1
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Enoki TA. The use of hemifusion to create asymmetric giant unilamellar vesicles: Insights on induced order domains. Methods Enzymol 2024; 700:127-159. [PMID: 38971598 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2024.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
The natural asymmetry of the lipid bilayer in biological membranes is, in part, a testament to the complexity of the structure and function of this barrier limiting and protecting cells (or organelles). These lipid bilayers consist of two lipid leaflets with different lipid compositions, resulting in unique interactions within each leaflet. These interactions, combined with interactions between the two leaflets, determine the overall behavior of the membrane. Model membranes provide the most suitable option for investigating the fundamental interactions of lipids. This report describes a comprehensive method to make asymmetric giant unilamellar vesicles (aGUVs) using the technique of hemifusion. In this method, calcium ions induce the hemifusion of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) with a supported lipid bilayer (SLB), both having different lipid compositions. During hemifusion, a stalk, or a more commonly seen hemifusion diaphragm, connects the outer leaflets of GUVs and the SLB. The lateral diffusion of lipids naturally promotes the lipid exchange between the connected outer leaflets. After calcium chelation to prevent further fusion, a mechanical shear detaches aGUVs from the SLB. A fluorescence quench assay is employed to test the extent of bilayer asymmetry. A fluorescence quenching assay tests bilayer asymmetry and verifies dye and lipid migration to a GUV's outer leaflet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thais A Enoki
- Institute of Physics of University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
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2
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Doktorova M, Levental I, Heberle FA. Seeing the Membrane from Both Sides Now: Lipid Asymmetry and Its Strange Consequences. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2023; 15:a041393. [PMID: 37604588 PMCID: PMC10691478 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041393] [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] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Almost all biomembranes are constructed as lipid bilayers and, in almost all of these, the two opposing monolayers (leaflets) have distinct lipid compositions. This lipid asymmetry arises through the concerted action of a suite of energy-dependent enzymes that maintain living bilayers in a far-from-equilibrium steady-state. Recent discoveries reveal that lipid compositional asymmetry imparts biophysical asymmetries and that this dualistic organization may have major consequences for cellular physiology. Importantly, while transbilayer asymmetry appears to be an essential, near-ubiquitous characteristic of biological membranes, it has been challenging to reproduce in reconstituted or synthetic systems. Although recent methodological developments have overcome some critical challenges, it remains difficult to extrapolate results from available models to biological systems. Concurrently, there are few experimental approaches for targeted, controlled manipulation of lipid asymmetry in living cells. Thus, the biophysical and functional consequences of membrane asymmetry remain almost wholly unexplored. This perspective summarizes the current state of knowledge and highlights emerging themes that are beginning to make inroads into the fundamental question of why life tends toward asymmetry in its bilayers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milka Doktorova
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Center for Membrane and Cell Physiology, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA
| | - Ilya Levental
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Center for Membrane and Cell Physiology, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA
| | - Frederick A Heberle
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
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3
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Enoki TA, Heberle FA. Experimentally determined leaflet-leaflet phase diagram of an asymmetric lipid bilayer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2308723120. [PMID: 37939082 PMCID: PMC10655556 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2308723120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
We have determined the partial leaflet-leaflet phase diagram of an asymmetric lipid bilayer at ambient temperature using asymmetric giant unilamellar vesicles (aGUVs). Symmetric GUVs with varying amounts of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and DOPC (1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) were hemifused to a supported lipid bilayer (SLB) composed of DOPC, resulting in lipid exchange between their outer leaflets. The GUVs and SLB contained a red and green lipid fluorophore, respectively, thus enabling the use of confocal fluorescence imaging to determine both the extent of lipid exchange (quantified for individual vesicles by the loss of red intensity and gain of green intensity) and the presence or absence of phase separation in aGUVs. Consistent with previous reports, we found that hemifusion results in large variation in outer leaflet exchange for individual GUVs, which allowed us to interrogate the phase behavior at multiple points within the asymmetric composition space of the binary mixture. When initially symmetric GUVs showed coexisting gel and fluid domains, aGUVs with less than ~50% outer leaflet exchange were also phase-separated. In contrast, aGUVs with greater than 50% outer leaflet exchange were uniform and fluid. In some cases, we also observed three coexisting bilayer-spanning phases: two registered phases and an anti-registered phase. These results suggest that a relatively large unfavorable midplane interaction between ordered and disordered phases in opposing leaflets (i.e., a midplane surface tension) can overwhelm the driving force for lateral phase separation within one of the leaflets, resulting in an asymmetric bilayer with two uniformly mixed leaflets that is poised to phase-separate upon leaflet scrambling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thais A. Enoki
