-disordered (Ld) phase coexists with a liquid-ordered (Lo) phase. Using such models, we recently showed that cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) can detect phase separation in lipid vesicles based on differences in bilayer thickness. However, the considerable noise within cryo-EM data poses a significant challenge for accurately determining the membrane phase state at high spatial resolution. To this end, we have developed an image-processing pipeline that utilizes machine learning (ML) to predict the bilayer phase in projection images of lipid vesicles. Importantly, the ML method exploits differences in both the thickness and molecular density of Lo compared to Ld, which leads to improved phase identification. To assess accuracy, we used artificial images of phase-separated lipid vesicles generated from all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of Lo and Ld phases. Synthetic ground-truth data sets mimicking a series of compositions along a tieline of Ld + Lo coexistence were created and then analyzed with various ML models. For all tieline compositions, we find that the ML approach can correctly identify the bilayer phase with >90% accuracy, thus providing a means to isolate the intensity profiles of coexisting Ld and Lo phases, as well as accurately determine domain-size distributions, number of domains, and phase-area fractions. The method described here provides a framework for characterizing nanoscopic lateral heterogeneities in membranes and paves the way for a more detailed understanding of raft properties in biological contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karan D Sharma
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
| | - Milka Doktorova
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - M Neal Waxham
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas
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3
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McCarthy E, Manna RK, Damavandi O, Manning ML. Demixing in Binary Mixtures with Differential Diffusivity at High Density. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2024; 132:098301. [PMID: 38489657 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.132.098301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Spontaneous phase separation, or demixing, is important in biological phenomena such as cell sorting. In particle-based models, an open question is whether differences in diffusivity can drive such demixing. While differential-diffusivity-induced phase separation occurs in mixtures with a packing fraction up to 0.7 [S. N. Weber et al. Binary mixtures of particles with different diffusivities demix, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 058301 (2016)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.116.058301], here we investigate whether demixing persists at even higher densities relevant for cells. For particle packing fractions between 0.7 and 1.0 the system demixes, but at packing fractions above unity the system remains mixed, exposing re-entrant behavior in the phase diagram that occurs when phase separation can no longer drive a change in entropy production at high densities. We also find that a confluent Voronoi model for tissues does not phase separate, consistent with particle-based simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin McCarthy
- Department of Physics and BioInspired Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA
| | - Raj Kumar Manna
- Department of Physics and BioInspired Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA
| | - Ojan Damavandi
- Department of Physics and BioInspired Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA
| | - M Lisa Manning
- Department of Physics and BioInspired Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, USA
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4
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Sezgin E. Giant plasma membrane vesicles to study plasma membrane structure and dynamics. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2022; 1864:183857. [PMID: 34990591 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2021.183857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 12/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The plasma membrane (PM) is a highly heterogenous structure intertwined with the cortical actin cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix. This complex architecture makes it difficult to study the processes taking place at the PM. Model membrane systems that are simple mimics of the PM overcome this bottleneck and allow us to study the biophysical principles underlying the processes at the PM. Among them, cell-derived giant plasma membrane vesicles (GPMVs) are considered the most physiologically relevant system, retaining the compositional complexity of the PM to a large extent. GPMVs have become a key tool in membrane research in the last few years. In this review, I will provide a brief overview of this system, summarize recent applications and discuss the limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erdinc Sezgin
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Solna, Sweden.
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5
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Allender DW, Schick M. A Theoretical Basis for Nanodomains. J Membr Biol 2022; 255:451-460. [PMID: 35084528 DOI: 10.1007/s00232-021-00213-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
We review the current theories of nanodomain, or "raft," formation. We emphasize that the idea that they are co-exisiting Lo and Ld phases is fraught with difficulties, as is the closely related idea that they are due to critical fluctuations. We then review an alternate theory that the plasma membrane is a two-dimensional microemulsion, and that the mechanism that drives to zero the line tension between Lo and Ld phases is the coupling of height and composition fluctuations. The theory yields rafts of SM and cholesterol in the outer leaf and POPS and POPC in the inner leaf. The "sea" between rafts consists of POPC in the outer leaf and POPE and cholesterol in the inner leaf. The characteristic size of the domain structures is tens of nanometers.
