1
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Cino EA, Tieleman DP. Curvature Footprints of Transmembrane Proteins in Simulations with the Martini Force Field. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:5987-5994. [PMID: 38860934 PMCID: PMC11216194 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c01385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Membranes play essential roles in biological systems and are tremendously diverse in the topologies and chemical and elastic properties that define their functions. In many cases, a given membrane may display considerable heterogeneity, with localized clusters of lipids and proteins exhibiting distinct characteristics compared to adjoining regions. These lipid-protein assemblies can span nanometers to micrometers and are associated with cellular processes such as transport and signaling. While lipid-protein assemblages are dynamic, they can be stabilized by coupling between local membrane composition and shape. Due to the inherent difficulty in resolving atomistic details of membrane proteins in their native lipid environments, these complexes are notoriously challenging to study experimentally; however, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations might be a viable alternative. Here, we aim to assess the utility of coarse-grained (CG) MD simulations with the Martini force field for studying membrane curvature induced by transmembrane (TM) proteins that are reported to generate local curvature. The direction and magnitude of curvature induced by five different TM proteins, as well as certain lipid-protein and protein-protein interactions, were found to be in good agreement with available reference data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elio A. Cino
- Centre for Molecular Simulation
and Department of Biological Sciences, University
of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - D. Peter Tieleman
- Centre for Molecular Simulation
and Department of Biological Sciences, University
of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
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2
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Sarkar T, Farago O. A lattice model of ternary mixtures of lipids and cholesterol with tunable domain sizes. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:2417-2429. [PMID: 36930060 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01025a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Much of our understanding of the physical properties of raft domains in biological membranes, and some insight into the mechanisms underlying their formation stem from atomistic simulations of simple model systems, especially ternary mixtures consisting of saturated and unsaturated lipids, and cholesterol (Chol). To explore the properties of such systems at large spatial scales, we here present a simple ternary mixture lattice model, involving a small number of nearest neighbor interaction terms. Monte Carlo simulations of mixtures with different compositions show excellent agreement with experimental and atomistic simulation observations across multiple scales, ranging from the local distributions of lipids to the phase diagram of the system. The simplicity of the model allows us to identify the roles played by the different interactions between components, and the interplay between them. Importantly, by changing the value of one of the model parameters, we can tune the size of the liquid-ordered domains, thereby simulating both Type II mixtures exhibiting macroscopic phase separation and Type I mixtures with nanoscopic domains. The Type II mixture simulation results fit well to the experimentally determined phase diagram of mixtures containing saturated DPPC/unsaturated DOPC/Chol. When the tunable parameter is changed, we obtain the Type I version of DPPC/DOPC/Chol, i.e., a mixture not showing thermodynamic phase transitions but one that may be fitted to the same phase diagram if local measures are used to distinguish between the different states. Our model results suggest that short range packing is likely to be a key regulator of the stability and size distribution of biological rafts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanmoy Sarkar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva 84105, Israel.
| | - Oded Farago
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva 84105, Israel.
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3
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Baccile N, Lorthioir C, Ba AA, Le Griel P, Pérez J, Hermida-Merino D, Soetaert W, Roelants SLKW. Topological Connection between Vesicles and Nanotubes in Single-Molecule Lipid Membranes Driven by Head-Tail Interactions. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:14574-14587. [PMID: 36410028 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c01824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Lipid nanotube-vesicle networks are important channels for intercellular communication and transport of matter. Experimentally observed in neighboring mammalian cells but also reproduced in model membrane systems, a broad consensus exists on their formation and stability. Lipid membranes must be composed of at least two molecular components, each stabilizing low (generally a phospholipid) and high curvatures. Strong anisotropy or enhanced conical shape of the second amphiphile is crucial for the formation of nanotunnels. Anisotropic driving forces generally favor nanotube protrusions from vesicles. In this work, we report the unique case of topologically connected nanotubes-vesicles obtained in the absence of directional forces, in single-molecule membranes, composed of an anisotropic bolaform glucolipid, above its melting temperature, Tm. Cryo-TEM and fluorescence confocal microscopy show the interconnection between vesicles and nanotubes in a single-phase region, between 60 and 90 °C under diluted conditions. Solid-state NMR demonstrates that the glucolipid can assume two distinct configurations, head-head and head-tail. These arrangements, seemingly of comparable energy above the Tm, could explain the existence and stability of the topologically connected vesicles and nanotubes, which are generally not observed for classical single-molecule phospholipid-based membranes above their Tm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niki Baccile
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris, LCMCP, Sorbonne Université, Paris75005, France
| | - Cédric Lorthioir
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris, LCMCP, Sorbonne Université, Paris75005, France
| | - Abdoul Aziz Ba
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris, LCMCP, Sorbonne Université, Paris75005, France
| | - Patrick Le Griel
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris, LCMCP, Sorbonne Université, Paris75005, France
| | - Javier Pérez
- Synchrotron Soleil, L'Orme des Merisiers, Saint-Aubin, BP48, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex91192, France
| | - Daniel Hermida-Merino
- Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), DUBBLE@ESRF BP CS40220, Grenoble38043, France
- Departamento de Física Aplicada, CINBIO, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende, Vigo36310, Spain
| | - Wim Soetaert
- InBio, Department of Biotechnology, Ghent University, Ghent9000, Belgium
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4
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Himbert S, Rheinstädter MC. Structural and mechanical properties of the red blood cell's cytoplasmic membrane seen through the lens of biophysics. Front Physiol 2022; 13:953257. [PMID: 36171967 PMCID: PMC9510598 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.953257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Red blood cells (RBCs) are the most abundant cell type in the human body and critical suppliers of oxygen. The cells are characterized by a simple structure with no internal organelles. Their two-layered outer shell is composed of a cytoplasmic membrane (RBC cm ) tethered to a spectrin cytoskeleton allowing the cell to be both flexible yet resistant against shear stress. These mechanical properties are intrinsically linked to the molecular composition and organization of their shell. The cytoplasmic membrane is expected to dominate the elastic behavior on small, nanometer length scales, which are most relevant for cellular processes that take place between the fibrils of the cytoskeleton. Several pathologies have been linked to structural and compositional changes within the RBC cm and the cell's mechanical properties. We review current findings in terms of RBC lipidomics, lipid organization and elastic properties with a focus on biophysical techniques, such as X-ray and neutron scattering, and Molecular Dynamics simulations, and their biological relevance. In our current understanding, the RBC cm 's structure is patchy, with nanometer sized liquid ordered and disordered lipid, and peptide domains. At the same time, it is surprisingly soft, with bending rigidities κ of 2-4 kBT. This is in strong contrast to the current belief that a high concentration of cholesterol results in stiff membranes. This extreme softness is likely the result of an interaction between polyunsaturated lipids and cholesterol, which may also occur in other biological membranes. There is strong evidence in the literature that there is no length scale dependence of κ of whole RBCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Himbert
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Origins Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Maikel C. Rheinstädter
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- Origins Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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5
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Cino EA, Tieleman DP. Curvature-based sorting of eight lipid types in asymmetric buckled plasma membrane models. Biophys J 2022; 121:2060-2068. [PMID: 35524412 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Curvature is a fundamental property of biological membranes and has essential roles in cellular function. Bending of membranes can be induced by their lipid and protein compositions, as well as peripheral proteins, such as those that make up the cytoskeleton. An important aspect of membrane function is the grouping of lipid species into microdomains, or rafts, which serve as platforms for specific biochemical processes. The fluid mosaic model of membranes has evolved to recognize the importance of curvature and leaflet asymmetry, and there are efforts towards evaluating their functional roles. This work investigates the effect of curvature on the sorting of lipids in buckled asymmetric bilayers containing eight lipid types, approximating an average mammalian plasma membrane, through coarse-grained (CG) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the Martini force field. The simulations reveal that i) leaflet compositional asymmetry can induce curvature asymmetry, ii) lipids are sorted by curvature to different extents, and iii) curvature-based partitioning trends show moderate to strong correlations with lipid molecular volumes and head to tail bead ratios, respectively. The findings provide unique insights into the role of curvature in membrane organization, and the curvature-based sorting trends should be useful references for later investigations, and potentially interpreting the functional roles of specific lipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elio A Cino
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - D Peter Tieleman
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada.
