1
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Lingwood C. Is cholesterol both the lock and key to abnormal transmembrane signals in Autism Spectrum Disorder? Lipids Health Dis 2024; 23:114. [PMID: 38643132 PMCID: PMC11032007 DOI: 10.1186/s12944-024-02075-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Disturbances in cholesterol homeostasis have been associated with ASD. Lipid rafts are central in many transmembrane signaling pathways (including mTOR) and changes in raft cholesterol content affect their order function. Cholesterol levels are controlled by several mechanisms, including endoplasmic reticulum associated degradation (ERAD) of the rate limiting HMGCoA reductase. A new approach to increase cholesterol via temporary ERAD blockade using a benign bacterial toxin-derived competitor for the ERAD translocon is suggested.A new lock and key model for cholesterol/lipid raft dependent signaling is proposed in which the rafts provide both the afferent and efferent 'tumblers' across the membrane to allow 'lock and key' receptor transmembrane signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clifford Lingwood
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Research Institute, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada.
- Departments of Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada.
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2
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Shi Y, Ruan H, Xu Y, Zou C. Cholesterol, Eukaryotic Lipid Domains, and an Evolutionary Perspective of Transmembrane Signaling. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2023; 15:a041418. [PMID: 37604587 PMCID: PMC10626259 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Transmembrane signaling is essential for complex life forms. Communication across a bilayer lipid barrier is elaborately organized to convey precision and to fine-tune strength. Looking back, the steps that it has taken to enable this seemingly mundane errand are breathtaking, and with our survivorship bias, Darwinian. While this review is to discuss eukaryotic membranes in biological functions for coherence and theoretical footing, we are obliged to follow the evolution of the biological membrane through time. Such a visit is necessary for our hypothesis that constraints posited on cellular functions are mainly via the biomembrane, and relaxation thereof in favor of a coordinating membrane environment is the molecular basis for the development of highly specialized cellular activities, among them transmembrane signaling. We discuss the obligatory paths that have led to eukaryotic membrane formation, its intrinsic ability to signal, and how it set up the platform for later integration of protein-based receptor activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Shi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine; Institute for Immunology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Snyder Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4Z6, Canada
| | - Hefei Ruan
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine; Institute for Immunology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yanni Xu
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine; Institute for Immunology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Chunlin Zou
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Tsinghua-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine; Institute for Immunology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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3
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Lin X, Lin K, He S, Zhou Y, Li X, Lin X. Membrane Domain Anti-Registration Induces an Intrinsic Transmembrane Potential. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:11621-11627. [PMID: 37563986 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c01137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Plasma membrane segregation into various nanoscale membrane domains is driven by distinct interactions between diverse lipids and proteins. Among them, liquid-ordered (Lo) membrane domains are defined as "lipid rafts" and liquid-disordered (Ld) ones as "lipid non-rafts". Using model membrane systems, both intra-leaflet and inter-leaflet dynamics of these membrane domains are widely studied. Nevertheless, the biological impact of the latter, which is accompanied by membrane domain registration/anti-registration, is far from clear. Hence, in this work, we studied the biological relevance of the membrane domain anti-registration using both all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and confocal fluorescence microscopy. All-atom MD simulations suggested an intrinsic transmembrane potential for the case of the membrane anti-registration (Lo/Ld). Meanwhile, confocal fluorescence microscopy experiments of HeLa and 293T cell lines indicated that membrane cholesterol depletion could significantly alter the transmembrane potential of cells. Considering differences in the cholesterol content between Lo and Ld membrane domains, our confocal fluorescence microscopy experiments are consistent with our all-atom MD simulations. In short, membrane domain anti-registration induces local membrane asymmetry and, thus, an intrinsic transmembrane potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqian Lin
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Medicine & School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
- Shen Yuan Honors College, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Kaidong Lin
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Medicine & School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Shiqi He
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Medicine & School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yue Zhou