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Affiliation(s)
- D W Allender
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.,Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
| | - M Schick
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
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6
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Yeast cells actively tune their membranes to phase separate at temperatures that scale with growth temperatures. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2116007119. [PMID: 35046036 PMCID: PMC8795566 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2116007119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Phase separation in membranes creates domains enriched in specific components. To date, the best example of micrometer-scale phase separation in the membrane of an unperturbed, living cell occurs in a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) organelle called the vacuole. Recent studies indicate that the phases are functionally important, enabling yeast survival during periods of stress. We discovered that yeast regulate this phase transition; the temperature at which membrane components mix into a single phase is ∼15 °C above the growth temperature. To maintain this offset, yeast may tune the level of ergosterol (a molecule that is structurally similar to cholesterol) in their membranes. Surprisingly, depleting sterols in vacuole membranes causes them to phase separate, in contrast to previous assumptions. Membranes of vacuoles, the lysosomal organelles of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast), undergo extraordinary changes during the cell’s normal growth cycle. The cycle begins with a stage of rapid cell growth. Then, as glucose becomes scarce, growth slows, and vacuole membranes phase separate into micrometer-scale domains of two liquid phases. Recent studies suggest that these domains promote yeast survival by organizing membrane proteins that play key roles in a central signaling pathway conserved among eukaryotes (TORC1). An outstanding question in the field has been whether cells regulate phase transitions in response to new physical conditions and how this occurs. Here, we measure transition temperatures and find that after an increase of roughly 15 °C, vacuole membranes appear uniform, independent of growth temperature. Moreover, populations of cells grown at a single temperature regulate this transition to occur over a surprisingly narrow temperature range. Remarkably, the transition temperature scales linearly with the growth temperature, demonstrating that the cells physiologically adapt to maintain proximity to the transition. Next, we ask how yeast adjust their membranes to achieve phase separation. We isolate vacuoles from yeast during the rapid stage of growth, when their membranes do not natively exhibit domains. Ergosterol is the major sterol in yeast. We find that domains appear when ergosterol is depleted, contradicting the prevalent assumption that increases in sterol concentration generally cause membrane phase separation in vivo, but in agreement with previous studies using artificial and cell-derived membranes.
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7
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Shi Y, Sezgin E, Chen W. Editorial: The Role of Biomembranes and Biophysics in Immune Cell Signaling. Front Immunol 2021; 12:740373. [PMID: 34630421 PMCID: PMC8498022 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.740373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yan Shi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute for Immunology, Beijing Key Lab for Immunological Research on Chronic Diseases, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.,Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Snyder Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Erdinc Sezgin
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Cell Biology and Department of Cardiology of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
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8
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Sych T, Gurdap CO, Wedemann L, Sezgin E. How Does Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation in Model Membranes Reflect Cell Membrane Heterogeneity? MEMBRANES 2021; 11:323. [PMID: 33925240 PMCID: PMC8146956 DOI: 10.3390/membranes11050323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Although liquid-liquid phase separation of cytoplasmic or nuclear components in cells has been a major focus in cell biology, it is only recently that the principle of phase separation has been a long-standing concept and extensively studied in biomembranes. Membrane phase separation has been reconstituted in simplified model systems, and its detailed physicochemical principles, including essential phase diagrams, have been extensively explored. These model membrane systems have proven very useful to study the heterogeneity in cellular membranes, however, concerns have been raised about how reliably they can represent native membranes. In this review, we will discuss how phase-separated membrane systems can mimic cellular membranes and where they fail to reflect the native cell membrane heterogeneity. We also include a few humble suggestions on which phase-separated systems should be used for certain applications, and which interpretations should be avoided to prevent unreliable conclusions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Erdinc Sezgin
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Solna, Sweden; (T.S.); (C.O.G.); (L.W.)