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN37996
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY14853
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4
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Shimokawa N, Hamada T. Physical Concept to Explain the Regulation of Lipid Membrane Phase Separation under Isothermal Conditions. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13051105. [PMID: 37240749 DOI: 10.3390/life13051105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Lateral phase separation within lipid bilayer membranes has attracted considerable attention in the fields of biophysics and cell biology. Living cells organize laterally segregated compartments, such as raft domains in an ordered phase, and regulate their dynamic structures under isothermal conditions to promote cellular functions. Model membrane systems with minimum components are powerful tools for investigating the basic phenomena of membrane phase separation. With the use of such model systems, several physicochemical characteristics of phase separation have been revealed. This review focuses on the isothermal triggering of membrane phase separation from a physical point of view. We consider the free energy of the membrane that describes lateral phase separation and explain the experimental results of model membranes to regulate domain formation under isothermal conditions. Three possible regulation factors are discussed: electrostatic interactions, chemical reactions and membrane tension. These findings may contribute to a better understanding of membrane lateral organization within living cells that function under isothermal conditions and could be useful for the development of artificial cell engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naofumi Shimokawa
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi 923-1292, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Hamada
- School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 1-1 Asahidai, Nomi 923-1292, Ishikawa, Japan
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5
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Phung NV, Rong F, Xia WY, Fan Y, Li XY, Wang SA, Li FL. Nervonic acid and its sphingolipids: Biological functions and potential food applications. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2023; 64:8766-8785. [PMID: 37114919 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2023.2203753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Nervonic acid, a 24-carbon fatty acid with only one double bond at the 9th carbon (C24:1n-9), is abundant in the human brain, liver, and kidney. It not only functions in free form but also serves as a critical component of sphingolipids which participate in many biological processes such as cell membrane formation, apoptosis, and neurotransmission. Recent studies show that nervonic acid supplementation is not only beneficial to human health but also can improve the many medical conditions such as neurological diseases, cancers, diabetes, obesity, and their complications. Nervonic acid and its sphingomyelins serve as a special material for myelination in infants and remyelination patients with multiple sclerosis. Besides, the administration of nervonic acid is reported to reduce motor disorder in mice with Parkinson's disease and limit weight gain. Perturbations of nervonic acid and its sphingolipids might lead to the pathogenesis of many diseases and understanding these mechanisms is critical for investigating potential therapeutic approaches for such diseases. However, available studies about this aspect are limited. In this review, relevant findings about functional mechanisms of nervonic acid have been comprehensively and systematically described, focusing on four interconnected functions: cellular structure, signaling, anti-inflammation, lipid mobilization, and their related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nghi Van Phung
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao C1 Refinery Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Fei Rong
- Department of Anesthesiology, Qilu Hospital (Qingdao), Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Wan Yue Xia
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao C1 Refinery Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Yong Fan
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao C1 Refinery Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, Qingdao, China
| | - Xian Yu Li
- China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shi An Wang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao C1 Refinery Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, Qingdao, China
| | - Fu Li Li
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Qingdao C1 Refinery Engineering Research Center, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, Qingdao, China
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6
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Kelley EG, Heberle FA. Sensing a little friction. Biophys J 2022; 121:2827-2829. [PMID: 35810746 PMCID: PMC9388562 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.06.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth G Kelley
- NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland.