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6
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Saitov A, Kalutsky MA, Galimzyanov TR, Glasnov T, Horner A, Akimov SA, Pohl P. Determinants of Lipid Domain Size. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073502. [PMID: 35408861 PMCID: PMC8998648 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipid domains less than 200 nm in size may form a scaffold, enabling the concerted function of plasma membrane proteins. The size-regulating mechanism is under debate. We tested the hypotheses that large values of spontaneous monolayer curvature are incompatible with micrometer-sized domains. Here, we used the transition of photoswitchable lipids from their cylindrical conformation to a conical conformation to increase the negative curvature of a bilayer-forming lipid mixture. In contrast to the hypothesis, pre-existing micrometer-sized domains did not dissipate in our planar bilayers, as indicated by fluorescence images and domain mobility measurements. Elasticity theory supports the observation by predicting the zero free energy gain for splitting large domains into smaller ones. It also indicates an alternative size-determining mechanism: The cone-shaped photolipids reduce the line tension associated with lipid deformations at the phase boundary and thus slow down the kinetics of domain fusion. The competing influence of two approaching domains on the deformation of the intervening lipids is responsible for the kinetic fusion trap. Our experiments indicate that the resulting local energy barrier may restrict the domain size in a dynamic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Saitov
- Institute of Biophysics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Gruberstraße 40, 4020 Linz, Austria; (A.S.); (A.H.)
| | - Maksim A. Kalutsky
- A.N. Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 31/5 Leninskiy Prospekt, 119071 Moscow, Russia; (M.A.K.); (T.R.G.); (S.A.A.)
- Department of Theoretical Physics and Quantum Technologies, National University of Science and Technology “MISiS”, 4 Leninskiy Prospekt, 119049 Moscow, Russia
| | - Timur R. Galimzyanov
- A.N. Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 31/5 Leninskiy Prospekt, 119071 Moscow, Russia; (M.A.K.); (T.R.G.); (S.A.A.)
| | - Toma Glasnov
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria;
| | - Andreas Horner
- Institute of Biophysics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Gruberstraße 40, 4020 Linz, Austria; (A.S.); (A.H.)
| | - Sergey A. Akimov
- A.N. Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 31/5 Leninskiy Prospekt, 119071 Moscow, Russia; (M.A.K.); (T.R.G.); (S.A.A.)
| | - Peter Pohl
- Institute of Biophysics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Gruberstraße 40, 4020 Linz, Austria; (A.S.); (A.H.)
- Correspondence:
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7
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Insights into lipid-protein interactions from computer simulations. Biophys Rev 2022; 13:1019-1027. [PMID: 35047089 PMCID: PMC8724345 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-021-00876-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipid-protein interactions play an important direct role in the function of many membrane proteins. We argue they are key players in membrane structure, modulate membrane proteins in more subtle ways than direct binding, and are important for understanding the mechanism of classes of hydrophobic drugs. By directly comparing membrane proteins from different families in the same, complex lipid mixture, we found a unique lipid environment for every protein. Extending this work, we identified both differences and similarities in the lipid environment of GPCRs, dependent on which family they belong to and in some cases their conformational state, with particular emphasis on the distribution of cholesterol. More recently, we have been studying modes of coupling between protein conformation and local membrane properties using model proteins. In more applied approaches, we have used similar methods to investigate specific hypotheses on interactions of lipid and lipid-like molecules with ion channels. We conclude this perspective with some considerations for future work, including a new more sophisticated coarse-grained force field (Martini 3), an interactive visual exploration framework, and opportunities to improve sampling.
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8
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Song ES, Oh Y, Sung BJ. Interdomain exchange and the flip-flop of cholesterol in ternary component lipid membranes and their effects on heterogeneous cholesterol diffusion. Phys Rev E 2021; 104:044402. [PMID: 34781553 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.104.044402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Cell membranes are heterogeneous with a variety of lipids, cholesterol, and proteins and are composed of domains of different compositions. Such heterogeneous environments make the transport of cholesterol complicated: cholesterol not only diffuses within a particular domain but also travels between domains. Cholesterol also flip-flops between upper and lower leaflets such that cholesterol may reside both within leaflets and in the central region between two leaflets. How the presence of multiple domains and the interdomain exchange of cholesterol would affect the cholesterol transport, however, remains elusive. In this study, therefore, we perform molecular dynamics simulations up to 100μs for ternary component lipid membranes, which consist of saturated lipids (dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, DPPC), unsaturated lipids (dilinoleylphosphatidylcholine, DIPC), and cholesterol. The ternary component membranes in our simulations form two domains readily: DPPC and DIPC domains. We find that the diffusion of cholesterol molecules is much more heterogeneous and non-Gaussian than expected for binary component lipid membranes of lipids and cholesterol. The non-Gaussian parameter of the cholesterol molecules is about four times larger in the ternary component lipid membranes than in the binary component lipid membranes. Such non-Gaussian and heterogeneous transport of cholesterol arises from the interplay among the interdomain kinetics, the different diffusivity of cholesterol in different domains, and the flip-flop of cholesterol. This suggests that in cell membranes that consist of various domains and proteins, the cholesterol transport can be very heterogeneous. We also find that the mechanism of the interdomain exchange differs for different domains: cholesterol tends to exit the DIPC domain along the central region of the membrane for the DIPC-to-DPPC transition, while the cholesterol is likely to exit the DPPC domain within the membrane leaflet for the DPPC-to-DIPC transition. Also, the interdomain exchange kinetics of cholesterol for the DPPC-to-DIPC transition is up to 7.9 times slower than the DIPC-to-DPPC transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun Sub Song
- Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, Seoul 04107, Republic of Korea
| | - Younghoon Oh
- Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, Seoul 04107, Republic of Korea
| | - Bong June Sung
- Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, Seoul 04107, Republic of Korea
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9
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Loh D, Reiter RJ. Melatonin: Regulation of Biomolecular Condensates in Neurodegenerative Disorders. Antioxidants (Basel) 2021; 10:1483. [PMID: 34573116 PMCID: PMC8465482 DOI: 10.3390/antiox10091483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Biomolecular condensates are membraneless organelles (MLOs) that form dynamic, chemically distinct subcellular compartments organizing macromolecules such as proteins, RNA, and DNA in unicellular prokaryotic bacteria and complex eukaryotic cells. Separated from surrounding environments, MLOs in the nucleoplasm, cytoplasm, and mitochondria assemble by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) into transient, non-static, liquid-like droplets that regulate essential molecular functions. LLPS is primarily controlled by post-translational modifications (PTMs) that fine-tune the balance between attractive and repulsive charge states and/or binding motifs of proteins. Aberrant phase separation due to dysregulated membrane lipid rafts and/or PTMs, as well as the absence of adequate hydrotropic small molecules such as ATP, or the presence of specific RNA proteins can cause pathological protein aggregation in neurodegenerative disorders. Melatonin may exert a dominant influence over phase separation in biomolecular condensates by optimizing membrane and MLO interdependent reactions through stabilizing lipid raft domains, reducing line tension, and maintaining negative membrane curvature and fluidity. As a potent antioxidant, melatonin protects cardiolipin and other membrane lipids from peroxidation cascades, supporting protein trafficking, signaling, ion channel activities, and ATPase functionality during condensate coacervation or dissolution. Melatonin may even control condensate LLPS through PTM and balance mRNA- and RNA-binding protein composition by regulating N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modifications. There is currently a lack of pharmaceuticals targeting neurodegenerative disorders via the regulation of phase separation. The potential of melatonin in the modulation of biomolecular condensate in the attenuation of aberrant condensate aggregation in neurodegenerative disorders is discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doris Loh
- Independent Researcher, Marble Falls, TX 78654, USA
| | - Russel J. Reiter
- Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
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10
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Nesterov SV, Ilyinsky NS, Uversky VN. Liquid-liquid phase separation as a common organizing principle of intracellular space and biomembranes providing dynamic adaptive responses. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2021; 1868:119102. [PMID: 34293345 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2021.119102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
This work is devoted to the phenomenon of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), which has come to be recognized as fundamental organizing principle of living cells. We distinguish separation processes with different dimensions. Well-known 3D-condensation occurs in aqueous solution and leads to membraneless organelle (MLOs) formation. 2D-films may be formed near membrane surfaces and lateral phase separation (membrane rafts) occurs within the membranes themselves. LLPS may also occur on 1D structures like DNA and the cyto- and nucleoskeleton. Phase separation provides efficient transport and sorting of proteins and metabolites, accelerates the assembly of metabolic and signaling complexes, and mediates stress responses. In this work, we propose a model in which the processes of polymerization (1D structures), phase separation in membranes (2D structures), and LLPS in the volume (3D structures) influence each other. Disordered proteins and whole condensates may provide membrane raft separation or polymerization of specific proteins. On the other hand, 1D and 2D structures with special composition or embedded IDRs can nucleate condensates. We hypothesized that environmental change may trigger a LLPS which can propagate within the cell interior moving along the cytoskeleton or as an autowave. New phase propagation quickly and using a low amount of energy adjusts cell signaling and metabolic systems to new demands. Cumulatively, the interconnected phase separation phenomena in different dimensions represent a previously unexplored system of intracellular communication and regulation which cannot be ignored when considering both physiological and pathological cell processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Semen V Nesterov
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Institutskiy pereulok, 9, Dolgoprudny 141700, Russia; Kurchatov Complex of NBICS-Technologies, National Research Center Kurchatov Institute, Moscow 123182, Russia.