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9
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Abstract
Lateral organization in the plane of the plasma membrane is an important driver of biological processes. The past dozen years have seen increasing experimental support for the notion that lipid organization plays an important role in modulating this heterogeneity. Various biophysical mechanisms rooted in the concept of liquid-liquid phase separation have been proposed to explain diverse experimental observations of heterogeneity in model and cell membranes with distinct but overlapping applicability. In this review, we focus on the evidence for and the consequences of the hypothesis that the plasma membrane is poised near an equilibrium miscibility critical point. Critical phenomena explain certain features of the heterogeneity observed in cells and model systems but also go beyond heterogeneity to predict other interesting phenomena, including responses to perturbations in membrane composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas R Shaw
- Program in Applied Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA;
| | - Subhadip Ghosh
- Program in Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Sarah L Veatch
- Program in Applied Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA; .,Program in Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.,Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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10
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Barlow ST, Figueroa B, Fu D, Zhang B. Membrane Tension Modifies Redox Loading and Release in Single Liposome Electroanalysis. Anal Chem 2021; 93:3876-3882. [PMID: 33596378 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c04536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Here, we present a study of how liposomes are loaded and release their contents during their electrochemical detection. We loaded 200 nm liposomes with a redox mediator, ferrocyanide, and used amperometry to detect their collision on a carbon-fiber microelectrode (CFE). We found that we could control the favorability of their electroporation process and the amount of ferrocyanide released by modifying the osmolarity of the buffer in which the liposomes were suspended. Interestingly, we observed that the quantity of the released ferrocyanide varied significantly with buffer osmolarity in a nonmonotonic fashion. Using stimulated Raman scattering (SRS), we confirmed that this behavior was partly explained by fluctuations in the intravesicular redox concentration in response to osmotic pressure. To our surprise, the redox concentration obtained from SRS was much greater than that obtained from amperometry, implying that liposomes may release only a fraction of their contents during electroporation. Consistent with this hypothesis, we observed barrages of electrochemical signals that far exceeded the frequency predicted by Poisson statistics, suggesting that single liposomes can collide with the CFE and electroporate multiple times. With this study, we have resolved some outstanding questions surrounding electrochemical detection of liposomes while extending observations from giant unilamellar vesicles to 200 nm liposomes with high temporal resolution and sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel T Barlow
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700, United States
| | - Benjamin Figueroa
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700, United States
| | - Dan Fu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700, United States
| | - Bo Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700, United States
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11
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Luo Y, Maibaum L. Modulated and spiral surface patterns on deformable lipid vesicles. J Chem Phys 2020; 153:144901. [PMID: 33086800 DOI: 10.1063/5.0020087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigate the behavior of two-dimensional systems that exhibit a transition between homogeneous and spatially inhomogeneous phases, which have spherical topology, and whose mechanical properties depend on the local value of the order parameter. One example of such a system is multicomponent lipid bilayer vesicles, which serve as a model to study cellular membranes. Under certain conditions, such bilayers separate into coexisting liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered regions. When arranged into the shape of small vesicles, this phase coexistence can result in spatial patterns that are more complex than the basic two-domain configuration encountered in typical bulk systems. The difference in bending rigidity between the liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered regions couples the shape of the vesicle to the local composition. We show that this interplay gives rise to a rich phase diagram that includes homogeneous, separated, and axisymmetric modulated phases that are divided by regions of spiral patterns in the surface morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongtian Luo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Lutz Maibaum
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
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12
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Omar YAD, Sahu A, Sauer RA, Mandadapu KK. Nonaxisymmetric Shapes of Biological Membranes from Locally Induced Curvature. Biophys J 2020; 119:1065-1077. [PMID: 32860742 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In various biological processes such as endocytosis and caveolae formation, the cell membrane is locally deformed into curved morphologies. Previous models to study membrane morphologies resulting from locally induced curvature often only consider the possibility of axisymmetric shapes-an indeed unphysical constraint. Past studies predict that the cell membrane buds at low resting tensions and stalls at a flat pit at high resting tensions. In this work, we lift the restriction to axisymmetry to study all possible membrane morphologies. Only if the resting tension of the membrane is low, we reproduce axisymmetric membrane morphologies. When the resting tension is moderate to high, we show that 1) axisymmetric membrane pits are unstable and 2) nonaxisymmetric ridge-shaped structures are energetically favorable. Furthermore, we find the interplay between intramembrane viscous flow and the rate of induced curvature affects the membrane's ability to transition into nonaxisymmetric ridges and axisymmetric buds. In particular, we show that axisymmetric buds are favored when the induced curvature is rapidly increased, whereas nonaxisymmetric ridges are favored when the curvature is slowly increased. Our results hold relevant implications for biological processes such as endocytosis and physical phenomena like phase separation in lipid bilayers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannick A D Omar
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California.
