Dynamic receptor superstructures at the plasma membrane

A Brief Introduction to Some Aspects of the Fluid-Mosaic Model of Cell Membrane Structure and Its Importance in Membrane Lipid Replacement

Early cell membrane models placed most proteins external to lipid bilayers in trimolecular structures or as modular lipoprotein units. These thermodynamically untenable structures did not allow lipid lateral movements independent of membrane proteins. The Fluid-Mosaic Membrane Model accounted for these and other properties, such as membrane asymmetry, variable lateral mobilities of membrane components and their associations with dynamic complexes. Integral membrane proteins can transform into globular structures that are intercalated to various degrees into a heterogeneous lipid bilayer matrix. This simplified version of cell membrane structure was never proposed as the ultimate biomembrane description, but it provided a basic nanometer scale framework for membrane organization. Subsequently, the structures associated with membranes were considered, including peripheral membrane proteins, and cytoskeletal and extracellular matrix components that restricted lateral mobility. In addition, lipid-lipid and lipid-protein membrane domains, essential for cellular signaling, were proposed and eventually discovered. The presence of specialized membrane domains significantly reduced the extent of the fluid lipid matrix, so membranes have become more mosaic with some fluid areas over time. However, the fluid regions of membranes are very important in lipid transport and exchange. Various lipid globules, droplets, vesicles and other membranes can fuse to incorporate new lipids or expel damaged lipids from membranes, or they can be internalized in endosomes that eventually fuse with other internal vesicles and membranes. They can also be externalized in a reverse process and released as extracellular vesicles and exosomes. In this Special Issue, the use of membrane phospholipids to modify cellular membranes in order to modulate clinically relevant host properties is considered.

Proteins on Supported Lipid Bilayers Diffusing around Proteins Fixed on Acrylate Anchors

Mobility of proteins and lipids plays a major role in physiological processes. Platforms which were developed to study protein interaction between immobilized and mobile proteins suffer from shortcomings such as fluorescence quenching or complicated fabrication methods. Here we report a versatile platform comprising immobilized histidine-tagged proteins and biotinylated proteins in a mobile phase. Importantly, multiphoton photolithography was used for easy and fast fabrication of the platform and allows, in principle, extension of its application to three dimensions. The platform, which is made up of functionalized polymer structures embedded in a mobile lipid bilayer, shows low background fluorescence and allows for mobility of arbitrary proteins.

The structure and function of cell membranes studied by atomic force microscopy

The cell membrane, involved in almost all communications of cells and surrounding matrix, is one of the most complicated components of cells. Lack of suitable methods for the detection of cell membranes in vivo has sparked debates on the biochemical composition and structure of cell membranes over half a century. The development of single molecule techniques, such as AFM, SMFS, and TREC, provides a versatile platform for imaging and manipulating cell membranes in biological relevant environments. Here, we discuss the latest developments in AFM and the progress made in cell membrane research. In particular, we highlight novel structure models and dynamic processes, including the mechanical properties of the cell membranes.

Lipid Regulated Intramolecular Conformational Dynamics of SNARE-Protein Ykt6

Cellular informational and metabolic processes are propagated with specific membrane fusions governed by soluble N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNARE). SNARE protein Ykt6 is highly expressed in brain neurons and plays a critical role in the membrane-trafficking process. Studies suggested that Ykt6 undergoes a conformational change at the interface between its longin domain and the SNARE core. In this work, we study the conformational state distributions and dynamics of rat Ykt6 by means of single-molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET) and Fluorescence Cross-Correlation Spectroscopy (FCCS). We observed that intramolecular conformational dynamics between longin domain and SNARE core occurred at the timescale ~200 μs. Furthermore, this dynamics can be regulated and even eliminated by the presence of lipid dodecylphoshpocholine (DPC). Our molecular dynamic (MD) simulations have shown that, the SNARE core exhibits a flexible structure while the longin domain retains relatively stable in apo state. Combining single molecule experiments and theoretical MD simulations, we are the first to provide a quantitative dynamics of Ykt6 and explain the functional conformational change from a qualitative point of view.

Membrane microdomains: from seeing to understanding

The plasma membrane is a composite material, which forms a semi-permeable barrier and an interface for communication between the intracellular and extracellular environments. While the existence of membrane microdomains with nanoscale organization has been proved by the application of numerous biochemical and physical methods, direct observation of these heterogeneities using optical microscopy has remained challenging for decades, partly due to the optical diffraction limit, which restricts the resolution to ~200 nm. During the past years, new optical methods which circumvent this fundamental limit have emerged. Not only do these techniques allow direct visualization, but also quantitative characterization of nanoscopic structures. We discuss how these emerging optical methods have refined our knowledge of membrane microdomains and how they may shed light on the basic principles of the mesoscopic membrane organization.