| | - Nikolay S Ilyinsky
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Institutskiy pereulok, 9, Dolgoprudny 141700, Russia
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Research Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Institutskiy pereulok, 9, Dolgoprudny 141700, Russia; Department of Molecular Medicine and USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MDC07, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
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11
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Raman spectroscopy and DSC assay of the phase coexistence in binary DMPC/cholesterol multilamellar vesicles. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2020; 1863:183514. [PMID: 33232709 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2020.183514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The phospholipid/cholesterol binary model systems are an example of simple models whose structure has caused controversy and genuine interest over many decades. The cornerstone underlying the description of such models is the answer to the question of whether these membranes are separated into coexisting phases or domains. Here, we apply label-free Raman spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to verify the phase coexistence in 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC)/cholesterol binary model. Raman spectra demonstrate the peculiarity at 30% molar fraction of cholesterol. Above this concentration, Raman data demonstrate similar characteristics at T = 291, 298, 303 K. At lower molar fractions, at 303 K, we found the agreement of Raman spectra with the predictions of the lever rule of cholesterol. Taken together, low cooperativity of the transition at 30 mol% and the fulfillment of the lever rule suggest the existence of nanoclusters composed of approximately 4 DMPC and 2 cholesterol molecules. At 298 K, the compliance of the lever rule was found in the range from 0 to 20 mol% of cholesterol. At 291 K, the addition of 5% cholesterol leads to the abrupt change of Raman spectra parameters and their continuous evolution with the further increase of cholesterol molar fraction. It seems that cholesterol plays a twofold role in binary mixtures; it reduces the intermolecular cooperativity and forms clusters whose size and DMPC-to-cholesterol ratio depend on cholesterol concentration and temperature.
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12
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Tamemoto N, Noguchi H. Pattern formation in reaction-diffusion system on membrane with mechanochemical feedback. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19582. [PMID: 33177597 PMCID: PMC7659017 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76695-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Shapes of biological membranes are dynamically regulated in living cells. Although membrane shape deformation by proteins at thermal equilibrium has been extensively studied, nonequilibrium dynamics have been much less explored. Recently, chemical reaction propagation has been experimentally observed in plasma membranes. Thus, it is important to understand how the reaction-diffusion dynamics are modified on deformable curved membranes. Here, we investigated nonequilibrium pattern formation on vesicles induced by mechanochemical feedback between membrane deformation and chemical reactions, using dynamically triangulated membrane simulations combined with the Brusselator model. We found that membrane deformation changes stable patterns relative to those that occur on a non-deformable curved surface, as determined by linear stability analysis. We further found that budding and multi-spindle shapes are induced by Turing patterns, and we also observed the transition from oscillation patterns to stable spot patterns. Our results demonstrate the importance of mechanochemical feedback in pattern formation on deforming membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Tamemoto
- Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8581, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Noguchi
- Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8581, Japan.
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13
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Miller JM, Hall D, Robaszewski J, Sharma P, Hagan MF, Grason GM, Dogic Z. All twist and no bend makes raft edges splay: Spontaneous curvature of domain edges in colloidal membranes. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaba2331. [PMID: 32832680 PMCID: PMC7439760 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba2331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Using theory and experiments, we study the interface between two immiscible domains in a colloidal membrane composed of rigid rods of different lengths. Geometric considerations of rigid rod packing imply that a domain of sufficiently short rods in a background membrane of long rods is more susceptible to twist than the inverse structure, a long-rod domain in a short-rod membrane. The midplane tilt at the interdomain edge forces splay, which, in turn, manifests as spontaneous edge curvature with energetics controlled by the length asymmetry of constituent rods. A thermodynamic model of such tilt-curvature coupling at interdomain edges explains a number of experimental observations, including annularly shaped long-rod domains, and a nonmonotonic dependence of edge twist on domain radius. Our work shows how coupling between orientational and compositional degrees of freedom in two-dimensional fluids gives rise to complex shapes of fluid domains, analogous to shape transitions in 3D fluid vesicles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joia M. Miller
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Doug Hall
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Joanna Robaszewski
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Prerna Sharma
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012, India
| | - Michael F. Hagan
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
| | - Gregory M. Grason
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Zvonimir Dogic
- Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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14
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Gu RX, Baoukina S, Tieleman DP. Phase Separation in Atomistic Simulations of Model Membranes. J Am Chem Soc 2020; 142:2844-2856. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b11057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ruo-Xu Gu
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Svetlana Baoukina
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - D. Peter Tieleman
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
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15
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Caparotta M, Bustos DM, Masone D. Order–disorder skewness in alpha-synuclein: a key mechanism to recognize membrane curvature. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:5255-5263. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cp04951g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Currently, membrane curvature is understood as an active mechanism to control cells spatial organization and activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Caparotta
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales
- Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo)
- Mendoza
- Argentina
| | - Diego M. Bustos
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales
- Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo)
- Mendoza
- Argentina
- Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza (IHEM) – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)
| | - Diego Masone
- Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza (IHEM) – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)
- Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo)
- Mendoza
- Argentina
- Facultad de Ingeniería
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16
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Meinhardt S, Schmid F. Structure of lateral heterogeneities in a coarse-grained model for multicomponent membranes. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:1942-1952. [PMID: 30662989 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm02261e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We study the lateral domain structure in a coarse-grained molecular model for multicomponent lipid bilayers by semi-grandcanonical Monte Carlo simulations. The membranes are filled with liquid ordered (lo) domains surrounded by a liquid disordered (ld) matrix. Depending on the membrane composition and temperature, we identify different morphological regimes: one regime (I) where the lo domains are small and relatively compact, and two regimes (II, II') where they are larger and often interconnected. In the latter two regimes, the ld matrix forms a network of disordered trenches separating the lo domains, with a relatively high content of interdigitated line defects. Since such defects are also a structural element of the modulated ripple phase in one component membranes, we argue that the regimes II, II' may be amorphous equivalents of the ripple phase in multicomponent membranes. We also analyze the local structure and provide evidence that the domains in regime I are stabilized by a monolayer curvature mechanism postulated in earlier work [S. Meinhardt et al., PNAS, 2013, 110, 4476].