| | - Amaresh Sahu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California.
| | - Roger A Sauer
- Aachen Institute for Advanced Study in Computational Engineering Science, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Kranthi K Mandadapu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California; Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California.
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13
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Direct imaging of liquid domains in membranes by cryo-electron tomography. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:19713-19719. [PMID: 32759217 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2002245117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Images of micrometer-scale domains in lipid bilayers have provided the gold standard of model-free evidence to understand the domains' shapes, sizes, and distributions. Corresponding techniques to directly and quantitatively assess smaller (nanoscale and submicron) liquid domains have been limited. Researchers commonly seek to correlate activities of membrane proteins with attributes of the domains in which they reside; doing so hinges on identification and characterization of membrane domains. Although some features of membrane domains can be probed by indirect methods, these methods are often constrained by the limitation that data must be analyzed in the context of models that require multiple assumptions or parameters. Here, we address this challenge by developing and testing two methods of identifying submicron domains in biomimetic membranes. Both methods leverage cryo-electron tomograms of ternary membranes under vitrified, hydrated conditions. The first method is optimized for probe-free applications: Domains are directly distinguished from the surrounding membrane by their thickness. This technique quantitatively and accurately measures area fractions of domains, in excellent agreement with known phase diagrams. The second method is optimized for applications in which a single label is deployed for imaging membranes by both high-resolution cryo-electron tomography and diffraction-limited optical microscopy. For this method, we test a panel of probes, find that a trimeric mCherry label performs best, and specify criteria for developing future high-performance, dual-use probes. These developments have led to direct and quantitative imaging of submicron membrane domains in vitrified, hydrated vesicles.
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14
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Recent Experiments Support a Microemulsion Origin of Plasma Membrane Domains: Dependence of Domain Size on Physical Parameters. MEMBRANES 2020; 10:membranes10080167. [PMID: 32731358 PMCID: PMC7465459 DOI: 10.3390/membranes10080167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
It is widely, but not universally, believed that the lipids of the plasma membrane are not uniformly distributed, but that “rafts” of sphingolipids and cholesterol float in a “sea” of unsaturated lipids. The physical origin of such heterogeneities is often attributed to a phase coexistence between the two different domains. We argue that this explanation is untenable for several reasons. Further, we note that the results of recent experiments are inconsistent with this picture. However, they are quite consistent with an alternate explanation, namely, that the plasma membrane is a microemulsion of the two kinds of regions. To show this, we briefly review a simplified version of this theory and its phase diagram. We also explicate the dependence of the predicted domain size on four physical parameters. They are the energy cost of gradients in the composition, the spontaneous curvature of the membrane, its bending modulus and its surface tension. Taking values of the latter two from experiment, we obtain domain sizes for several different cell types that vary from 58 to 88 nm.