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Medicine & School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xiu Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Medicine & School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xubo Lin
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Medicine & School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
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4
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Ugarte La Torre D, Takada S, Sugita Y. Extension of the iSoLF implicit-solvent coarse-grained model for multicomponent lipid bilayers. J Chem Phys 2023; 159:075101. [PMID: 37581417 DOI: 10.1063/5.0160417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
iSoLF is a coarse-grained (CG) model for lipid molecules with the implicit-solvent approximation used in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of biological membranes. Using the original iSoLF (iSoLFv1), MD simulations of lipid bilayers consisting of either POPC or DPPC and these bilayers, including membrane proteins, can be performed. Here, we improve the original model, explicitly treating the electrostatic interactions between different lipid molecules and adding CG particle types. As a result, the available lipid types increase to 30. To parameterize the potential functions of the new model, we performed all-atom MD simulations of each lipid at three different temperatures using the CHARMM36 force field and the modified TIP3P model. Then, we parameterized both the bonded and non-bonded interactions to fit the area per lipid and the membrane thickness of each lipid bilayer by using the multistate Boltzmann Inversion method. The final model reproduces the area per lipid and the membrane thickness of each lipid bilayer at the three temperatures. We also examined the applicability of the new model, iSoLFv2, to simulate the phase behaviors of mixtures of DOPC and DPPC at different concentrations. The simulation results with iSoLFv2 are consistent with those using Dry Martini and Martini 3, although iSoLFv2 requires much fewer computations. iSoLFv2 has been implemented in the GENESIS MD software and is publicly available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Ugarte La Torre
- Computational Biophysics Research Team, RIKEN Center for Computational Science, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Shoji Takada
- Department of Biophysics, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yuji Sugita
- Computational Biophysics Research Team, RIKEN Center for Computational Science, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
- Theoretical Molecular Science Laboratory, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Laboratory for Biomolecular Function Simulation, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
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5
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Chen H, Dong X, Ou L, Ma C, Yuan B, Yang K. Thermal-controlled cellular uptake of "hot" nanoparticles. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:12718-12727. [PMID: 37470374 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr02449k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Nanoparticles (NPs) have shown immense potential in the field of biomedical applications, particularly in NP-based photothermal therapy, which offers a remote-controlled approach to achieve precise temperature control for site-specific heating and sub-cellular tumor treatment. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying related cellular activities, such as the cellular uptake behavior of irradiated NPs in photothermal effects, remain elusive. In this study, we conducted a thorough investigation of the interaction between an irradiated NP with elevated temperature (ranging from 270 to 360 K) and a model bilayer membrane composed of DPPC or DOPC using nonequilibrium coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations with the implicit-solvent Dry Martini force field. We observe that the interaction between a "hot" NP and a membrane is thermally regulated. In addition, the wrapping of membranes around NPs exhibits a strong dependence on the temperature of the irradiated NP, demonstrating a step-like change in behavior. This membrane wrapping effect is attributed to the heat conduction between NPs and membrane lipids, which occurs almost simultaneously with the membrane deformation and wrapping of NPs during the NP-membrane interaction process. Especially, during the process of heat conduction, a gel-to-fluid phase transition of the membrane may occur, which plays a crucial role in determining the deformation behavior of the membrane. Moreover, it is found that the membrane lipids in the two leaflets exhibit obvious and asymmetric molecular-level responses to heat flux, characterized by significant changes in packing states (e.g., the order parameter of lipid tails and area per lipid) and possible interdigitation between lipids. Furthermore, the thermal-controlled wrapping effect is tightly linked to the properties of NPs (e.g., size, NP-lipid affinity) and lipid species. Our findings are valuable for comprehending the thermal-regulated cellular internalization of NPs and offer insights into devising strategies to precisely modulate NP endocytosis by exploiting the interplay between heating and NP properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haibo Chen
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Xuewei Dong
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Luping Ou
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Chiyun Ma
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Bing Yuan
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan 523808, Guangdong, China
| | - Kai Yang
- Center for Soft Condensed Matter Physics and Interdisciplinary Research & School of Physical Science and Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, Jiangsu, China.