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Meinhardt
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
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17
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolin Cheng
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Biophysics Graduate Program, Translational Data Analytics Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Jeremy C. Smith
- UT/ORNL Center for Molecular Biophysics, Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6309, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
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18
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Molugu TR, Brown MF. Cholesterol Effects on the Physical Properties of Lipid Membranes Viewed by Solid-state NMR Spectroscopy. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1115:99-133. [PMID: 30649757 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-04278-3_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
In this chapter, we review the physical properties of lipid/cholesterol mixtures involving studies of model membranes using solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The approach allows one to quantify the average membrane structure, fluctuations, and elastic deformation upon cholesterol interaction. Emphasis is placed on understanding the membrane structural deformation and emergent fluctuations at an atomistic level. Lineshape measurements using solid-state NMR spectroscopy give equilibrium structural properties, while relaxation time measurements study the molecular dynamics over a wide timescale range. The equilibrium properties of glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, and their binary and tertiary mixtures with cholesterol are accessible. Nonideal mixing of cholesterol with other lipids explains the occurrence of liquid-ordered domains. The entropic loss upon addition of cholesterol to sphingolipids is less than for glycerophospholipids, and may drive formation of lipid rafts. The functional dependence of 2H NMR spin-lattice relaxation (R 1Z) rates on segmental order parameters (S CD) for lipid membranes is indicative of emergent viscoelastic properties. Addition of cholesterol shows stiffening of the bilayer relative to the pure lipids and this effect is diminished for lanosterol. Opposite influences of cholesterol and detergents on collective dynamics and elasticity at an atomistic scale can potentially affect lipid raft formation in cellular membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trivikram R Molugu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Michael F Brown
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA. .,Department of Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
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19
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Cebecauer M, Amaro M, Jurkiewicz P, Sarmento MJ, Šachl R, Cwiklik L, Hof M. Membrane Lipid Nanodomains. Chem Rev 2018; 118:11259-11297. [PMID: 30362705 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Lipid membranes can spontaneously organize their components into domains of different sizes and properties. The organization of membrane lipids into nanodomains might potentially play a role in vital functions of cells and organisms. Model membranes represent attractive systems to study lipid nanodomains, which cannot be directly addressed in living cells with the currently available methods. This review summarizes the knowledge on lipid nanodomains in model membranes and exposes how their specific character contrasts with large-scale phase separation. The overview on lipid nanodomains in membranes composed of diverse lipids (e.g., zwitterionic and anionic glycerophospholipids, ceramides, glycosphingolipids) and cholesterol aims to evidence the impact of chemical, electrostatic, and geometric properties of lipids on nanodomain formation. Furthermore, the effects of curvature, asymmetry, and ions on membrane nanodomains are shown to be highly relevant aspects that may also modulate lipid nanodomains in cellular membranes. Potential mechanisms responsible for the formation and dynamics of nanodomains are discussed with support from available theories and computational studies. A brief description of current fluorescence techniques and analytical tools that enabled progress in lipid nanodomain studies is also included. Further directions are proposed to successfully extend this research to cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek Cebecauer
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Dolejškova 3 , 18223 Prague 8 , Czech Republic
| | - Mariana Amaro
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Dolejškova 3 , 18223 Prague 8 , Czech Republic
| | - Piotr Jurkiewicz
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Dolejškova 3 , 18223 Prague 8 , Czech Republic
| | - Maria João Sarmento
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Dolejškova 3 , 18223 Prague 8 , Czech Republic
| | - Radek Šachl
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Dolejškova 3 , 18223 Prague 8 , Czech Republic
| | - Lukasz Cwiklik
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Dolejškova 3 , 18223 Prague 8 , Czech Republic
| | - Martin Hof
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Dolejškova 3 , 18223 Prague 8 , Czech Republic
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20
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A Rationale for Mesoscopic Domain Formation in Biomembranes. Biomolecules 2018; 8:biom8040104. [PMID: 30274275 PMCID: PMC6316292 DOI: 10.3390/biom8040104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell plasma membranes display a dramatically rich structural complexity characterized by functional sub-wavelength domains with specific lipid and protein composition. Under favorable experimental conditions, patterned morphologies can also be observed in vitro on model systems such as supported membranes or lipid vesicles. Lipid mixtures separating in liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered phases below a demixing temperature play a pivotal role in this context. Protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions also contribute to membrane shaping by promoting small domains or clusters. Such phase separations displaying characteristic length-scales falling in-between the nanoscopic, molecular scale on the one hand and the macroscopic scale on the other hand, are named mesophases in soft condensed matter physics. In this review, we propose a classification of the diverse mechanisms leading to mesophase separation in biomembranes. We distinguish between mechanisms relying upon equilibrium thermodynamics and those involving out-of-equilibrium mechanisms, notably active membrane recycling. In equilibrium, we especially focus on the many mechanisms that dwell on an up-down symmetry breaking between the upper and lower bilayer leaflets. Symmetry breaking is an ubiquitous mechanism in condensed matter physics at the heart of several important phenomena. In the present case, it can be either spontaneous (domain buckling) or explicit, i.e., due to an external cause (global or local vesicle bending properties). Whenever possible, theoretical predictions and simulation results are confronted to experiments on model systems or living cells, which enables us to identify the most realistic mechanisms from a biological perspective.
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21
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Immature HIV-1 lattice assembly dynamics are regulated by scaffolding from nucleic acid and the plasma membrane. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E10056-E10065. [PMID: 29114055 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1706600114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The packaging and budding of Gag polyprotein and viral RNA is a critical step in the HIV-1 life cycle. High-resolution structures of the Gag polyprotein have revealed that the capsid (CA) and spacer peptide 1 (SP1) domains contain important interfaces for Gag self-assembly. However, the molecular details of the multimerization process, especially in the presence of RNA and the cell membrane, have remained unclear. In this work, we investigate the mechanisms that work in concert between the polyproteins, RNA, and membrane to promote immature lattice growth. We develop a coarse-grained (CG) computational model that is derived from subnanometer resolution structural data. Our simulations recapitulate contiguous and hexameric lattice assembly driven only by weak anisotropic attractions at the helical CA-SP1 junction. Importantly, analysis from CG and single-particle tracking photoactivated localization (spt-PALM) trajectories indicates that viral RNA and the membrane are critical constituents that actively promote Gag multimerization through scaffolding, while overexpression of short competitor RNA can suppress assembly. We also find that the CA amino-terminal domain imparts intrinsic curvature to the Gag lattice. As a consequence, immature lattice growth appears to be coupled to the dynamics of spontaneous membrane deformation. Our findings elucidate a simple network of interactions that regulate the early stages of HIV-1 assembly and budding.
