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Põldsalu I, Köksal ES, Gözen I. Mixed fatty acid-phospholipid protocell networks. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:26948-26954. [PMID: 34842249 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp03832j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Self-assembled membranes composed of both fatty acids and phospholipids are permeable for solutes and structurally stable, which was likely an advantageous combination for the development of primitive cells on the early Earth. Here we report on the solid surface-assisted formation of primitive mixed-surfactant membrane compartments, i.e. model protocells, from multilamellar lipid reservoirs composed of different ratios of fatty acids and phospholipids. Similar to the previously discovered enhancement of model protocell formation on solid substrates, we achieve spontaneous multi-step self-transformation of mixed surfactant reservoirs into closed surfactant containers, interconnected via nanotube networks. Some of the fatty acid-containing compartments in the networks exhibit colony-like growth. We demonstrate that the compartments generated from fatty acid-containing phospholipid membranes feature increased permeability coefficients for molecules in the ambient solution, for fluorescein up to 7 × 10-6 cm s-1 and for RNA up to 3.5 × 10-6 cm s-1. Our findings indicate that surface-assisted autonomous protocell formation and development, starting from mixed amphiphiles, is a plausible scenario for the early stages of the emergence of primitive cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inga Põldsalu
- Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0318 Oslo, Norway.
| | - Elif Senem Köksal
- Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0318 Oslo, Norway.
| | - Irep Gözen
- Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0318 Oslo, Norway. .,Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, 0315 Oslo, Norway
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Hammond K, Cipcigan F, Al Nahas K, Losasso V, Lewis H, Cama J, Martelli F, Simcock PW, Fletcher M, Ravi J, Stansfeld PJ, Pagliara S, Hoogenboom BW, Keyser UF, Sansom MSP, Crain J, Ryadnov MG. Switching Cytolytic Nanopores into Antimicrobial Fractal Ruptures by a Single Side Chain Mutation. ACS NANO 2021; 15:9679-9689. [PMID: 33885289 PMCID: PMC8219408 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c00218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Disruption of cell membranes is a fundamental host defense response found in virtually all forms of life. The molecular mechanisms vary but generally lead to energetically favored circular nanopores. Here, we report an elaborate fractal rupture pattern induced by a single side-chain mutation in ultrashort (8-11-mers) helical peptides, which otherwise form transmembrane pores. In contrast to known mechanisms, this mode of membrane disruption is restricted to the upper leaflet of the bilayer where it exhibits propagating fronts of peptide-lipid interfaces that are strikingly similar to viscous instabilities in fluid flow. The two distinct disruption modes, pores and fractal patterns, are both strongly antimicrobial, but only the fractal rupture is nonhemolytic. The results offer wide implications for elucidating differential membrane targeting phenomena defined at the nanoscale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine Hammond
- National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, TW11 0LW, UK
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, London WC1H 0AH, UK
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | - Kareem Al Nahas
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
| | | | - Helen Lewis
- National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, TW11 0LW, UK
| | - Jehangir Cama
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
- College of Engineering, Mathematics and Phys Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
| | | | - Patrick W Simcock
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Marcus Fletcher
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Jascindra Ravi
- National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, TW11 0LW, UK
| | | | - Stefano Pagliara
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Bart W Hoogenboom
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, London WC1H 0AH, UK
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Ulrich F Keyser
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Mark S P Sansom
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Jason Crain
- IBM Research Europe, Hartree Centre, Daresbury WA4 4AD, UK
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Maxim G Ryadnov
- National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, TW11 0LW, UK
- Department of Physics, King’s College London, London, WC2R 2LS, UK
- Corresponding author: Prof Maxim G Ryadnov; National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, TW11 0LW, UK, Tel: (+44) 20 89436078;
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