Update of the 1972 Singer-Nicolson Fluid-Mosaic Model of Membrane Structure

The Fluid-Mosaic Membrane Model of cell membrane structure was based on thermodynamic principals and the available data on component lateral mobility within the membrane plane [Singer SJ, Nicolson GL. The Fluid Mosaic Model of the structure of cell membranes. Science 1972; 175: 720-731]. After more than forty years the model remains relevant for describing the basic nano-scale structures of a variety of biological membranes. More recent information, however, has shown the importance of specialized membrane domains, such as lipid rafts and protein complexes, in describing the macrostructure and dynamics of biological membranes. In addition, membrane-associated cytoskeletal structures and extracellular matrix also play roles in limiting the mobility and range of motion of membrane components and add new layers of complexity and hierarchy to the original model. An updated Fluid-Mosaic Membrane Model is described, where more emphasis has been placed on the mosaic nature of cellular membranes where protein and lipid components are more crowded and limited in their movements in the membrane plane by lipid-lipid, protein-protein and lipid-protein interactions as well as cell-matrix, cell-cell and cytoskeletal interactions. These interactions are important in restraining membrane components and maintaining the unique mosaic organization of cell membranes into functional, dynamic domains.

Crohn's disease alters MHC-rafts in CD4+ T-cells

Clusters of MHCI, ICAM-1, CD44, CD59, IL-2R, and IL-15R molecules have been studied on the surface of CD4(+) T-cells from peripheral blood and lymph nodes of patients in Crohn's disease and healthy individuals as controls by using a dual-laser flow cytometric fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technique and fluorescently stained Fabs. When cells from patients in Crohn's disease are compared to those of controls, the surface expression level for the MHCI reduced by ∼45%, for CD44 enhanced by ∼100%, and for IL-2Rα, IL-15Rα, and common γ(c) enhanced by ∼50%, ∼70%, and ∼130%, respectively. Efficiencies of FRET monitoring homoassociation for the MHCI and CD44 reduced, that for IL-2Rα enhanced. While efficiencies of FRET monitoring the association of γ(c) and ICAM-1 with the MHCI reduced, those monitoring association of IL-2/15Rα, CD44, and CD59 with MHCI enhanced. Efficiencies of FRET measured between the MHCI and IL-2Rα, IL-15Rα differently enhanced to the advantage of IL-15Rα, the one measured between γ(c) and IL-2Rα reduced, suggesting modulations in the strength of interaction of MHCI with IL-2R, IL-15R, and γ(c). The increases in density of surface bound cTx and in the associations of the receptors with the G(M1)-ganglioside lipid molecules suggest stronger lipid raft interactions of the receptors. The observed alterations of MHC-rafts in Crohn's disease--summarized in models of receptor patterns of diseased and control cells--may have functional consequences regarding signaling by the raft components.

Structural and functional organization of the mitochondrial respiratory chain: a dynamic super-assembly

The structural organization of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system has received large attention in the past and most investigations led to the conclusion that the respiratory enzymatic complexes are randomly dispersed in the lipid bilayer of the inner membrane and functionally connected by fast diffusion of smaller redox components, Coenzyme Q and cytochrome c. More recent investigations by native gel electrophoresis, however, have shown the existence of supramolecular associations of the respiratory complexes, confirmed by electron microscopy analysis and single particle image processing. Flux control analysis has demonstrated that Complexes I and III in mammalian mitochondria and Complexes I, III, and IV in plant mitochondria kinetically behave as single units with control coefficients approaching unity for each single component, suggesting the existence of substrate channelling within the supercomplexes. The reasons why the presence of substrate channelling for Coenzyme Q and cytochrome c was overlooked in the past are analytically discussed. The review also discusses the forces and the conditions responsible for the formation of the supramolecular units. The function of the supercomplexes appears not to be restricted to kinetic advantages in electron transfer: we discuss evidence on their role in the stability and assembly of the individual complexes and in preventing excess oxygen radical formation. Finally, there is increasing evidence that disruption of the supercomplex organization leads to functional derangements responsible for pathological changes.

Diverse approaches to the controlled generation of nanotextured surfaces

Smooth, chemically uniform surfaces are seldom found in nature. Mimicry of natural variegation is a powerful approach for controlling chemical affinity at the nanoscale. Molecular recognition is one of the fundamental concepts underlying the functioning of living cells, and it depends on a particular relationship between the nanoscale, i.e., molecular, variegations of two potentially interacting molecular partners. The primary subject matter of this paper is how to articially generate appropriate nanoscale texture at the surfaces of materials. Excluding "pick and place" chemistry, in which essentially a Maxwellian demon intervenes to place objects with atomic precision, and nowadays achievable through an adaptation of atomic force microscopy, on the grounds that it is too slow to be practicable for fabricating useful quantities of material, three approaches are explored in some detail: (i) "powder", i.e., mixing at least two individually monofunctional (with respect to the ultimate molecular recognition task) precursor components (possibly with secondary functionality enabling them to appropriately self-assemble on a substratum); (ii) mixing polymers with the possibility of phase separation and frustrated phase separation with block copolymers; and (iii) felting. The emphasis is on processes that create more or less irregular structures, rather than regular arrays. The final section deals with the metrology of nanotexture.