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22
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Weinrich M, Worcester DL, Bezrukov SM. Lipid nanodomains change ion channel function. NANOSCALE 2017; 9:13291-13297. [PMID: 28858358 PMCID: PMC5599369 DOI: 10.1039/c7nr03926c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Signaling proteins and neurotransmitter receptors often associate with saturated chain and cholesterol-rich domains of cell membranes, also known as lipid rafts. The saturated chains and high cholesterol environment in lipid rafts can modulate protein function, but evidence for such modulation of ion channel function in lipid rafts is lacking. Here, using raft-forming model membrane systems containing cholesterol, we show that lipid lateral phase separation at the nanoscale level directly affects the dissociation kinetics of the gramicidin dimer, a model ion channel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Weinrich
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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23
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Sarangi NK, Ayappa KG, Basu JK. Complex dynamics at the nanoscale in simple biomembranes. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11173. [PMID: 28894156 PMCID: PMC5593986 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11068-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Nature is known to engineer complex compositional and dynamical platforms in biological membranes. Understanding this complex landscape requires techniques to simultaneously detect membrane re-organization and dynamics at the nanoscale. Using super-resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy coupled with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), we reveal direct experimental evidence of dynamic heterogeneity at the nanoscale in binary phospholipid-cholesterol bilayers. Domain formation on the length scale of ~200–600 nm due to local cholesterol compositional heterogeneity is found to be more prominent at high cholesterol content giving rise to distinct intra-domain lipid dynamics. STED-FCS reveals unique dynamical crossover phenomena at length scales of ~100–150 nm within each of these macroscopic regions. The extent of dynamic heterogeneity due to intra-domain hindered lipid diffusion as reflected from the crossover length scale, is driven by cholesterol packing and organization, uniquely influenced by phospholipid type. These results on simple binary model bilayer systems provide novel insights into pathways leading to the emergence of complex nanodomain substructures with implications for a wide variety of membrane mediated cellular events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nirod Kumar Sarangi
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560 012, India
| | - K G Ayappa
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560 012, India. .,Center for Biosystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560 012, India.
| | - Jaydeep Kumar Basu
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560 012, India.
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24
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Gobrogge CA, Kong VA, Walker RA. Temperature-Dependent Partitioning of C152 in Binary Phosphatidylcholine Membranes and Mixed Phosphatidylcholine/Phosphatidylethanolamine Membranes. J Phys Chem B 2017; 121:7889-7898. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b04831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christine A. Gobrogge
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, United States
| | - Victoria A. Kong
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, United States
| | - Robert A. Walker
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, United States
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25
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C R, Basu JK. Emergence of compositionally tunable nanoscale dynamical heterogeneity in model binary lipid biomembranes. SOFT MATTER 2017; 13:4598-4606. [PMID: 28604915 DOI: 10.1039/c7sm00581d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
While the existence of nanoscale dynamical heterogeneity in biological membranes has been suggested to act as an active functional platform for enabling various cellular processes like signal transduction and viral or bacterial entry, it has been extremely difficult to detect the existence of such domains. Model lipid bilayer membranes have been widely used to detect such dynamical heterogeneity in order to avoid complications arising from the compositional heterogeneity of cellular membranes. However, even in model biological membranes the issue of nanoscale lipid dynamics has remained controversial and unresolved due to the difficulty of detecting the existence of such dynamical heterogeneity on the scale of 10-300 nm. Here we report direct evidence of nanoscale lipid dynamical heterogeneity in model binary lipid bilayer membranes using a combination of super-resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). We control the phase behavior of the lipid bilayers by varying their composition and discuss how this leads to the emergence of dynamical lipid domains on the scale of 80-150 nm, which is also dependent on the lipid phase in which such dynamics are observed. Notably, our work shows that the presence of cholesterol is not required for the existence of such domains even in fluid like bilayers, as has been widely believed, and specifies the minimal conditions required for the emergence of such dynamical heterogeneity in cellular membranes. Our work will thus not only be of great significance towards understanding the nanoscale dynamic organizing principles of cellular membranes but could also be useful in understanding the dynamics of related soft matter systems and nanoparticle-cell membrane interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roobala C
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560 012, India.
| | - Jaydeep K Basu
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560 012, India.
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26
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Alipour E, Halverson D, McWhirter S, Walker GC. Phospholipid Bilayers: Stability and Encapsulation of Nanoparticles. Annu Rev Phys Chem 2017; 68:261-283. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-physchem-040215-112634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elnaz Alipour
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada;, , ,
| | - Duncan Halverson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada;, , ,
| | - Samantha McWhirter
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada;, , ,
| | - Gilbert C. Walker
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada;, , ,
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27
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Sizes of lipid domains: What do we know from artificial lipid membranes? What are the possible shared features with membrane rafts in cells? BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2017; 1859:789-802. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2017.01.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2016] [Revised: 01/21/2017] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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28
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Javanainen M, Martinez-Seara H, Vattulainen I. Nanoscale Membrane Domain Formation Driven by Cholesterol. Sci Rep 2017; 7:1143. [PMID: 28442766 PMCID: PMC5430823 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01247-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological membranes generate specific functions through compartmentalized regions such as cholesterol-enriched membrane nanodomains that host selected proteins. Despite the biological significance of nanodomains, details on their structure remain elusive. They cannot be observed via microscopic experimental techniques due to their small size, yet there is also a lack of atomistic simulation models able to describe spontaneous nanodomain formation in sufficiently simple but biologically relevant complex membranes. Here we use atomistic simulations to consider a binary mixture of saturated dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and cholesterol - the "minimal standard" for nanodomain formation. The simulations reveal how cholesterol drives the formation of fluid cholesterol-rich nanodomains hosting hexagonally packed cholesterol-poor lipid nanoclusters, both of which show registration between the membrane leaflets. The complex nanodomain substructure forms when cholesterol positions itself in the domain boundary region. Here cholesterol can also readily flip-flop across the membrane. Most importantly, replacing cholesterol with a sterol characterized by a less asymmetric ring region impairs the emergence of nanodomains. The model considered explains a plethora of controversial experimental results and provides an excellent basis for further computational studies on nanodomains. Furthermore, the results highlight the role of cholesterol as a key player in the modulation of nanodomains for membrane protein function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matti Javanainen
- Laboratory of Physics, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland.,Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hector Martinez-Seara
- Laboratory of Physics, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland. .,Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Ilpo Vattulainen
- Laboratory of Physics, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland. .,Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. .,MEMPHYS - Centre for Biomembrane Physics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
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29
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Hakobyan D, Heuer A. 2D lattice model of a lipid bilayer: Microscopic derivation and thermodynamic exploration. J Chem Phys 2017; 146:064305. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4975163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Davit Hakobyan
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, WWU Münster, Corrensstr. 28/30, 48149 Münster, Germany and Center for Multiscale Theory and Computation (CMTC), WWU Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Andreas Heuer
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, WWU Münster, Corrensstr. 28/30, 48149 Münster, Germany and Center for Multiscale Theory and Computation (CMTC), WWU Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
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30
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31
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Wang C, Yu Y, Regen SL. Lipid Raft Formation: Key Role of Polyunsaturated Phospholipids. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2017; 56:1639-1642. [PMID: 28067450 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201611367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The forces that drive lipid raft formation are poorly understood. To date, most of the attention has focused on attractive interactions between cholesterol and high-melting lipids. Remarkably little attention has been paid to repulsive forces. Here, we show that repulsive interactions between an exchangeable mimic of cholesterol and an exchangeable mimic of a low-melting phospholipid in liquid-disordered bilayers can be much stronger than the attractive forces between this same sterol and an exchangeable mimic of a high-melting phospholipid in liquid-ordered bilayers. We conclude that polyunsaturated phospholipids have been largely overlooked as major players in lipid raft formation. This knowledge should stimulate considerable interest in controlling the levels of polyunsaturated phospholipids for the proper functioning of cell membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, 18015, USA
| | - Yuming Yu
- Department of Chemistry, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, 18015, USA
| | - Steven L Regen
- Department of Chemistry, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, 18015, USA
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32
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The Molecular Structure of Human Red Blood Cell Membranes from Highly Oriented, Solid Supported Multi-Lamellar Membranes. Sci Rep 2017; 7:39661. [PMID: 28045119 PMCID: PMC5206716 DOI: 10.1038/srep39661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 11/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We prepared highly oriented, multi-lamellar stacks of human red blood cell (RBC) membranes applied on silicon wafers. RBC ghosts were prepared by hemolysis and applied onto functionalized silicon chips and annealed into multi-lamellar RBC membranes. High resolution X-ray diffraction was used to determine the molecular structure of the stacked membranes. We present direct experimental evidence that these RBC membranes consist of nanometer sized domains of integral coiled-coil peptides, as well as liquid ordered (lo) and liquid disordered (ld) lipids. Lamellar spacings, membrane and hydration water layer thicknesses, areas per lipid tail and domain sizes were determined. The common drug aspirin was added to the RBC membranes and found to interact with RBC membranes and preferably partition in the head group region of the lo domain leading to a fluidification of the membranes, i.e., a thinning of the bilayers and an increase in lipid tail spacing. Our results further support current models of RBC membranes as patchy structures and provide unprecedented structural details of the molecular organization in the different domains.