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan 523808, Guangdong, China
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6
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Li S, Huang F, Xia T, Shi Y, Yue T. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate Sensing Lipid Raft via Inter-Leaflet Coupling Regulated by Acyl Chain Length of Sphingomyelin. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:5995-6005. [PMID: 37086192 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c03492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is an important molecule located at the inner leaflet of cell membrane, where it serves as anchoring sites for a cohort of membrane-associated molecules and as a broad-reaching signaling intermediate. The lipid raft is thought as the major platform recruiting proteins for signal transduction and also known to mediate PIP2 accumulation across the membrane. While the significance of this cross-membrane coupling is increasingly appreciated, it remains unclear whether and how PIP2 senses the dynamic change of the ordered lipid domains over the packed hydrophobic core of the bilayer. Herein, by means of molecular dynamic simulation, we reveal that inner PIP2 molecules can sense the outer lipid domain via inter-leaflet coupling, and the coupling manner is dictated by the acyl chain length of sphingomyelin (SM) partitioned to the lipid domain. Shorter SM promotes membrane domain registration, whereby PIP2 accumulates beneath the domain across the membrane. In contrast, the anti-registration is thermodynamically preferred if the lipid domain has longer SM due to the hydrophobic mismatch between the corresponding acyl chains in SM and PIP2. In this case, PIP2 is expelled by the domain with a higher diffusivity. These results provide molecular insights into the regulatory mechanism of correlation between the outer lipid domain and inner PIP2, both of which are critical components for cell signal transduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shixin Li
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology and Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China
| | - Fang Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, Shandong 266580, China
| | - Tie Xia
- Institute for Immunology and Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Key Lab for Immunological Research on Chronic Diseases, School of Medicine, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yan Shi
- Institute for Immunology and Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Key Lab for Immunological Research on Chronic Diseases, School of Medicine, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Infectious Disease and Snyder Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta 00000, Canada
| | - Tongtao Yue
- Institute of Coastal Environmental Pollution Control, Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong 266100, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong 266237, China
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7
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Rogers JR, Geissler PL. Ceramide-1-phosphate transfer protein enhances lipid transport by disrupting hydrophobic lipid-membrane contacts. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1010992. [PMID: 37036851 PMCID: PMC10085062 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Cellular distributions of the sphingolipid ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P) impact essential biological processes. C1P levels are spatiotemporally regulated by ceramide-1-phosphate transfer protein (CPTP), which efficiently shuttles C1P between organelle membranes. Yet, how CPTP rapidly extracts and inserts C1P into a membrane remains unknown. Here, we devise a multiscale simulation approach to elucidate biophysical details of CPTP-mediated C1P transport. We find that CPTP binds a membrane poised to extract and insert C1P and that membrane binding promotes conformational changes in CPTP that facilitate C1P uptake and release. By significantly disrupting a lipid's local hydrophobic environment in the membrane, CPTP lowers the activation free energy barrier for passive C1P desorption and enhances C1P extraction from the membrane. Upon uptake of C1P, further conformational changes may aid membrane unbinding in a manner reminiscent of the electrostatic switching mechanism used by other lipid transfer proteins. Insertion of C1P into an acceptor membrane, eased by a decrease in membrane order by CPTP, restarts the transfer cycle. Most notably, we provide molecular evidence for CPTP's ability to catalyze C1P extraction by breaking hydrophobic C1P-membrane contacts with compensatory hydrophobic lipid-protein contacts. Our work, thus, provides biophysical insights into how CPTP efficiently traffics C1P between membranes to maintain sphingolipid homeostasis and, additionally, presents a simulation method aptly suited for uncovering the catalytic mechanisms of other lipid transfer proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia R Rogers
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Phillip L Geissler
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America
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8
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Hirano K, Kinoshita M, Matsumori N. Impact of sphingomyelin acyl chain heterogeneity upon properties of raft-like membranes. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2022; 1864:184036. [PMID: 36055359 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2022.184036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Sphingomyelin (SM) is a main component of lipid rafts and characteristic of abundance of long and saturated acyl chains. Recently, we reported that fluorescence-labeled lipids including C16:0 and C18:0SMs retained membrane behaviors of inherent lipids. Here, we newly prepared fluorescent SMs with longer acyl chains, C22:0 and C24:1, for observing their partition and diffusion in SM/cholesterol (chol)/dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) bilayers. Although fluorescent C24:1SM underwent a uniform distribution between ordered (Lo) and disordered (Ld) phases, other fluorescent SMs with saturated acyl chains were preferentially distributed in the Lo phase. Interestingly, when the acyl chains of fluorescent and membrane SMs are different, distribution of fluorescent SM to the Lo phase was reduced compared to when the acyl chains are the same. This tendency was also observed for C16:0SM/C22:0SM/chol/DOPC quaternary bilayers, where the minor SM was more excluded out of the Lo phase than the major SM. We also found that the coexistence of SMs induces SM efflux out of the Lo phase and simultaneous DOPC influx to the Lo phase, consequently reducing the difference in fluidity between the two phases. These results suggest that physicochemical properties of lipid rafts are regulated by the acyl chain heterogeneity of SMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kana Hirano
