scholarly journals Effect of Line Tension on the Lateral Organization of Lipid Membranes

2007 ◽  
Vol 282 (46) ◽  
pp. 33537-33544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana J. García-Sáez ◽  
Salvatore Chiantia ◽  
Petra Schwille

The principles of organization and functioning of cellular membranes are currently not well understood. The raft hypothesis suggests the existence of domains or rafts in cell membranes, which behave as protein and lipid platforms. They have a functional role in important cellular processes, like protein sorting or cell signaling, among others. Theoretical work suggests that the interfacial energy at the domain edge, also known as line tension, is a key parameter determining the distribution of domain sizes, but there is little evidence of how line tension affects membrane organization. We have investigated the effects of the line tension on the formation and stability of liquid ordered domains in model lipid bilayers with raft-like composition by means of time-lapse confocal microscopy coupled to atomic force microscopy. We varied the hydrophobic mismatch between the two phases, and consequently the line tension, by modifying the thickness of the disordered phase with phosphatidylcholines of different acyl chain length. The temperature of domain formation, the dynamics of domain growth, and the distribution of domain sizes depend strongly on the thickness difference between the domains and the surrounding membrane, which is related to line tension. When considering line tension calculated from a theoretical model, our results revealed a linear increase of the temperature of domain formation and domain growth rate with line tension. Domain budding was also shown to depend on height mismatch. Our experiments contribute significantly to our knowledge of the physical-chemical parameters that control membrane organization. Importantly, the general trends observed can be extended to cellular membranes.

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah F. Verbeek ◽  
Neha Awasthi ◽  
Nikolas K. Teiwes ◽  
Ingo Mey ◽  
Jochen S. Hub ◽  
...  

AbstractArginine (R)-rich peptides constitute the most relevant class of cell-penetrating peptides and other membrane-active peptides that can translocate across the cell membrane or generate defects in lipid bilayers such as water-filled pores. The mode of action of R-rich peptides remains a topic of controversy, mainly because a quantitative and energetic understanding of arginine effects on membrane stability is lacking. Here, we explore the ability of several oligo-arginines R$$_n$$ n and of an arginine side chain mimic R$$_\mathrm {Side}$$ Side to induce pore formation in lipid bilayers employing MD simulations, free-energy calculations, breakthrough force spectroscopy and leakage assays. Our experiments reveal that R$$_\mathrm {Side}$$ Side but not R$$_n$$ n reduces the line tension of a membrane with anionic lipids. While R$$_n$$ n peptides form a layer on top of a partly negatively charged lipid bilayer, R$$_\mathrm {Side}$$ Side leads to its disintegration. Complementary, our simulations show R$$_\mathrm {Side}$$ Side causes membrane thinning and area per lipid increase beside lowering the pore nucleation free energy. Model polyarginine R$$_8$$ 8 similarly promoted pore formation in simulations, but without overall bilayer destabilization. We conclude that while the guanidine moiety is intrinsically membrane-disruptive, poly-arginines favor pore formation in negatively charged membranes via a different mechanism. Pore formation by R-rich peptides seems to be counteracted by lipids with PC headgroups. We found that long R$$_n$$ n and R$$_\mathrm {Side}$$ Side but not short R$$_n$$ n reduce the free energy of nucleating a pore. In short R$$_n$$ n , the substantial effect of the charged termini prevent their membrane activity, rationalizing why only longer $$\mathrm {R}_{n}$$ R n are membrane-active.


Author(s):  
Neng-Bo He ◽  
S.W. Hui

Monolayers and planar "black" lipid membranes have been widely used as models for studying the structure and properties of biological membranes. Because of the lack of a suitable method to prepare these membranes for electron microscopic observation, their ultrastructure is so far not well understood. A method of forming molecular bilayers over the holes of fine mesh grids was developed by Hui et al. to study hydrated and unsupported lipid bilayers by electron diffraction, and to image phase separated domains by diffraction contrast. We now adapted the method of Pattus et al. of spreading biological membranes vesicles on the air-water interfaces to reconstitute biological membranes into unsupported planar films for electron microscopic study. hemoglobin-free human erythrocyte membrane stroma was prepared by hemolysis. The membranes were spreaded at 20°C on balanced salt solution in a Langmuir trough until a surface pressure of 20 dyne/cm was reached. The surface film was repeatedly washed by passing to adjacent troughs over shallow partitions (fig. 1).


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 8350
Author(s):  
Naďa Labajová ◽  
Natalia Baranova ◽  
Miroslav Jurásek ◽  
Robert Vácha ◽  
Martin Loose ◽  
...  

DivIVA is a protein initially identified as a spatial regulator of cell division in the model organism Bacillus subtilis, but its homologues are present in many other Gram-positive bacteria, including Clostridia species. Besides its role as topological regulator of the Min system during bacterial cell division, DivIVA is involved in chromosome segregation during sporulation, genetic competence, and cell wall synthesis. DivIVA localizes to regions of high membrane curvature, such as the cell poles and cell division site, where it recruits distinct binding partners. Previously, it was suggested that negative curvature sensing is the main mechanism by which DivIVA binds to these specific regions. Here, we show that Clostridioides difficile DivIVA binds preferably to membranes containing negatively charged phospholipids, especially cardiolipin. Strikingly, we observed that upon binding, DivIVA modifies the lipid distribution and induces changes to lipid bilayers containing cardiolipin. Our observations indicate that DivIVA might play a more complex and so far unknown active role during the formation of the cell division septal membrane.


Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 562
Author(s):  
Miliça Ristovski ◽  
Danny Farhat ◽  
Shelly Ellaine M. Bancud ◽  
Jyh-Yeuan Lee

Lipid composition in cellular membranes plays an important role in maintaining the structural integrity of cells and in regulating cellular signaling that controls functions of both membrane-anchored and cytoplasmic proteins. ATP-dependent ABC and P4-ATPase lipid transporters, two integral membrane proteins, are known to contribute to lipid translocation across the lipid bilayers on the cellular membranes. In this review, we will highlight current knowledge about the role of cholesterol and phospholipids of cellular membranes in regulating cell signaling and how lipid transporters participate this process.


RSC Advances ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (37) ◽  
pp. 22677-22682
Author(s):  
Maria Lyngby Karlsen ◽  
Dennis S. Bruhn ◽  
Weria Pezeshkian ◽  
Himanshu Khandelia

Long acyl chain sphingomyelin and saturated phospholipid tails in the outer membrane leaflet deplete cholesterol from the inner leaflet in mammalian membranes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 368a
Author(s):  
Maxim A. Voinov ◽  
Sergey Milikisiyants ◽  
Vladislav Perelygin ◽  
Melanie M. Chestnut ◽  
Rachel Munro ◽  
...  

Antibiotics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amani Alghalayini ◽  
Alvaro Garcia ◽  
Thomas Berry ◽  
Charles Cranfield

This review identifies the ways in which tethered bilayer lipid membranes (tBLMs) can be used for the identification of the actions of antimicrobials against lipid bilayers. Much of the new research in this area has originated, or included researchers from, the southern hemisphere, Australia and New Zealand in particular. More and more, tBLMs are replacing liposome release assays, black lipid membranes and patch-clamp electrophysiological techniques because they use fewer reagents, are able to obtain results far more quickly and can provide a uniformity of responses with fewer artefacts. In this work, we describe how tBLM technology can and has been used to identify the actions of numerous antimicrobial agents.


2005 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 1702-1714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel C. Mbamala ◽  
Avinoam Ben-Shaul ◽  
Sylvio May

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