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33
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Abstract
Lipid structures exhibit complex and highly dynamic lateral structure; and changes in lipid density and fluidity are believed to play an essential role in membrane targeting and function. The dynamic structure of liquids on the molecular scale can exhibit complex transient density fluctuations. Here the lateral heterogeneity of lipid dynamics is explored in free standing lipid monolayers. As the temperature is lowered the probes exhibit increasingly broad and heterogeneous rotational correlation. This increase in heterogeneity appears to exhibit a critical onset, similar to those observed for glass forming fluids. We explore heterogeneous relaxation in in a single constituent lipid monolayer of 1, 2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine by measuring the rotational diffusion of a fluorescent probe (1-palmitoyl-2-[1]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine), which is embedded in the lipid monolayer at low labeling density. Dynamic distributions are measured using wide-field time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy. The observed relaxation exhibits a narrow, liquid-like distribution at high temperatures (τ ∼ 2.4 ns), consistent with previous experimental measures (Dadashvand et al 2014 Struct. Dyn. 1 054701, Loura and Ramalho 2007 Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1768 467-478). However, as the temperature is quenched, the distribution broadens, and we observe the appearance of a long relaxation population (τ ∼ 16.5 ns). This supports the heterogeneity observed for lipids at high packing densities, and demonstrates that the nanoscale diffusion and reorganization in lipid structures can be significantly complex, even in the simplest amorphous architectures. Dynamical heterogeneity of this form can have a significant impact on the organization, permeability and energetics of lipid membrane structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neda Dadashvand
- Department of Physics, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT 06457, USA
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34
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Schmid F. Physical mechanisms of micro- and nanodomain formation in multicomponent lipid membranes. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1859:509-528. [PMID: 27823927 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2016] [Revised: 10/19/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
This article summarizes a variety of physical mechanisms proposed in the literature, which can generate micro- and nanodomains in multicomponent lipid bilayers and biomembranes. It mainly focusses on lipid-driven mechanisms that do not involve direct protein-protein interactions. Specifically, it considers (i) equilibrium mechanisms based on lipid-lipid phase separation such as critical cluster formation close to critical points, and multiple domain formation in curved geometries, (ii) equilibrium mechanisms that stabilize two-dimensional microemulsions, such as the effect of linactants and the effect of curvature-composition coupling in bilayers and monolayers, and (iii) non-equilibrium mechanisms induced by the interaction of a biomembrane with the cellular environment, such as membrane recycling and the pinning effects of the cytoplasm. Theoretical predictions are discussed together with simulations and experiments. The presentation is guided by the theory of phase transitions and critical phenomena, and the appendix summarizes the mathematical background in a concise way within the framework of the Ginzburg-Landau theory. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Lipid order/lipid defects and lipid-control of protein activity edited by Dirk Schneider.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friederike Schmid
- Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55099 Mainz, Germany
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35
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Lin X, Zhang S, Ding H, Levental I, Gorfe AA. The aliphatic chain of cholesterol modulates bilayer interleaflet coupling and domain registration. FEBS Lett 2016; 590:3368-3374. [PMID: 27590031 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.12383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Revised: 08/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Cholesterol is a necessary component and critical regulator of liquid-ordered membrane domains. However, the structural features that determine its unique physicochemical behaviors are not fully understood. In particular, very little is known about the specific functions of the terminal aliphatic chain of cholesterol, as previous studies have focused mainly on the rigid sterol ring structure and its hydroxyl head. In the current work, we used coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the effect of cholesterol aliphatic chain length on the dynamics and structure of coexisting lipid domains. We found that the aliphatic chain has no appreciable effect on phase separation per se, but it significantly affects the rate of cholesterol flip-flop and intermonolayer interaction. These effects are accompanied by changes in domain dynamics, lateral pressure, and interleaflet coupling. Our study provides useful insight into how biological sterols modulate communication between the outer and inner surfaces of the plasma membrane and, therefore, cellular signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xubo Lin
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Siya Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College and Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100005, China.,Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas 77054, USA
| | - Hui Ding
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas 77030, USA.,Department of Respiratory Medicine, Yixing Hospital affiliated Jiangsu University, Jiangsu 214200, China
| | - Ilya Levental
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Alemayehu A Gorfe
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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36
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Koyano Y, Kitahata H, Mikhailov AS. Hydrodynamic collective effects of active proteins in biological membranes. Phys Rev E 2016; 94:022416. [PMID: 27627343 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.94.022416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Lipid bilayers forming biological membranes are known to behave as viscous two-dimensional fluids on submicrometer scales; usually they contain a large number of active protein inclusions. Recently, it was shown [A. S. Mikhailov and R. Kapral, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 112, E3639 (2015)PNASA60027-842410.1073/pnas.1506825112] that such active proteins should induce nonthermal fluctuating lipid flows leading to diffusion enhancement and chemotaxislike drift for passive inclusions in biomembranes. Here, a detailed analytical and numerical investigation of such effects is performed. The attention is focused on the situations when proteins are concentrated within lipid rafts. We demonstrate that passive particles tend to become attracted by active rafts and are accumulated inside them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Koyano
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kitahata
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - Alexander S Mikhailov
- Abteilung Physikalische Chemie, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, 14195 Berlin, Germany.,Department of Mathematical and Life Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
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37
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Reigada R. Alteration of interleaflet coupling due to compounds displaying rapid translocation in lipid membranes. Sci Rep 2016; 6:32934. [PMID: 27596355 PMCID: PMC5011781 DOI: 10.1038/srep32934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The spatial coincidence of lipid domains at both layers of the cell membrane is expected to play an important role in many cellular functions. Competition between the surface interleaflet tension and a line hydrophobic mismatch penalty are conjectured to determine the transversal behavior of laterally heterogeneous lipid membranes. Here, by a combination of molecular dynamics simulations, a continuum field theory and kinetic equations, I demonstrate that the presence of small, rapidly translocating molecules residing in the lipid bilayer may alter its transversal behavior by favoring the spatial coincidence of similar lipid phases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramon Reigada
- Department de Química Física and Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, c/ Martí i Franqués 1, Pta 4, 08028 Barcelona Spain
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38
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Marquardt D, Kučerka N, Wassall SR, Harroun TA, Katsaras J. Cholesterol's location in lipid bilayers. Chem Phys Lipids 2016; 199:17-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2016.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2016] [Revised: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/02/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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39
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Fowler PW, Williamson JJ, Sansom MSP, Olmsted PD. Roles of Interleaflet Coupling and Hydrophobic Mismatch in Lipid Membrane Phase-Separation Kinetics. J Am Chem Soc 2016; 138:11633-42. [PMID: 27574865 PMCID: PMC5025830 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b04880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
![]()
Characterizing
the nanoscale dynamic organization within lipid
bilayer
membranes is central
to our understanding of cell membranes at a molecular level. We investigate
phase separation and communication across leaflets in ternary lipid
bilayers, including saturated lipids with between 12 and 20 carbons
per tail. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations reveal a novel
two-step kinetics due to hydrophobic mismatch, in which the initial
response of the apposed leaflets upon quenching is to increase local
asymmetry (antiregistration), followed by dominance of symmetry (registration)
as the bilayer equilibrates. Antiregistration can become thermodynamically
preferred if domain size is restricted below ∼20 nm, with implications
for the symmetry of rafts and nanoclusters in cell membranes, which
have similar reported sizes. We relate our findings to theory derived
from a semimicroscopic model in which the leaflets experience a “direct”
area-dependent coupling, and an “indirect” coupling
that arises from hydrophobic mismatch and is most important at domain
boundaries. Registered phases differ in composition from antiregistered
phases, consistent with a direct coupling between the leaflets. Increased
hydrophobic mismatch purifies the phases, suggesting that it contributes
to the molecule-level lipid immiscibility. Our results demonstrate
an interplay of competing interleaflet couplings that affect phase
compositions and kinetics, and lead to a length scale that
can influence lateral and transverse bilayer organization within cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip W Fowler
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford , South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, U.K
| | - John J Williamson
- Department of Physics, Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology, Georgetown University , 37th and O Streets, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20057, United States
| | - Mark S P Sansom
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford , South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, U.K
| | - Peter D Olmsted
- Department of Physics, Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology, Georgetown University , 37th and O Streets, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20057, United States
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40
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The Role of Signaling via Aqueous Pore Formation in Resistance Responses to Amphotericin B. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2016; 60:5122-9. [PMID: 27381391 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00878-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug resistance studies have played an important role in the validation of antibiotic targets. In the case of the polyene antibiotic amphotericin B (AmB), such studies have demonstrated the essential role that depletion of ergosterol plays in the development of AmB-resistant (AmB-R) organisms. However, AmB-R strains also occur in fungi and parasitic protozoa that maintain a normal level of ergosterol at the plasma membrane. Here, I review evidence that shows not only that there is increased protection against the deleterious consequences of AmB-induced ion leakage across the membrane in these resistant pathogens but also that a set of events are activated that block the cell signaling responses that trigger the oxidative damage produced by the antibiotic. Such signaling events appear to be the consequence of a membrane-thinning effect that is exerted upon lipid-anchored Ras proteins by the aqueous pores formed by AmB. A similar membrane disturbance effect may also explain the activity of AmB on mammalian cells containing Toll-like receptors. These resistance mechanisms expand our current understanding of the role that the formation of AmB aqueous pores plays in triggering signal transduction responses in both pathogens and host immune cells.