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Masanao Kinoshita
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
| | - Nobuaki Matsumori
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
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9
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Murata M, Matsumori N, Kinoshita M, London E. Molecular substructure of the liquid-ordered phase formed by sphingomyelin and cholesterol: sphingomyelin clusters forming nano-subdomains are a characteristic feature. Biophys Rev 2022; 14:655-678. [PMID: 35791389 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-022-00967-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
As a model of lipid rafts, the liquid-ordered (Lo) phase formed by sphingomyelin (SM) and cholesterol (Cho) in bilayer membranes has long attracted the attention of biophysics researchers. New approaches and methodologies have led to a better understanding of the molecular basis of the Lo domain structure. This review summarizes studies on model membrane systems consisting of SM/unsaturated phospholipid/Cho implying that the Lo phase contains SM-based nanodomains (or nano-subdomains). Some of the Lo phase properties may be attributed to these nanodomains. Several studies suggest that the nanodomains contain clustered SM molecules packed densely to form gel-phase-like subdomains of single-digit nanometer size at physiological temperatures. Cho and unsaturated lipids located in the Lo phase are likely to be concentrated at the boundaries between the subdomains. These subdomains are not readily detected in the Lo phase formed by saturated phosphatidylcholine (PC) molecules, suggesting that they are strongly stabilized by homophilic interactions specific to SM, e.g., between SM amide groups. This model for the Lo phase is supported by experiments using dihydro-SM, which is thought to have stronger homophilic interactions than SM, as well as by studies using the enantiomer of SM having opposite stereochemistry to SM at the 2 and 3 positions and by some molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of lipid bilayers containing Lo-lipids. Nanosized gel subdomains seem to play an important role in controlling membrane organization and function in biological membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michio Murata
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka, 560-0043 Japan.,ERATO, Lipid Active Structure Project, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka, 560-0043 Japan
| | - Nobuaki Matsumori
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395 Japan
| | - Masanao Kinoshita
- ERATO, Lipid Active Structure Project, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka, 560-0043 Japan.,Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395 Japan
| | - Erwin London
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5215 USA
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10
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Machado N, Bruininks BMH, Singh P, Dos Santos L, Dal Pizzol C, Dieamant GDC, Kruger O, Martin AA, Marrink SJ, Souza PCT, Favero PP. Complex nanoemulsion for vitamin delivery: droplet organization and interaction with skin membranes. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:506-514. [PMID: 34913938 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr04610a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Lipid nanoemulsions are promising nanomaterials for drug delivery applications in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Despite the noteworthy commercial interest, little is known about their supramolecular organization, especially about how such multicomponent formulations interact with cell membranes. In the present work, coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations have been employed to study the self-assembly of a 15-component lipid nanoemulsion droplet containing vitamins A and E for skin delivery. Our results display aspects of the unique "onion-like" agglomeration between the chemical constituents in the different layers of the lipid nanodroplet. Vitamin E molecules are more concentrated in the center of the droplet together with other hydrophobic constituents such as the triglycerides with long tails. On the other hand, vitamin A occupies an intermediate layer between the core and the co-emulsifier surface of the nanodroplet, together with lecithin phospholipids. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations were also performed to provide insight into the first steps involved in absorption and penetration of the nanodroplet through skin membrane models, representing an intracellular (hair follicle infundibulum) and intercellular pathway (stratum corneum) through the skin. Our data provide a first view on the complex organization of commercial nanoemulsion and its interaction with skin membranes. We expect our results to open the way towards the rational design of such nanomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neila Machado
- Institute of Research and Development, Universidade do Vale do Paraíba, Av. Shishima Hifumi 2911, 12244-000, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil
- UFABC Universidade Federal do ABC, Avenida dos Estados, 5001, 09210-580, Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Bart M H Bruininks
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Priyanka Singh
- Institute of Research and Development, Universidade do Vale do Paraíba, Av. Shishima Hifumi 2911, 12244-000, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Laurita Dos Santos
- Institute of Research and Development, Universidade do Vale do Paraíba, Av. Shishima Hifumi 2911, 12244-000, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil
- Biomedical Engineering Innovation Center, Biomedical Vibrational Spectroscopy Group. Universidade Brasil UnBr, Rua Carolina Fonseca 235, 08230-030, Itaquera, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Carine Dal Pizzol
- Grupo Boticário, Av. Rui Barbosa, 4110, 83055-010, Parque da Fonte, São José dos Pinhais, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Gustavo de C Dieamant
- Grupo Boticário, Av. Rui Barbosa, 4110, 83055-010, Parque da Fonte, São José dos Pinhais, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Odivania Kruger
- Grupo Boticário, Av. Rui Barbosa, 4110, 83055-010, Parque da Fonte, São José dos Pinhais, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Airton A Martin
- Biomedical Engineering Innovation Center, Biomedical Vibrational Spectroscopy Group. Universidade Brasil UnBr, Rua Carolina Fonseca 235, 08230-030, Itaquera, São Paulo, Brazil.