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7
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Sharma A, Seal A, Iyer SS, Srivastava A. Enthalpic and entropic contributions to interleaflet coupling drive domain registration and antiregistration in biological membrane. Phys Rev E 2022; 105:044408. [PMID: 35590589 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.105.044408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Biological membrane is a complex self-assembly of lipids, sterols, and proteins organized as a fluid bilayer of two closely stacked lipid leaflets. Differential molecular interactions among its diverse constituents give rise to heterogeneities in the membrane lateral organization. Under certain conditions, heterogeneities in the two leaflets can be spatially synchronized and exist as registered domains across the bilayer. Several contrasting theories behind mechanisms that induce registration of nanoscale domains have been suggested. Following a recent study showing the effect of position of lipid tail unsaturation on domain registration behavior, we decided to develop an analytical theory to elucidate the driving forces that create and maintain domain registry across leaflets. Towards this, we formulated a Hamiltonian for a stacked lattice system where site variables capture the lipid molecular properties such as the position of unsaturation and various other interactions that could drive phase separation and interleaflet coupling. We solve the Hamiltonian using Monte Carlo simulations and create a complete phase diagram that reports the presence or absence of registered domains as a function of various Hamiltonian parameters. We find that the interleaflet coupling should be described as a competing enthalpic contribution due to interaction of lipid tail termini, primarily due to saturated-saturated interactions, and an interleaflet entropic contribution from overlap of unsaturated tail termini. A higher position of unsaturation is seen to provide weaker interleaflet coupling. Thermodynamically stable nanodomains could also be observed for certain points in the parameter space in our bilayer model, which were further verified by carrying out extended Monte Carlo simulations. These persistent noncoalescing registered nanodomains close to the lower end of the accepted nanodomain size range also point towards a possible "nanoscale" emulsion description of lateral heterogeneities in biological membrane leaflets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akshara Sharma
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science-Bangalore, C. V. Raman Road, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012, India
| | - Aniruddha Seal
- School of Chemical Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, Khurda, Odisha 752050, India
| | - Sahithya S Iyer
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science-Bangalore, C. V. Raman Road, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012, India
| | - Anand Srivastava
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science-Bangalore, C. V. Raman Road, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012, India
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8
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Sciolla F, Truzzolillo D, Chauveau E, Trabalzini S, Di Marzio L, Carafa M, Marianecci C, Sarra A, Bordi F, Sennato S. Influence of drug/lipid interaction on the entrapment efficiency of isoniazid in liposomes for antitubercular therapy: a multi-faced investigation. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2021; 208:112054. [PMID: 34454365 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2021.112054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Isoniazid (INH) is one of the primary drugs used in tuberculosis treatment and its encapsulation in liposomal vesicles can both improve its therapeutic index and minimize toxicity. Here we consider mixtures of hydrogenated soy phosphatidylcholine-phosphatidylglycerol (HSPC-DPPG) to get novel biocompatible liposomes for INH delivery. We determined INH encapsulation efficiency by coupling for the first time UV and Laser Transmission Spectroscopy and we showed that HSPC-DPPG liposomes can load more INH than expected from simple geometrical arguments, thus suggesting the presence of drug-lipid association. To focus on this aspect, which has never been explored in liposomal formulations, we employed several complementary techniques, such as dynamic and static light scattering, calorimetry and surface pressure measurements on lipid monolayers. We find that INH-lipid interaction increases the entrapment capability of liposomes due to INH adsorption. Moreover, the preferential INH-HSPC dipole-dipole interaction promotes the modification of lipid ordering, favoring the formation of HSPC-richer domains in excess of DPPG. Our findings highlight how investigating the fundamental aspects of drug-lipid interactions is of paramount importance for the optimal design of liposomal nanocarriers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Domenico Truzzolillo
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C) - UMR 5221, Universitè de Montpellier et CNRS, Place E. Bataillon, Campus Triolet, Batiment 11, cc 0026, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France.
| | - Edouard Chauveau
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C) - UMR 5221, Universitè de Montpellier et CNRS, Place E. Bataillon, Campus Triolet, Batiment 11, cc 0026, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
| | - Silvia Trabalzini
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie farmaceutiche, Università di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Luisa Di Marzio
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università G.d'Annunzio, Via dei Vestini, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Maria Carafa
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie farmaceutiche, Università di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Carlotta Marianecci
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie farmaceutiche, Università di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Angelo Sarra
- CNR-ISC Sede Sapienza, Piazzale A. Moro 2, I-00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Federico Bordi
- CNR-ISC Sede Sapienza, Piazzale A. Moro 2, I-00185 Rome, Italy; Dipartimento di Fisica, La Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 2, I-00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Sennato
- CNR-ISC Sede Sapienza, Piazzale A. Moro 2, I-00185 Rome, Italy; Dipartimento di Fisica, La Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale A. Moro 2, I-00185 Rome, Italy.