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41
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Wang Y, Gkeka P, Fuchs JE, Liedl KR, Cournia Z. DPPC-cholesterol phase diagram using coarse-grained Molecular Dynamics simulations. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:2846-2857. [PMID: 27526680 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Revised: 08/06/2016] [Accepted: 08/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Cholesterol-phospholipid bilayers continue to be the current state of the art in membrane models and serve as representative systems for studying the effect of cholesterol on the cell membrane. As the mixing of different lipid species requires long spatio-temporal scales, coarse-grained models have gained increasing popularity in modeling such membrane systems. In this paper, a systematic study of the MARTINI coarse-grained model for the DPPC-cholesterol binary system has been performed. We construct the phase diagram of DPPC lipid bilayers in the presence of different cholesterol concentrations and at different temperatures using coarse-grained Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations with the MARTINI force field. The phase diagram based on the condensation effect is directly comparable to available experimental data and demonstrates qualitative agreement over all cholesterol concentrations. Self-assembled bilayers quantitatively reproduce experimental observables, such as lateral diffusion of lipids, electron density, area per lipid and lipid order parameters. The phase diagram of the DPPC-cholesterol binary system also reveals the profound effect of cholesterol on the physical properties of phospholipid bilayers such lipid order, diffusion, and fluidity. Cholesterol induces the liquid-ordered phase, which increases the fluidity of the phospholipid hydrocarbon chains above the gel to liquid-crystalline phase transition temperature and decreases it below the phase transition. The present study suggests that the MARTINI force field can be successfully used to obtain molecular level insights into cholesterol-DPPC model membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Wang
- Department of Theoretical Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Paraskevi Gkeka
- Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou, 11527, Athens, Greece
| | - Julian E Fuchs
- Department of Theoretical Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Klaus R Liedl
- Department of Theoretical Chemistry and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Zoe Cournia
- Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou, 11527, Athens, Greece.
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42
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Di Meo F, Fabre G, Berka K, Ossman T, Chantemargue B, Paloncýová M, Marquet P, Otyepka M, Trouillas P. In silico pharmacology: Drug membrane partitioning and crossing. Pharmacol Res 2016; 111:471-486. [PMID: 27378566 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2016.06.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Revised: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Over the past decade, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have become particularly powerful to rationalize drug insertion and partitioning in lipid bilayers. MD simulations efficiently support experimental evidences, with a comprehensive understanding of molecular interactions driving insertion and crossing. Prediction of drug partitioning is discussed with respect to drug families (anesthetics; β-blockers; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; antioxidants; antiviral drugs; antimicrobial peptides). To accurately evaluate passive permeation coefficients turned out to be a complex theoretical challenge; however the recent methodological developments based on biased MD simulations are particularly promising. Particular attention is paid to membrane composition (e.g., presence of cholesterol), which influences drug partitioning and permeation. Recent studies concerning in silico models of membrane proteins involved in drug transport (influx and efflux) are also reported here. These studies have allowed gaining insight in drug efflux by, e.g., ABC transporters at an atomic resolution, explicitly accounting for the mandatory forces induced by the surrounded lipid bilayer. Large-scale conformational changes were thoroughly analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florent Di Meo
- INSERM UMR 850, Univ. Limoges, Faculty of Pharmacy, 2 rue du Dr Marcland, F-87025, Limoges, France
| | - Gabin Fabre
- LCSN, Univ. Limoges, Faculty of Pharmacy, 2 rue du Dr Marcland, F-87025, Limoges, France
| | - Karel Berka
- Regional Centre for Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacky̿ University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Tahani Ossman
- INSERM UMR 850, Univ. Limoges, Faculty of Pharmacy, 2 rue du Dr Marcland, F-87025, Limoges, France
| | - Benjamin Chantemargue
- INSERM UMR 850, Univ. Limoges, Faculty of Pharmacy, 2 rue du Dr Marcland, F-87025, Limoges, France; Regional Centre for Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacky̿ University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Markéta Paloncýová
- Regional Centre for Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacky̿ University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Pierre Marquet
- INSERM UMR 850, Univ. Limoges, Faculty of Pharmacy, 2 rue du Dr Marcland, F-87025, Limoges, France
| | - Michal Otyepka
- Regional Centre for Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacky̿ University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Patrick Trouillas
- INSERM UMR 850, Univ. Limoges, Faculty of Pharmacy, 2 rue du Dr Marcland, F-87025, Limoges, France; Regional Centre for Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacky̿ University, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
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43
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Tian J, Nickels J, Katsaras J, Cheng X. Behavior of Bilayer Leaflets in Asymmetric Model Membranes: Atomistic Simulation Studies. J Phys Chem B 2016; 120:8438-48. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b02148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - John Katsaras
- The Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, 444 Greve Hall, 821 Volunteer Boulevard, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-3394, United States
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44
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Molugu TR, Brown MF. Cholesterol-induced suppression of membrane elastic fluctuations at the atomistic level. Chem Phys Lipids 2016; 199:39-51. [PMID: 27154600 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2016.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Revised: 04/29/2016] [Accepted: 05/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Applications of solid-state NMR spectroscopy for investigating the influences of lipid-cholesterol interactions on membrane fluctuations are reviewed in this paper. Emphasis is placed on understanding the energy landscapes and fluctuations at an emergent atomistic level. Solid-state (2)H NMR spectroscopy directly measures residual quadrupolar couplings (RQCs) due to individual C-(2)H labeled segments of the lipid molecules. Moreover, residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) of (13)C-(1)H bonds are obtained in separated local-field NMR spectroscopy. The distributions of RQC or RDC values give nearly complete profiles of the order parameters as a function of acyl segment position. Measured equilibrium properties of glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids including their binary and tertiary mixtures with cholesterol show unequal mixing associated with liquid-ordered domains. The entropic loss upon addition of cholesterol to sphingolipids is less than for glycerophospholipids and may drive the formation of lipid rafts. In addition relaxation time measurements enable one to study the molecular dynamics over a wide time-scale range. For (2)H NMR the experimental spin-lattice (R1Z) relaxation rates follow a theoretical square-law dependence on segmental order parameters (SCD) due to collective slow dynamics over mesoscopic length scales. The functional dependence for the liquid-crystalline lipid membranes is indicative of viscoelastic properties as they emerge from atomistic-level interactions. A striking decrease in square-law slope upon addition of cholesterol denotes stiffening relative to the pure lipid bilayers that is diminished in the case of lanosterol. Measured equilibrium properties and relaxation rates infer opposite influences of cholesterol and detergents on collective dynamics and elasticity at an atomistic scale that potentially affects lipid raft formation in cellular membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trivikram R Molugu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Michael F Brown
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Department of Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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45
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Ackerman DG, Feigenson GW. Effects of Transmembrane α-Helix Length and Concentration on Phase Behavior in Four-Component Lipid Mixtures: A Molecular Dynamics Study. J Phys Chem B 2016; 120:4064-77. [PMID: 27081858 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b00611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