- DermoProbes - Research, Innovation and Technological Development, Av. Cassiano Ricardo, 601, Sala 73-74, 12246-870, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | - Siewert J Marrink
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Paulo C T Souza
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
- Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry (MMSB, UMR 5086), CNRS, University of Lyon, Lyon, France.
| | - Priscila P Favero
- Biomedical Engineering Innovation Center, Biomedical Vibrational Spectroscopy Group. Universidade Brasil UnBr, Rua Carolina Fonseca 235, 08230-030, Itaquera, São Paulo, Brazil.
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11
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Smith P, Lorenz CD. LiPyphilic: A Python Toolkit for the Analysis of Lipid Membrane Simulations. J Chem Theory Comput 2021; 17:5907-5919. [PMID: 34450002 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.1c00447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Molecular dynamics simulations are now widely used to study emergent phenomena in lipid membranes with complex compositions. Here, we present LiPyphilic-a fast, fully tested, and easy-to-install Python package for analyzing such simulations. Analysis tools in LiPyphilic include the identification of cholesterol flip-flop events, the classification of local lipid environments, and the degree of interleaflet registration. LiPyphilic is both force field- and resolution-agnostic, and by using the powerful atom selection language of MDAnalysis, it can handle membranes with highly complex compositions. LiPyphilic also offers two on-the-fly trajectory transformations to (i) fix membranes split across periodic boundaries and (ii) perform nojump coordinate unwrapping. Our implementation of nojump unwrapping accounts for fluctuations in the box volume under the NPT ensemble-an issue that most current implementations have overlooked. The full documentation of LiPyphilic, including installation instructions and links to interactive online tutorials, is available at https://lipyphilic.readthedocs.io/en/latest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Smith
- Department of Physics, King's College London, London WC2R 2LS, U.K
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12
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Keller F, Heuer A. Chain ordering of phospholipids in membranes containing cholesterol: what matters? SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:6098-6108. [PMID: 34100059 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm00459j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Cholesterol (CHOL) drives lipid segregation and is thus a key player for the formation of lipid rafts and followingly for the ability of a cell to, e.g., enable selective agglomeration of proteins. The lipid segregation is driven by cholesterol's affinity for saturated lipids, which stands directly in relation to the ability of cholesterol to order the individual phospholipid (PL) acyl chains. In this work, molecular dynamics simulations of DPPC (dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, saturated lipid) and DLiPC (dilineoylphosphatidylcholine, unsaturated lipid) mixtures with cholesterol are used to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the cholesterol ordering effect. To this end, all enthalpic contributions, experienced by the PL molecules, are recorded as a function of the PL's acyl chain order. This involves the PL-PL, the PL-cholesterol interaction, the interaction of the PLs with water, and the interleaflet interaction. This systematic analysis allows one to unravel differences of saturated and unsaturated lipids in terms of the different interaction factors. It turns out that cholesterol's impact on chain ordering stems not only from direct interactions with the PLs but is also indirectly present in the other energy contributions. Furthermore, the analysis sheds light on the relevance of the entropic contributions, related to the degrees of freedom of the acyl chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Keller
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Münster, Corrensstraße 28, 48149 Münster, Germany.
| | - Andreas Heuer
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Münster, Corrensstraße 28, 48149 Münster, Germany.