Conformation of the c-Fos/c-Jun complex in vivo: a combined FRET, FCCS, and MD-modeling study

The activator protein-1 transcription factor is a heterodimer containing one of each of the Fos and Jun subfamilies of basic-region leucine-zipper proteins. We have previously shown by fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS) that the fluorescent fusion proteins Fos-EGFP and Jun-mRFP1, cotransfected in HeLa cells, formed stable complexes in situ. Here we studied the relative position of the C-terminal domains via fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) measured by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. To get a more detailed insight into the conformation of the C-terminal domains of the complex we constructed C-terminal labeled full-length and truncated forms of Fos. We developed a novel iterative evaluation method to determine accurate FRET efficiencies regardless of relative protein expression levels, using a spectral- or intensity-based approach. The full-length C-terminal-labeled Jun and Fos proteins displayed a FRET-measured average distance of 8 +/- 1 nm. Deletion of the last 164 amino acids at the C-terminus of Fos resulted in a distance of 6.1 +/- 1 nm between the labels. FCCS shows that Jun-mRFP1 and the truncated Fos-EGFP also interact stably in the nucleus, although they bind to nuclear components with lower affinity. Thus, the C-terminal end of Fos may play a role in the stabilization of the interaction between activator protein-1 and DNA. Molecular dynamics simulations predict a dye-to-dye distance of 6.7 +/- 0.1 nm for the dimer between Jun-mRFP1 and the truncated Fos-EGFP, in good agreement with our FRET data. A wide variety of models could be developed for the full-length dimer, with possible dye-to-dye distances varying largely between 6 and 20 nm. However, from our FRET results we can conclude that more than half of the occurring dye-to-dye distances are between 6 and 10 nm.

Colorectal carcinoma rearranges cell surface protein topology and density in CD4+ T cells

Previously, we described conserved protein clusters including MHC I and II glycoproteins, ICAM-1 adhesion molecules, and interleukin-2 and -15 receptors in lipid rafts of several human cell types. Differential protein-protein interactions can modulate function, thus influence cell fate. Therefore, we analyzed supramolecular clusters of CD4(+) T cells from draining lymph nodes and peripheral blood of colorectal carcinoma patients, and compared these to healthy controls. Superclusters of MHC I and II with IL-2/15 receptors were identified by confocal microscopy on all cell types. Flow-cytometric FRET revealed molecular associations of these proteins with each other and with ICAM-1 as well. In draining lymph nodes expression levels of all these proteins were lower, and interactions, particularly between IL-2/15 receptors and MHC molecules weakened or disappeared as compared to the control. Stimuli/local conditions can rearrange cell surface protein patterns on the same cell type in the same patient, having important implications on further function and cell fate.

Thermotropic phase transition in soluble nanoscale lipid bilayers

The role of lipid domain size and protein-lipid interfaces in the thermotropic phase transition of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayers in Nanodiscs was studied using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and generalized polarization (GP) of the lipophilic probe Laurdan. Nanodiscs are water-soluble, monodisperse, self-assembled lipid bilayers encompassed by a helical membrane scaffold protein (MSP). MSPs of different lengths were used to define the diameter of the Nanodisc lipid bilayer from 76 to 108 A and the number of DPPC molecules from 164 to 335 per discoidal structure. In Nanodiscs of all sizes, the phase transitions were broader and shifted to higher temperatures relative to those observed in vesicle preparations. The size dependences of the transition enthalpies and structural parameters of Nanodiscs reveal the presence of a boundary lipid layer in contact with the scaffold protein encircling the perimeter of the disc. The thickness of this annular layer was estimated to be approximately 15 A, or two lipid molecules. SAXS was used to measure the lateral thermal expansion of Nanodiscs, and a steep decrease of bilayer thickness during the main lipid phase transition was observed. These results provide the basis for the quantitative understanding of cooperative phase transitions in membrane bilayers in confined geometries at the nanoscale.

Two-dimensional receptor patterns in the plasma membrane of cells. A critical evaluation of their identification, origin and information content

A concise review is presented on the nature, possible origin and functional significance of cell surface receptor patterns in the plasma membrane of lymphoid cells. A special emphasize has been laid on the available methodological approaches, their individual virtues and sources of errors. Fluorescence energy transfer is one of the oldest available means for studying non-randomized co-distribution patterns of cell surface receptors. A detailed and critical description is given on the generation of two-dimensional cell surface receptor patterns based on pair-wise energy transfer measurements. A second hierarchical-level of receptor clusters have been described by electron and scanning force microscopies after immuno-gold-labeling of distinct receptor kinds. The origin of these receptor islands at a nanometer scale and island groups at a higher hierarchical (mum) level, has been explained mostly by detergent insoluble glycolipid-enriched complexes known as rafts, or detergent insoluble glycolipids (DIGs). These rafts are the most-likely organizational forces behind at least some kind of receptor clustering [K. Simons et al., Nature 387 (1997) 569]. These models, which have great significance in trans-membrane signaling and intra-membrane and intracellular trafficking, are accentuating the necessity to revisit the Singer-Nicolson fluid mosaic membrane model and substitute the free protein diffusion with a restricted diffusion concept [S.J. Singer et al., Science 175 (1972) 720].