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15
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Sarmento MJ, Hof M, Šachl R. Interleaflet Coupling of Lipid Nanodomains - Insights From in vitro Systems. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:284. [PMID: 32411705 PMCID: PMC7198703 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The plasma membrane is a complex system, consisting of two layers of lipids and proteins compartmentalized into small structures called nanodomains. Despite the asymmetric composition of both leaflets, coupling between the layers is surprisingly strong. This can be evidenced, for example, by recent experimental studies performed on phospholipid giant unilamellar vesicles showing that nanodomains formed in the outer layer are perfectly registered with those in the inner leaflet. Similarly, microscopic phase separation in one leaflet can induce phase separation in the opposing leaflet that would otherwise be homogeneous. In this review, we summarize the current theoretical and experimental knowledge that led to the current view that domains are – irrespective of their size – commonly registered across the bilayer. Mechanisms inducing registration of nanodomains suggested by theory and calculations are discussed. Furthermore, domain coupling is evidenced by experimental studies based on the sparse number of methods that can resolve registered from independent nanodomains. Finally, implications that those findings using model membrane studies might have for cellular membranes are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria J Sarmento
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova, Prague, Czechia
| | - Martin Hof
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova, Prague, Czechia
| | - Radek Šachl
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova, Prague, Czechia
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16
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Allender DW, Giang H, Schick M. Model Plasma Membrane Exhibits a Microemulsion in Both Leaves Providing a Foundation for "Rafts". Biophys J 2020; 118:1019-1031. [PMID: 32023433 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Revised: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We consider a model lipid plasma membrane, one that describes the outer leaf as consisting of sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine, and cholesterol and the inner leaf of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, and cholesterol. Their relative compositions are taken from experiment; the cholesterol freely interchanges between leaves. Fluctuations in local composition are coupled to fluctuations in the local membrane curvature, as in the Leibler-Andelman mechanism. Structure factors of components in both leaves display a peak at nonzero wavevector. This indicates that the disordered fluid membrane is characterized by structure of the corresponding wavelength. The scale is given by membrane properties: its bending modulus and its surface tension, which arises from the membrane's connections to the cytoskeleton. From measurements on the plasma membrane, this scale is on the order of 100 nm. We find that the membrane can be divided into two different kinds of domains that differ not only in their composition but also in their curvature. The first domain in the outer, exoplasmic leaf is rich in cholesterol and sphingomyelin, whereas the inner, cytoplasmic leaf is rich in phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylcholine. The second kind of domain is rich in phosphatidylcholine in the outer leaf and in cholesterol and phosphatidylethanolamine in the inner leaf. The theory provides a tenable basis for the origin of structure in the plasma membrane and an illuminating picture of the organization of lipids therein.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W Allender
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
| | - Ha Giang
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; Viettel Aerospace Institute, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - M Schick
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
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17
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Goodchild JA, Walsh DL, Connell SD. Nanoscale Substrate Roughness Hinders Domain Formation in Supported Lipid Bilayers. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2019; 35:15352-15363. [PMID: 31626551 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b01990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Supported lipid bilayers are model membranes formed at solid substrate surfaces. This architecture renders the membrane experimentally accessible to surface-sensitive techniques used to study their properties, including atomic force microscopy, optical fluorescence microscopy, quartz crystal microbalance, and X-ray/neutron reflectometry, and allows integration with technology for potential biotechnological applications such as drug screening devices. The experimental technique often dictates substrate choice or treatment, and it is anecdotally recognized that certain substrates are suitable for a particular experiment, but the exact influence of the substrate has not been comprehensively investigated. Here, we study the behavior of a simple model bilayer, phase-separating on a variety of commonly used substrates, including glass, mica, silicon, and quartz, with drastically different results. The distinct micron-scale domains observed on mica, identical to those seen in free-floating giant unilamellar vesicles, are reduced to nanometer-scale domains on glass and quartz. The mechanism for the arrest of domain formation is investigated, and the most likely candidate is nanoscale surface roughness, acting as a drag on the hydrodynamic motion of small domains during phase separation. Evidence was found that the physicochemical properties of the surface have a mediating effect, most likely because of the changes in the lubricating interstitial water layer between the surface and bilayer.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A Goodchild