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Wang F, Larson RG. Free Energy Cost of Interdigitation of Lamellar Bilayers of Fatty Alcohols with Cationic Surfactants from Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:2389-2397. [PMID: 33647209 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c07546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Cationic surfactant mixed with fatty alcohol as cosurfactant in excess water can form stable emulsions, known as "lamellar gel networks," that contain extended and interconnected networks of swollen bilayers, including ones with in-plane liquidlike disorder (Lα phase) and solidlike order (Lβ phase). To study their structure and thermodynamics, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with lateral pressure and temperature scans along reversible pathways were used to drive reversible phase changes, including formation at negative lateral pressure of the LβI phase with interdigitated tails of opposing leaflets. Thermodynamic integration, with extrapolations to infinitely slow scans, yielded a free energy difference between the interdigitated LβI and non-interdigitated Lβ phases of 2.4 ± 0.5 kJ/mol, which is consistent with the spontaneous formation of the Lβ phase under atmospheric pressure in simulation. Thermodynamic cycles involving temperature and lateral pressure for which the free energy difference is identically zero were constructed as negative controls to verify the method. Using lateral pressure, including negative lateral pressure, helps avoid kinetic bottlenecks that occur when temperature alone is used as the control variable. The method, using negative lateral pressure, should be widely applicable to other bilayers to identify molecular properties that control interdigitation and other bilayer properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Futianyi Wang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, United States
| | - Ronald G Larson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105, United States
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Investigation of the domain line tension in asymmetric vesicles prepared via hemifusion. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2021; 1863:183586. [PMID: 33647248 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2021.183586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The plasma membrane (PM) is asymmetric in lipid composition. The distinct and characteristic lipid compositions of the exoplasmic and cytoplasmic leaflets lead to different lipid-lipid interactions and physical-chemical properties in each leaflet. The exoplasmic leaflet possesses an intrinsic ability to form coexisting ordered and disordered fluid domains, whereas the cytoplasmic leaflet seems to form a single fluid phase. To better understand the interleaflet interactions that influence domains, we compared asymmetric model membranes that capture salient properties of the PM with simpler symmetric membranes. Using asymmetric giant unilamellar vesicles (aGUVs) prepared by hemifusion with a supported lipid bilayer, we investigate the domain line tension that characterizes the behavior of coexisting ordered + disordered domains. The line tension can be related to the contact perimeter of the different phases. Compared to macroscopic phase separation, the appearance of modulated phases was found to be a robust indicator of a decrease in domain line tension. Symmetric GUVs of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC)/1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC)/1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC)/cholesterol (chol) were formed into aGUVs by replacing the GUV outer leaflet with DOPC/chol = 0.8/0.2 in order to create a cytoplasmic leaflet model. These aGUVs revealed lower line tension for the ordered + disordered domains of the exoplasmic model leaflet.
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Doktorova M, Symons JL, Levental I. Structural and functional consequences of reversible lipid asymmetry in living membranes. Nat Chem Biol 2020; 16:1321-1330. [PMID: 33199908 PMCID: PMC7747298 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-020-00688-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Maintenance of lipid asymmetry across the two leaflets of the plasma membrane (PM) bilayer is a ubiquitous feature of eukaryotic cells. Loss of this asymmetry has been widely associated with cell death. However, increasing evidence points to the physiological importance of non-apoptotic, transient changes in PM asymmetry. Such transient scrambling events are associated with a range of biological functions, including intercellular communication and intracellular signaling. Thus, regulation of interleaflet lipid distribution in the PM is a broadly important but underappreciated cellular process with key physiological and structural consequences. Here, we compile the mounting evidence revealing multifaceted, functional roles of PM asymmetry and transient loss thereof. We discuss the consequences of reversible asymmetry on PM structure, biophysical properties and interleaflet coupling. We argue that despite widespread recognition of broad aspects of membrane asymmetry, its importance in cell biology demands more in-depth investigation of its features, regulation, and physiological and pathological implications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jessica L Symons
- University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
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