Synthetic multivalent ligands as probes of signal transduction

Cell-surface receptors acquire information from the extracellular environment and coordinate intracellular responses. Many receptors do not operate as individual entities, but rather as part of dimeric or oligomeric complexes. Coupling the functions of multiple receptors may endow signaling pathways with the sensitivity and malleability required to govern cellular responses. Moreover, multireceptor signaling complexes may provide a means of spatially segregating otherwise degenerate signaling cascades. Understanding the mechanisms, extent, and consequences of receptor co-localization and interreceptor communication is critical; chemical synthesis can provide compounds to address the role of receptor assembly in signal transduction. Multivalent ligands can be generated that possess a variety of sizes, shapes, valencies, orientations, and densities of binding elements. This Review focuses on the use of synthetic multivalent ligands to characterize receptor function.

The role of supramolecular protein complexes and membrane potential in transmembrane signaling processes of lymphocytes

The formation of protein patterns in lymphocyte plasma membranes is analyzed in the light of past and, also, very recent experiments. The analysis surveys the lateral organization of major histocompatibility complex glycoproteins, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, interleukin-2 and -15 receptors, Kv1.3 K+ ion channels and the T-cell receptor as well as their behavior under different conditions. These molecules form small- and large-scale clusters in the membrane of human lymphocytes. Many of the association motifs occur in other investigated cell types. The conclusions point toward a possible role for ion channel activities, membrane potential changes and alterations of the lateral organization of proteins in transmembrane signaling and cytotoxic interactions. In our outlook new factors that potentially affect membrane protein cluster formation and interactions are discussed. A role for MHC glycoproteins in concentrating membrane proteins and organizing protein patterns is suggested, and the possibility that the membrane potential may modulate protein conformation and, thereby, affect protein-protein interactions is pointed out. A well-defined role for the presence of ion channels in the immune synapse is offered, which could explain the significance of ion channel accumulation in the immune synapse together with the T-cell receptor.

The significance of lipid composition for membrane activity: New concepts and ways of assessing function

In the last decade or so, it has been realised that membranes do not just have a lipid-bilayer structure in which proteins are embedded or with which they associate. Structures are dynamic and contain areas of heterogeneity which are vital for their formation. In this review, we discuss some of the ways in which these dynamic and heterogeneous structures have implications during stress and in relation to certain human diseases. A particular stress is that of temperature which may instigate adaptation in poikilotherms or appropriate defensive responses during fever in mammals. Recent data emphasise the role of membranes in sensing temperature changes and in controlling a regulatory loop with chaperone proteins. This loop seems to need the existence of specific membrane microdomains and also includes association of chaperone (heat stress) proteins with the membrane. The role of microdomains is then discussed further in relation to various human pathologies such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. The concept of modifying membrane lipids (lipid therapy) as a means for treating such pathologies is then introduced. Examples are given when such methods have been shown to have benefit. In order to study membrane microheterogeneity in detail and to elucidate possible molecular mechanisms that account for alteration in membrane function, new methods are needed. In the second part of the review, we discuss ultra-sensitive and ultra-resolution imaging techniques. These include atomic force microscopy, single particle tracking, single particle tracing and various modern fluorescence methods. Finally, we deal with computing simulation of membrane systems. Such methods include coarse-grain techniques and Monte Carlo which offer further advances into molecular dynamics. As computational methods advance they will have more application by revealing the very subtle interactions that take place between the lipid and protein components of membranes - and which are so essential to their function.

Direct Photochemical Patterning and Refunctionalization of Supported Phospholipid Bilayers

A wet photolithographic route for micropatterning fluid phospholipid bilayers is demonstrated in which spatially directed illumination by short-wavelength ultraviolet radiation results in highly localized photochemical degradation of the exposed lipids. Using this method, we can directly engineer patterns of hydrophilic voids within a fluid membrane as well as isolated membrane corrals over large substrate areas. We show that the lipid-free regions can be refilled by the same or other lipids and lipid mixtures which establish contiguity with the existing membrane, thereby providing a synthetic means for manipulating membrane compositions, engineering metastable membrane microdomains, probing 2D lipid-lipid mixing, and designing membrane-embedded arrays of soluble proteins. Following this route, new constructs can be envisaged for high-throughput membrane proteomic, biosensor array, and spatially directed, aqueous-phase material synthesis.

