Barotropic phase transition between the lamellar liquid crystal phase and the inverted hexagonal phase of dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine

Homeocurvature adaptation of phospholipids to pressure in deep-sea invertebrates

Hydrostatic pressure increases with depth in the ocean, but little is known about the molecular bases of biological pressure tolerance. We describe a mode of pressure adaptation in comb jellies (ctenophores) that also constrains these animals' depth range. Structural analysis of deep-sea ctenophore lipids shows that they form a nonbilayer phase at pressures under which the phase is not typically stable. Lipidomics and all-atom simulations identified phospholipids with strong negative spontaneous curvature, including plasmalogens, as a hallmark of deep-adapted membranes that causes this phase behavior. Synthesis of plasmalogens enhanced pressure tolerance in Escherichia coli, whereas low-curvature lipids had the opposite effect. Imaging of ctenophore tissues indicated that the disintegration of deep-sea animals when decompressed could be driven by a phase transition in their phospholipid membranes.

Membrane fusion of phospholipid bilayers under high pressure: Spherical and irreversible growth of giant vesicles

Membrane fusion of giant vesicles (GVs) for binary bilayers of unsaturated phospholipids, dioleoylphosphatidyl-ethanolamine (DOPE) having an ability to promote membrane fusion, and its homolog dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) having an ability to form GV, was investigated under atmospheric and high pressure. While DOPC formed GVs in the presence of inorganic salts with a multivalent metal ion under atmospheric pressure, an equimolar mixture of DOPE and DOPC formed GVs both in the absence and the presence of LaCl3. We examined the change in size and shape of the GVs of this binary mixture in the absence and presence of LaCl3 as a function of time under atmospheric and high pressure. The size and shape of the GVs in the absence of LaCl3 under atmospheric and high pressure and those in the presence of LaCl3 under atmospheric pressure hardly changed with time. By contrast, the GV in the presence of LaCl3 under high pressure gradually changed in the size and shape with time on a time scale of several hours. Namely, the GV became larger than the original GV due to accelerated membrane fusion and its shape became more spherical. This pressure-induced membrane fusion was completely irreversible, and the growth rate was correlated with the applied pressure. The reason for the GV growth by applying pressure was considered on the basis of thermodynamic phase diagrams. We concluded that the growth is attributable to a closer packing of lipid molecules in the bilayer resulting from their preference of smaller volumes under high pressure. Furthermore, the molecular mechanism of the pressure-induced membrane fusion was explored by observing the fusion of two GVs with almost the same size. From their morphological changes, we revealed that the fusion is caused by the actions of Laplace and osmotic pressure.

Spectral phasor analysis of LAURDAN fluorescence in live A549 lung cells to study the hydration and time evolution of intracellular lamellar body-like structures

Using LAURDAN spectral imaging and spectral phasor analysis we concurrently studied the growth and hydration state of subcellular organelles (lamellar body-like, LB-like) from live A549 lung cancer cells at different post-confluence days. Our results reveal a time dependent two-step process governing the size and hydration of these intracellular LB-like structures. Specifically, a first step (days 1 to 7) is characterized by an increase in their size, followed by a second one (days 7 to 14) where the organelles display a decrease in their global hydration properties. Interestingly, our results also show that their hydration properties significantly differ from those observed in well-characterized artificial lamellar model membranes, challenging the notion that a pure lamellar membrane organization is present in these organelles at intracellular conditions. Finally, these LB-like structures show a significant increase in their hydration state upon secretion, suggesting a relevant role of entropy during this process.

How Do Membranes Respond to Pressure?

Bilayers formed by phospholipids are fundamental structures of biological membranes. The mechanical perturbation brought about by pressure significantly affects the membrane states of phospholipid bilayers. In this chapter, we focus our attention on the pressure responsivity for bilayers of some major phospholipids contained in biological membranes. At first, the membrane states and phase transitions of phospholipid bilayers depending on water content, temperature and pressure are explained by using the bilayer phase diagrams of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), which is the most familiar phospholipid in model membrane studies. Subsequently, the thermotropic and barotropic bilayer phase behavior of various kinds of phospholipids with different molecular structures is discussed from the comparison of their temperature--pressure phase diagrams to that of the DPPC bilayer. It turns out that a slight change in the molecular structure of the phospholipids produces a significant difference in the bilayer phase behavior. The systematic pressure studies on the phase behavior of the phospholipid bilayers reveal not only the pressure responsivity for the bilayers but also the role and meaning of several important phospholipids existing in real biological membranes.