- School of Physics and Astronomy , University of Leeds , Leeds LS2 9JT , U.K
| | - Danielle L Walsh
- School of Physics and Astronomy , University of Leeds , Leeds LS2 9JT , U.K
| | - Simon D Connell
- School of Physics and Astronomy , University of Leeds , Leeds LS2 9JT , U.K
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Balleza D, Mescola A, Marín-Medina N, Ragazzini G, Pieruccini M, Facci P, Alessandrini A. Complex Phase Behavior of GUVs Containing Different Sphingomyelins. Biophys J 2019; 116:503-517. [PMID: 30665697 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2018.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Revised: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the lateral organization of biological membranes plays a key role on the road to fully appreciate the physiological functions of this fundamental barrier between the inside and outside regions of a cell. Ternary lipid bilayers composed of a high and a low melting temperature lipid and cholesterol represent a model system that mimics some of the important thermodynamical features of much more complex lipid mixtures such as those found in mammal membranes. The phase diagram of these ternary mixtures can be studied exploiting fluorescence microscopy in giant unilamellar vesicles, and it is typically expected to give rise, for specific combinations of composition and temperature, to regions of two-phase coexistence and a region with three-phase coexistence, namely, the liquid-ordered, liquid-disordered, and solid phases. Whereas the observation of two-phase coexistence is routinely possible using fluorescence microscopy, the three-phase region is more elusive to study. In this article, we show that particular lipid mixtures containing diphytanoyl-phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol plus different types of sphingomyelin (SM) are prone to produce bilayer regions with more than two levels of fluorescence intensity. We found that these intensity levels occur at low temperature and are linked to the copresence of long and asymmetric chains in SMs and diphytanoyl-phosphatidylcholine in the lipid mixtures. We discuss the possible interpretations for this observation in terms of bilayer phase organization in the presence of sphingolipids. Additionally, we also show that in some cases, liposomes in the three-phase coexistence state exhibit extreme sensitivity to lateral tension. We hypothesize that the appearance of the different phases is related to the asymmetric structure of SMs and to interdigitation effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Gregorio Ragazzini
- Istituto Nanoscienze CNR, S3, Modena, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Matematiche e Informatiche, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | | | | | - Andrea Alessandrini
- Istituto Nanoscienze CNR, S3, Modena, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Matematiche e Informatiche, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
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Luo Y, Maibaum L. Phase diagrams of multicomponent lipid vesicles: Effects of finite size and spherical geometry. J Chem Phys 2018; 149:174901. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5045499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yongtian Luo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Lutz Maibaum
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
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20
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A Rationale for Mesoscopic Domain Formation in Biomembranes. Biomolecules 2018; 8:biom8040104. [PMID: 30274275 PMCID: PMC6316292 DOI: 10.3390/biom8040104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell plasma membranes display a dramatically rich structural complexity characterized by functional sub-wavelength domains with specific lipid and protein composition. Under favorable experimental conditions, patterned morphologies can also be observed in vitro on model systems such as supported membranes or lipid vesicles. Lipid mixtures separating in liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered phases below a demixing temperature play a pivotal role in this context. Protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions also contribute to membrane shaping by promoting small domains or clusters. Such phase separations displaying characteristic length-scales falling in-between the nanoscopic, molecular scale on the one hand and the macroscopic scale on the other hand, are named mesophases in soft condensed matter physics. In this review, we propose a classification of the diverse mechanisms leading to mesophase separation in biomembranes. We distinguish between mechanisms relying upon equilibrium thermodynamics and those involving out-of-equilibrium mechanisms, notably active membrane recycling. In equilibrium, we especially focus on the many mechanisms that dwell on an up-down symmetry breaking between the upper and lower bilayer leaflets. Symmetry breaking is an ubiquitous mechanism in condensed matter physics at the heart of several important phenomena. In the present case, it can be either spontaneous (domain buckling) or explicit, i.e., due to an external cause (global or local vesicle bending properties). Whenever possible, theoretical predictions and simulation results are confronted to experiments on model systems or living cells, which enables us to identify the most realistic mechanisms from a biological perspective.
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