Computer program for determining fluorescence resonance energy transfer efficiency from flow cytometric data on a cell-by-cell basis

The determination of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) with flow cytometry (FCET) is one of the most efficient tools to study the proximity relationships of cell membrane components in cell populations on a cell-by-cell basis. Because of the high amount of data and the relatively tedious calculations, this procedure should be assisted by powerful data processing software. The currently available programs are not able to fulfill this requirement. We developed a Windows-based program to calculate fluorescence resonance energy transfer efficiency values from list mode flow cytometry standard (FCS) files. This program displays the measured data in standard plots by generating one- and two-parameter histograms on linear or logarithmic scales. A graphical gating tool allows the user to select the desired cell population according to any combination of the parameter values. The program performs several statistical calculations, including mean, S.D., percent of the gated data. We have implemented two types of data sheet for FRET calculations to aid and guide the user during the analysis: one with population-mean-based autofluorescence correction and the other with spectrum-based cell-by-cell autofluorescence correction. In this paper, we describe the gating algorithms, the file opening procedure and the rules of gating. The structure of the program and a short description of the graphical user-interface (GUI) are also presented in this article.

Dynamic, yet structured: The cell membrane three decades after the Singer-Nicolson model

The fluid mosaic membrane model proved to be a very useful hypothesis in explaining many, but certainly not all, phenomena taking place in biological membranes. New experimental data show that the compartmentalization of membrane components can be as important for effective signal transduction as is the fluidity of the membrane. In this work, we pay tribute to the Singer-Nicolson model, which is near its 30th anniversary, honoring its basic features, "mosaicism" and "diffusion," which predict the interspersion of proteins and lipids and their ability to undergo dynamic rearrangement via Brownian motion. At the same time, modifications based on quantitative data are proposed, highlighting the often genetically predestined, yet flexible, multilevel structure implementing a vast complexity of cellular functions. This new "dynamically structured mosaic model" bears the following characteristics: emphasis is shifted from fluidity to mosaicism, which, in our interpretation, means nonrandom codistribution patterns of specific kinds of membrane proteins forming small-scale clusters at the molecular level and large-scale clusters (groups of clusters, islands) at the submicrometer level. The cohesive forces, which maintain these assemblies as principal elements of the membranes, originate from within a microdomain structure, where lipid-lipid, protein-protein, and protein-lipid interactions, as well as sub- and supramembrane (cytoskeletal, extracellular matrix, other cell) effectors, many of them genetically predestined, play equally important roles. The concept of fluidity in the original model now is interpreted as permissiveness of the architecture to continuous, dynamic restructuring of the molecular- and higher-level clusters according to the needs of the cell and as evoked by the environment.

New trends in studying structure and function of biological membranes

Thirty years ago Singer and Nicolson constructed the "fluid mosaic model" of the membrane, which described the structural and functional characteristics of the plasma membrane of non-polarized cells like circulating blood lymphocytes as a fluid lipid phase accommodating proteins with a relatively free mobility. It is a rare phenomenon in biology that such a model could survive 30 years and even today it has a high degree of validity. However, in the light of new data it demands some modifications. In this minireview we present a new concept, which revives the SN model, by shifting the emphasis from fluidity to mosaicism, i.e. to lipid microdomains and rafts. A concise summary of data and key methods is given, proving the existence of non-random co-distribution patterns of different receptor kinds in the microdomain system of the plasma membrane. Furthermore we present evidence that proteins are not only accommodated by the lipid phase, but they are integral structural elements of it. Novel suggestions to the SN model help to develop a modernized version of the old paradigm in the light of new data.

Colocalization and nonrandom distribution of Kv1.3 potassium channels and CD3 molecules in the plasma membrane of human T lymphocytes

Distribution and lateral organization of Kv1.3 potassium channels and CD3 molecules were studied by using electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Immunogold labeling and electron microscopy showed that the distribution of FLAG epitope-tagged Kv1.3 channels (Kv1.3/FLAG) significantly differs from the stochastic Poisson distribution in the plasma membrane of human T lymphoma cells. Confocal laser scanning microscopy images showed that Kv1.3/FLAG channels and CD3 molecules accumulated in largely overlapping membrane areas. The numerical analysis of crosscorrelation of the spatial intensity distributions yielded a high correlation coefficient (C = 0.64). A different hierarchical level of molecular proximity between Kv1.3/FLAG and CD3 proteins was reported by a high fluorescence resonance energy transfer efficiency (E = 51%). These findings implicate that reciprocal regulation of ion-channel activity, membrane potential, and the function of receptor complexes may contribute to the proper functioning of the immunological synapse.

Fluorescence resonance energy transfers measurements on cell surfaces via fluorescence polarization

A method has been developed for the determination of the efficiency of fluorescence resonance energy transfer efficiency between moieties located on cell surfaces by performing individual cell fluorescence polarization (FP) measurements. The absolute value of energy transfer efficiency (E) is calculated on an individual cell basis. The examination of this methodology was carried out using model experiments on human T lymphocyte cells. The cells were labeled with fluorescein-conjugated Concanavalin A (ConA) as donor, or rhodamine-conjugated ConA as acceptor. The experiments and results clearly indicate that determination of E via FP measurements is possible, efficient, and more convenient than other methods.