We used coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to examine the effects of transmembrane α-helical WALP peptides on the behavior of four-component lipid mixtures. These mixtures contain a high-melting temperature (high-Tm) lipid, a nanodomain-inducing low-Tm lipid, a macrodomain-inducing low-Tm lipid and cholesterol to model the outer leaflet of cell plasma membranes. In a series of simulations, we incrementally replace the nanodomain-inducing low-Tm lipid by the macrodomain-inducing low-Tm lipid and measure how lipid and phase properties are altered by the addition of WALPs of different length. Regardless of the ratio of the two low-Tm lipids, shorter WALPs increase domain size and all WALPs increase domain alignment between the two leaflets. These effects are smallest for the longest WALP tested, and increase with increasing WALP concentration. Thus, our simulations explain the experimental observation that WALPs induce macroscopic domains in otherwise nanodomain-forming lipid-only mixtures (unpublished). Since the cell plasma membrane contains a large fraction of transmembrane proteins, these findings link the behavior of lipid-only model membranes in vitro to phase behavior in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G Ackerman
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Gerald W Feigenson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
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46
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Metzler R, Jeon JH, Cherstvy AG. Non-Brownian diffusion in lipid membranes: Experiments and simulations. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:2451-2467. [PMID: 26826272 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2015] [Revised: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The dynamics of constituents and the surface response of cellular membranes-also in connection to the binding of various particles and macromolecules to the membrane-are still a matter of controversy in the membrane biophysics community, particularly with respect to crowded membranes of living biological cells. We here put into perspective recent single particle tracking experiments in the plasma membranes of living cells and supercomputing studies of lipid bilayer model membranes with and without protein crowding. Special emphasis is put on the observation of anomalous, non-Brownian diffusion of both lipid molecules and proteins embedded in the lipid bilayer. While single component, pure lipid bilayers in simulations exhibit only transient anomalous diffusion of lipid molecules on nanosecond time scales, the persistence of anomalous diffusion becomes significantly longer ranged on the addition of disorder-through the addition of cholesterol or proteins-and on passing of the membrane lipids to the gel phase. Concurrently, experiments demonstrate the anomalous diffusion of membrane embedded proteins up to macroscopic time scales in the minute time range. Particular emphasis will be put on the physical character of the anomalous diffusion, in particular, the occurrence of ageing observed in the experiments-the effective diffusivity of the measured particles is a decreasing function of time. Moreover, we present results for the time dependent local scaling exponent of the mean squared displacement of the monitored particles. Recent results finding deviations from the commonly assumed Gaussian diffusion patterns in protein crowded membranes are reported. The properties of the displacement autocorrelation function of the lipid molecules are discussed in the light of their appropriate physical anomalous diffusion models, both for non-crowded and crowded membranes. In the last part of this review we address the upcoming field of membrane distortion by elongated membrane-binding particles. We discuss how membrane compartmentalisation and the particle-membrane binding energy may impact the dynamics and response of lipid membranes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Biosimulations edited by Ilpo Vattulainen and Tomasz Róg.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Metzler
- Institute for Physics & Astronomy, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany; Department of Physics, Tampere University of Technology, 33101 Tampere, Finland.
| | - J-H Jeon
- Korea Institute for Advanced Study (KIAS), Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - A G Cherstvy
- Institute for Physics & Astronomy, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
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47
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Reigada R, Mikhailov AS. Equilibrium microphase separation in the two-leaflet model of lipid membranes. Phys Rev E 2016; 93:010401. [PMID: 26871009 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.93.010401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Because of the coupling between local lipid composition and the thickness of the membrane, microphase separation in two-component lipid membranes can take place; such effects may underlie the formation of equilibrium nanoscale rafts. Using a kinetic description, this phenomenon is analytically and numerically investigated. The phase diagram is constructed through the stability analysis for linearized kinetic equations, and conditions for microphase separation are discussed. Simulations of the full kinetic model reveal the development of equilibrium membrane nanostructures with various morphologies from the initial uniform state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramon Reigada
- Departament de Química Física i Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alexander S Mikhailov
- Abteilung Physikalische Chemie, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Mathematics and Life Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8530, Japan
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48
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Williamson JJ, Olmsted PD. Nucleation of symmetric domains in the coupled leaflets of a bilayer. SOFT MATTER 2015; 11:8948-8959. [PMID: 26412192 DOI: 10.1039/c5sm01328c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
We study the kinetics governing the attainment of inter-leaflet domain symmetry in a phase-separating amphiphilic bilayer. "Indirect" inter-leaflet coupling via hydrophobic mismatch can induce an instability towards a metastable pattern of locally asymmetric domains upon quenching from high temperature. This necessitates a nucleation step to form the conventional symmetric domains, which are favoured by a "direct" inter-leaflet coupling. We model the energetics for a symmetric domain to nucleate from the metastable state, and find that an interplay between hydrophobic mismatch and thickness stretching/compression causes the effective hydrophobic mismatch, and thus line tension, to depend on domain size. This leads to strong departure from classical nucleation theory. We speculate on implications for cell membrane rafts or clusters, whose size may be of similar magnitude to estimated critical radii for domain symmetry.
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Affiliation(s)
- J J Williamson
- Department of Physics, Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology, Georgetown University, 37th and O Streets, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20057, USA.
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49
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Díaz-Tejada C, Ariz-Extreme I, Awasthi N, Hub JS. Quantifying Lateral Inhomogeneity of Cholesterol-Containing Membranes. J Phys Chem Lett 2015; 6:4799-4803. [PMID: 26575955 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.5b02414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Lateral inhomogeneity plays a critical role for many properties of cholesterol-containing membranes, yet the thermodynamic forces involved in inhomogeneity remain poorly understood. Based on coarse-grained simulations of cholesterol in four increasingly unsaturated phospholipids, we computed lateral density fluctuations and free energies of domain formation, and we quantitatively relate those to variations in the chemical potential of cholesterol. Our simulations suggest that the lateral organization is dominated by weak repulsive cholesterol interactions, leading to a significantly more homogeneous distribution as compared to a two-dimensional ideal gas. Hence, phospholipids provide a "good" solvent for cholesterol. Unexpectedly, the degree of unsaturation of the phospholipid has only a minor effect on the lateral inhomogeneity of cholesterol in binary lipid mixtures. These results provide a link between functional properties and thermal fluctuations in lipid membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celsa Díaz-Tejada
- Georg-August-University Göttingen , Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Igor Ariz-Extreme
- Georg-August-University Göttingen , Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Neha Awasthi
- Georg-August-University Göttingen , Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jochen S Hub
- Georg-August-University Göttingen , Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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50
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Nickels JD, Smith JC, Cheng X. Lateral organization, bilayer asymmetry, and inter-leaflet coupling of biological membranes. Chem Phys Lipids 2015; 192:87-99. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2015.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Revised: 07/20/2015] [Accepted: 07/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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