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9
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Lattice Models for Protein Organization throughout Thylakoid Membrane Stacks. Biophys J 2020; 118:2680-2693. [PMID: 32413311 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.03.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 03/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteins in photosynthetic membranes can organize into patterned arrays that span the membrane's lateral size. Attractions between proteins in different layers of a membrane stack can play a key role in this ordering, as was suggested by microscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy and demonstrated by computer simulations of a coarse-grained model. The architecture of thylakoid membranes, however, also provides opportunities for interlayer interactions that instead disfavor the high protein densities of ordered arrangements. Here, we explore the interplay between these opposing driving forces and, in particular, the phase transitions that emerge in the periodic geometry of stacked thylakoid membrane disks. We propose a lattice model that roughly accounts for proteins' attraction within a layer and across the stromal gap, steric repulsion across the lumenal gap, and regulation of protein density by exchange with the stroma lamellae. Mean-field analysis and computer simulation reveal rich phase behavior for this simple model, featuring a broken-symmetry striped phase that is disrupted at both high and low extremes of chemical potential. The resulting sensitivity of microscopic protein arrangement to the thylakoid's mesoscale vertical structure raises intriguing possibilities for regulation of photosynthetic function.
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10
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Role of Transmembrane Proteins for Phase Separation and Domain Registration in Asymmetric Lipid Bilayers. Biomolecules 2019; 9:biom9080303. [PMID: 31349669 PMCID: PMC6723173 DOI: 10.3390/biom9080303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
It is well known that the formation and spatial correlation of lipid domains in the two apposed leaflets of a bilayer are influenced by weak lipid–lipid interactions across the bilayer’s midplane. Transmembrane proteins span through both leaflets and thus offer an alternative domain coupling mechanism. Using a mean-field approximation of a simple bilayer-type lattice model, with two two-dimensional lattices stacked one on top of the other, we explore the role of this “structural” inter-leaflet coupling for the ability of a lipid membrane to phase separate and form spatially correlated domains. We present calculated phase diagrams for various effective lipid–lipid and lipid–protein interaction strengths in membranes that contain a binary lipid mixture in each leaflet plus a small amount of added transmembrane proteins. The influence of the transmembrane nature of the proteins is assessed by a comparison with “peripheral” proteins, which result from the separation of one single integral protein into two independent units that are no longer structurally connected across the bilayer. We demonstrate that the ability of membrane-spanning proteins to facilitate domain formation requires sufficiently strong lipid–protein interactions. Weak lipid–protein interactions generally tend to inhibit phase separation in a similar manner for transmembrane as for peripheral proteins.
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11
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Weiner MD, Feigenson GW. Molecular Dynamics Simulations Reveal Leaflet Coupling in Compositionally Asymmetric Phase-Separated Lipid Membranes. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:3968-3975. [PMID: 31009218 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.9b03488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The eukaryotic plasma membrane has an asymmetric distribution of its component lipids. Rafts that result from liquid-liquid phase separation are a feature of its exoplasmic leaflet, but how these exoplasmic leaflet domains are coupled to the cytoplasmic leaflet is not understood. These rafts can be studied in model membranes of three-component mixtures that produce coexisting liquid ordered (Lo) and liquid disordered (Ld) domains. We conducted all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of compositionally asymmetric lipid bilayers that reflect a more realistic model of the plasma membrane. One leaflet contained phase-separated domains with phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol, representing the exoplasmic leaflet, whereas the other contained phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and cholesterol, which are the predominant components of the cytoplasmic leaflet. Inspired by findings of domain alignment across the two leaflets in compositionally symmetric model membranes, we examined the coupling between the two leaflets to see how the single-phase cytoplasmic leaflet would respond to phase separation in the other leaflet and if information could be communicated across the membrane. We found the region of the single-phase leaflet apposing the Lo domain to be slightly more ordered and thicker than the region apposing the Ld domain. The region across from the Lo domain is somewhat enriched in cholesterol and significantly depleted of polyunsaturated lipids.