Landing of immune receptors and signal proteins on lipid rafts: a safe way to be spatio-temporally coordinated?

In the past decade one of the cell biology's breakthroughs was discovery of membrane microdomains (rafts, caveolae) and recognition of their important in cellular signaling and protein traffic. In the present minireview a short comprehensive overview is given about physico-chemical, structural and functional properties of rafts. In addition to the classical immunochemical techniques the latest physcial and biophysical technologies that can be used to study these microdomains are also described briefly. The funcational significance of rafts in signaling of multichain immune recognition receptors (MIRRs), the IL-2R and ErbB family factor receptors is also discussed herein together with the still open questions and future prospects of the raft hypothesis.

Does mosaicism of the plasma membrane at molecular and higher hierarchical levels in human lymphocytes carry information on the immediate history of cells?

A theoretical analysis of experimental data is presented in this mini-review on non-random homo- and hetero-associations of cell surface receptors, which can be recruited in the plasma membrane or at the surface of the rough endoplasmic reticulum during the protein synthesis. In the latter case, the likely genetic origin of these supramolecular formations is analyzed, contrasting this concept to the mobility of the cell surface proteins. A model is offered which, on the one hand, allows the mobility in a restricted way even among microdomain-confined receptor proteins through 'swapping partners'. On the other hand, the lack of mixing molecular components of protein clusters will be analyzed, when homo-and hetero-associations are studied through cell fusion experiments. The most frequently studied cell surface patterns have included lipid raft organized HLA class I and II, ICAM-1, tetraspan molecules, IL2 and IL15 and other receptors, as well. On the contrary coated pit-associated transferrin receptors would not mix with the above lipid raft associated receptor patterns, although transferrin receptor would readily oligomerize into homo-associates. The functional consequences of these superstructures are also analyzed. On the 30th anniversary of the Singer-Nicolson fluid mosaic membrane model one has to pay tribute to the authors, because of their deep insight emphasizing also the mosaicism of the membranes in general and that of the plasma membrane, in particular.

Shear-dependent morphology of von Willebrand factor bound to immobilized collagen

We have developed an immunogold von Willebrand factor (VWF) detection method that permits almost complete coverage of individual VWF molecules, and by this unequivocal localization and morphologic analysis of collagen-bound VWF by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Perfusion of gel filtration-purified VWF in parallel plate perfusion chambers over glass coverslips coated with calf skin collagen, followed by AFM imaging in air, enabled us to assess possible morphologic differences between VWF bound at low (0.07 N/m(2) = 0.7 dynes/cm(2)) and high (4.55 N/m(2) = 45.5 dynes/cm(2)) shear stresses. No significant differences in VWF morphology were found, the molecules were oriented almost randomly, and there were no clear signs of VWF "uncoiling" either at a high or at a low shear regime. After perfusing 1 microg/mL VWF for 5 minutes, surface coverage at high shear was almost twice the one seen at low shear, and some larger and more irregularly shaped VWF molecules could be seen at high shear. This difference disappeared, however, at 15 minutes of perfusion and was probably caused by diffusion kinetics. Moreover, the presence of 68 x 10(9)/L washed fixed platelets in the perfusate did not have any visible effect on VWF morphology at high versus low shear stress. These findings suggest that shear stress does not influence significantly the overall molecular morphology of VWF during its binding to collagen-coated surface and are consistent with a constitutively expressed affinity of collagen-bound VWF for glycoprotein Ib.

INF-gamma rearranges membrane topography of MHC-I and ICAM-1 in colon carcinoma cells

Flow-cytometric fluorescence energy transfer (FCET) measurements between fluorescently labeled cell surface MHC-I and ICAM-1 molecules indicated similar receptor patterns in the plasma membrane of interferon-gamma (INF-gamma)-treated colon carcinoma cells as those observed earlier at the surface of lymphoid cells. INF-gamma activation significantly increased the density of MHC-I and ICAM-1 proteins in the membrane. This increase in receptor density was accompanied by decreased proximity level of the homo-associated MHC-I receptors. Hetero-association of MHC-I and ICAM-1 molecules was increased by INF-gamma treatment. INF-gamma changed neither hetero- nor homo-association of transferrin receptors. By staining the sphingomyelin/cholesterol-enriched lipid microdomains with fluorescently labeled cholera toxin B subunit, we found an increase in the amount of lipid-raft associated G(M1)-gangliosides due to INF-gamma treatment. Confocal microscopic results and FCET measurements show that MHC-I and ICAM-1 are components of G(M1)-ganglioside containing lipid-rafts and also support an increase in the size of these lipid-rafts upon INF-gamma treatment.

Differential association of CD45 isoforms with CD4 and CD8 regulates the actions of specific pools of p56lck tyrosine kinase in T cell antigen receptor signal transduction

An investigation into the role of CD45 isoforms in T cell antigen receptor signal transduction was carried out by transfecting CD45-negative CD4(+)CD8(+) HPB-ALL T cells with the CD45R0, CD45RBC, and CD45RABC isoforms. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer analysis showed that the CD45R0 isoform, but not the CD45RBC or CD45RABC isoforms, was found as homodimers and also preferentially associated with CD4 and CD8 at the cell-surface. A comparison was therefore made of T cell antigen receptor signaling between sub-clones expressing either CD45R0 or CD45RBC. Under basal conditions CD4-associated p56(lck) tyrosine kinase activity and cellular protein tyrosine phosphorylation levels were higher in the CD45R0(+) than in the CD45RBC(+) sub-clones. Upon CD3-CD4 ligation, TCR-zeta phosphorylation, ZAP-70 recruitment to the p21/p23 TCR-zeta phosphoisomers, ZAP-70 phosphorylation, as well as p56(lck), c-Cbl and Slp-76 phosphorylation, were all markedly increased in CD45R0(+) compared with CD45RBC(+) cells. T cell antigen receptor (TCR) stimulation alone also promoted c-Cbl phosphorylation in CD45R0(+) but not in CD45RBC(+) cells. Our results are consistent with a model in which association of CD45R0 with CD4 generates a more active pool of CD4-associated p56(lck) kinase molecules. Upon CD3-CD4 co-ligation, the active p56(lck) increases the intensity of T cell antigen receptor signal transduction coupling by promoting TCR-zeta chain phosphorylation and ZAP-70 recruitment.

Experimental gerontology in Hungary

Gerontological research has some past and sporadically also some highlights in Hungary, but its present state can be easily deduced from the following data. During the last 12 years and more, well over 10,000 Hungarian scientific papers have been published in well-recognized national or international journals. Altogether approximately 1% of them have been classified as gerontological publications from Hungary. This low figure shows that gerontology has low priority and--unfortunately low support--in Hungary. This statement does not intend to downgrade Hungarian gerontologists, however points out that the Hungarian trends are not far from those of European or world wide interest in aging. Despite the recognition that we have to accept the inevitable fact that industrial societies will have (they already have) an aging population with all the social and medical problems arising, the focus of interest is wide from this significant and interesting (sub)population, which is neglected (sometimes even despised); yet everybody is absolutely eager to join this club. The average of the Hungarian research achievements and publication activities are among the better European achievements. There are some highlights and new trends even initiated by some outstanding Hungarian scientists, yet the overall weight of gerontology research is still an orphan in the Hungarian scientific life. We deal in this short and far from complete summary almost exclusively with experimental gerontology. We have to apologize if we have not included everybody, who also contributed even significantly to this field because the time for the preparation of this overview was short.

Cell fusion experiments reveal distinctly different association characteristics of cell-surface receptors

The existence of small- and large-scale membrane protein clusters, containing dimers, oligomers and hundreds of proteins, respectively, has become widely accepted. However, it is largely unknown whether the internal structure of these formations is dynamic or static. Cell fusion was used to perturb the distribution of existing membrane protein clusters, and to investigate their mobility and associations. Scanning near-field optical microscopy, confocal and electron microscopy were applied to detect the exchange of proteins between large-scale protein clusters, whereas photobleaching fluorescence energy transfer was used to image the redistribution of existing small-scale membrane protein clusters. Large-scale clusters of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-I exchanged proteins with each other and with MHC-II clusters. Similarly to MHC-I, large-scale MHC-II clusters were also dynamic. Exchange of components between small-scale protein clusters was not universal: intermixing did not take place in the case of MHC-II homoclusters; however, it was observed for homoclusters of MHC-I and for heteroclusters of MHC-I and MHC-II. These processes required a fluid state of the plasma membrane, and did not depend on endocytosis-mediated recycling of proteins. The redistribution of large-scale MHC-I clusters precedes the intermixing of small-scale clusters of MHC-I indicating a hierarchy in protein association. Investigation of a set of other proteins (α subunit of the interleukin 2 receptor, CD48 and transferrin receptor) suggested that a large-scale protein cluster usually exchanges components with the same type of clusters. These results offer new insight into processes requiring time-dependent changes in membrane protein interactions.

DNA probes using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET): designs and applications

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is widely used in biomedical research as a reporter method. Oligonucleotides with a DNA backbone and one or several chromophore tags have found multiple applications as FRET probes. They are especially advantageous for the real-time monitoring of biochemical reactions and in vivo studies. This paper reviews the design and applications of various DNA-based probes that use FRET The approaches used in the design of new DNA FRET probes are discussed.

Clustering of class I HLA oligomers with CD8 and TCR: three-dimensional models based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer and crystallographic data

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) data, in accordance with lateral mobility measurements, suggested the existence of class I HLA dimers and oligomers at the surface of live human cells, including the B lymphoblast cell line (JY) used in the present study. Intra- and intermolecular class I HLA epitope distances were measured on JY B cells by FRET using fluorophore-conjugated Ag-binding fragments of mAbs W6/32 and L368 directed against structurally well-characterized heavy and light chain epitopes, respectively. Out-of-plane location of these epitopes relative to the membrane-bound BODIPY-PC (2-(4,4-difluoro-5-(4-phenyl-1,3-butadienyl)-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene-3-pentanoyl)-1-hexadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) was also determined by FRET. Computer-simulated docking of crystallographic structures of class I HLA and epitope-specific Ag-binding fragments, with experimentally determined interepitope and epitope to cell surface distances as constraints, revealed several sterically allowed and FRET-compatible class I HLA dimeric and tetrameric arrangements. Extension of the tetrameric class I HLA model with interacting TCR and CD8 resulted in a model of a supramolecular cluster that may exist physiologically and serve as a functionally significant unit for a network of CD8-HLA-I complexes providing enhanced signaling efficiency even at low MHC-peptide concentrations at the interface of effector and APCs.

Cholesterol-dependent clustering of IL-2Ralpha and its colocalization with HLA and CD48 on T lymphoma cells suggest their functional association with lipid rafts

Immunogold staining and electron microscopy show that IL-2 receptor alpha-subunits exhibit nonrandom surface distribution on human T lymphoma cells. Analysis of interparticle distances reveals that this clustering on the scale of a few hundred nanometers is independent of the presence of IL-2 and of the expression of the IL-2R beta-subunit. Clustering of IL-2Ralpha is confirmed by confocal microscopy, yielding the same average cluster size, approximately 600-800 nm, as electron microscopy. HLA class I and II and CD48 molecules also form clusters of the same size. Disruption of cholesterol-rich lipid rafts with filipin or depletion of membrane cholesterol with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin results in the blurring of cluster boundaries and an apparent dispersion of clusters for all four proteins. Interestingly, the transferrin receptor, which is thought to be located outside lipid rafts, exhibits clusters that are only 300 nm in size and are less affected by modifying the membrane cholesterol content. Furthermore, transferrin receptor clusters hardly colocalize with IL-2Ralpha, HLA, and CD48 molecules (crosscorrelation coefficient is 0.05), whereas IL-2Ralpha colocalizes with both HLA and CD48 (crosscorrelation coefficient is between 0.37 and 0.46). This coclustering is confirmed by electron microscopy. The submicron clusters of IL-2Ralpha chains and their coclustering with HLA and CD48, presumably associated with lipid rafts, could underlie the efficiency of signaling in lymphoid cells.

A model for membrane patchiness: lateral diffusion in the presence of barriers and vesicle traffic

Patches (lateral heterogeneities) of cell surface membrane proteins and lipids have been imaged by a number of different microscopy techniques. This patchiness has been taken as evidence for the organization of membranes into domains whose composition differs from the average for the entire membrane. However, the mechanism and specificity of patch formation are not understood. Here we show how vesicle traffic to and from a cell surface membrane can create patches of molecules of the size observed experimentally. Our computer model takes into account lateral diffusion, barriers to lateral diffusion, and vesicle traffic to and from the plasma membrane. Neither barriers nor vesicle traffic alone create and maintain patches. Only the combination of these produces a dynamic but persistent patchiness of membrane proteins and lipids.

Preassembly of interleukin 2 (IL-2) receptor subunits on resting Kit 225 K6 T cells and their modulation by IL-2, IL-7, and IL-15: a fluorescence resonance energy transfer study

Assembly and mutual proximities of alpha, beta, and gamma(c) subunits of the interleukin 2 receptors (IL-2R) in plasma membranes of Kit 225 K6 T lymphoma cells were investigated by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) using fluorescein isothiocyanate- and Cy3-conjugated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that were directed against the IL-2R alpha, IL-2R beta, and gamma(c) subunits of IL-2R. The cell-surface distribution of subunits was analyzed at the nanometer scale (2-10 nm) by FRET on a cell-by-cell basis. The cells were probed in resting phase and after coculture with saturating concentrations of IL-2, IL-7, and IL-15. FRET data from donor- and acceptor-labeled IL-2R beta-alpha, gamma-alpha, and gamma-beta pairs demonstrated close proximity of all subunits to each other in the plasma membrane of resting T cells. These mutual proximities do not appear to represent mAb-induced microaggregation, because FRET measurements with Fab fragments of the mAbs gave similar results. The relative proximities were meaningfully modulated by binding of IL-2, IL-7, and IL-15. Based on FRET analysis the topology of the three subunits at the surface of resting cells can be best described by a "triangular model" in the absence of added interleukins. IL-2 strengthens the bridges between the subunits, making the triangle more compact. IL-7 and IL-15 act in the opposite direction by opening the triangle possibly because they associate their private specific alpha receptors with the beta and/or gamma(c) subunits of the IL-2R complex. These data suggest that IL-2R subunits are already colocalized in resting T cells and do not require cytokine-induced redistribution. This colocalization is significantly modulated by binding of relevant interleukins in a cytokine-specific manner.