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12
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Almeida PF. How to Determine Lipid Interactions in Membranes from Experiment Through the Ising Model. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2019; 35:21-40. [PMID: 30589556 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b03054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The determination and the meaning of interactions in lipid bilayers are discussed and interpreted through the Ising model. Originally developed to understand phase transitions in ferromagnetic systems, the Ising model applies equally well to lipid bilayers. In the case of a membrane, the essence of the Ising model is that each lipid is represented by a site on a lattice and that the interaction of each site with its nearest neighbors is represented by an energy parameter ω. To calculate the thermodynamic properties of the system, such as the enthalpy, the Gibbs energy, and the heat capacity, the partition function is derived. The calculation of the configurational entropy factor in the partition function, however, requires approximations or the use of Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Those approximations are described. Ultimately, MC simulations are used in combination with experiment to determine the interaction parameters ω in lipid bilayers. Several experimental approaches are described, which can be used to obtain interaction parameters. They include nearest-neighbor recognition, differential scanning calorimetry, and Förster resonance energy transfer. Those approaches are most powerful when used in combination of MC simulations of Ising models. Lipid membranes of different compositions are discussed, which have been studied with these approaches. They include mixtures of cholesterol, saturated (ordered) phospholipids, and unsaturated (disordered) phospholipids. The interactions between those lipid species are examined as a function of molecular properties such as the degree of unsaturation and the acyl chain length. The general rule that emerges is that interactions between different lipids are usually unfavorable. The exception is that cholesterol interacts favorably with saturated (ordered) phospholipids. However, the interaction of cholesterol with unsaturated phospholipids becomes extremely unfavorable as the degree of unsaturation increases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo F Almeida
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of North Carolina Wilmington , Wilmington , North Carolina 28403 , United States
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13
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Effects of Passive Phospholipid Flip-Flop and Asymmetric External Fields on Bilayer Phase Equilibria. Biophys J 2018; 115:1956-1965. [PMID: 30393103 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2018.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Compositional asymmetry between the leaflets of bilayer membranes modifies their phase behavior and is thought to influence other important features such as mechanical properties and protein activity. We address here how phase behavior is affected by passive phospholipid flip-flop, such that the compositional asymmetry is not fixed. We predict transitions from "pre-flip-flop" behavior to a restricted set of phase equilibria that can persist in the presence of passive flip-flop. Surprisingly, such states are not necessarily symmetric. We further account for external symmetry breaking, such as a preferential substrate interaction, and show how this can stabilize strongly asymmetric equilibrium states. Our theory explains several experimental observations of flip-flop-mediated changes in phase behavior and shows how domain formation and compositional asymmetry can be controlled in concert, by manipulating passive flip-flop rates and applying external fields.
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14
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Weiner MD, Feigenson GW. Presence and Role of Midplane Cholesterol in Lipid Bilayers Containing Registered or Antiregistered Phase Domains. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:8193-8200. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b03949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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15
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Eggeling C, Honigmann A. Closing the gap: The approach of optical and computational microscopy to uncover biomembrane organization. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:2558-2568. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Revised: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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16
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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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17
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Okamoto R, Kanemori Y, Komura S, Fournier JB. Relaxation dynamics of two-component fluid bilayer membranes. THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL. E, SOFT MATTER 2016; 39:52. [PMID: 27145960 DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2016-16052-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Revised: 03/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/09/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
We theoretically investigate the relaxation dynamics of a nearly flat binary lipid bilayer membrane by taking into account the membrane tension, hydrodynamics of the surrounding fluid, inter-monolayer friction and mutual diffusion. Mutual diffusion is the collective irreversible process that leads to homogenization of the density difference between the two lipid species. We find that two relaxation modes associated with the mutual diffusion appear in addition to the three previously discussed relaxation modes reflecting the bending and compression of the membrane. Because of the symmetry, only one of the two diffusive modes is coupled to the bending mode. The two diffusive modes are much slower than the bending and compression modes in the entire realistic wave number range. This means that the long time relaxation behavior is dominated by the mutual diffusion in binary membranes. The two diffusive modes become even slower in the vicinity of the unstable region towards phase separation, while the other modes are almost unchanged. In short time scales, on the other hand, the lipid composition heterogeneity induces in-plane compression and bending of the bilayer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryuichi Okamoto
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 192-0397, Tokyo, Japan.
- Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes (MSC), UMR 7057 CNRS, F-75205, Paris, France.
| | - Yuichi Kanemori
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 192-0397, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shigeyuki Komura
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 192-0397, Tokyo, Japan
- Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes (MSC), UMR 7057 CNRS, F-75205, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Baptiste Fournier
- Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes (MSC), UMR 7057 CNRS, F-75205, Paris, France
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18
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Williamson JJ, Olmsted PD. Comment on "Elastic Membrane Deformations Govern Interleaflet Coupling of Lipid-Ordered Domains". PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2016; 116:079801. [PMID: 26943562 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.116.079801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
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
| | - P D Olmsted
- 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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19
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Faller R. Molecular modeling of lipid probes and their influence on the membrane. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:2353-2361. [PMID: 26891817 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2015] [Revised: 02/08/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
In this review a number of Molecular Dynamics simulation studies are discussed which focus on the understanding of the behavior of lipid probes in biomembranes. Experiments often use specialized probe moieties or molecules to report on the behavior of a membrane and try to gain information on the membrane as a whole from the probe lipids as these probes are the only things an experiment sees. Probes can be used to make NMR, EPR and fluorescence accessible to the membrane and use fluorescent or spin-active moieties for this purpose. Clearly membranes with and without probes are not identical which makes it worthwhile to elucidate the differences between them with detailed atomistic simulations. In almost all cases these differences are confined to the local neighborhood of the probe molecules which are sparsely used and generally present as single molecules. In general, the behavior of the bulk membrane lipids can be qualitatively understood from the probes but in most cases their properties cannot be directly quantitatively deduced from the probe behavior. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Biosimulations edited by Ilpo Vattulainen and Tomasz Róg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland Faller
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
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20
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Williamson JJ, Olmsted PD. Registered and antiregistered phase separation of mixed amphiphilic bilayers. Biophys J 2016; 108:1963-76. [PMID: 25902436 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2015.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2014] [Revised: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 03/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
We derive a mean-field free energy for the phase behavior of coupled bilayer leaflets, which is implicated in cellular processes and important to the design of artificial membranes. Our model accounts for amphiphile-level structural features, particularly hydrophobic mismatch, which promotes antiregistration, in competition with the direct transmidplane coupling usually studied, which promotes registration. We show that the phase diagram of coupled leaflets allows multiple metastable coexistences, and we illustrate the kinetic implications of this with a detailed study of a bilayer of equimolar overall composition. For approximate parameters estimated to apply to phospholipids, equilibrium coexistence is typically registered, but metastable antiregistered phases can be kinetically favored by hydrophobic mismatch. Thus, a bilayer in the spinodal region can require nucleation to equilibrate, in a novel manifestation of Ostwald's rule of stages. Our results provide a framework for understanding disparate existing observations in the literature, elucidating a subtle competition of couplings and a key role for phase-transition kinetics in bilayer phase behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J Williamson
- Department of Physics, Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C..
| | - Peter D Olmsted
- Department of Physics, Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C..
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21
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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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22
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Williamson JJ, Olmsted PD. Kinetics of symmetry and asymmetry in a phase-separating bilayer membrane. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2015; 92:052721. [PMID: 26651737 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.92.052721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
We simulate a phase-separating bilayer in which the leaflets experience a direct coupling favoring local compositional symmetry ("registered" bilayer phases), and an indirect coupling due to hydrophobic mismatch that favors strong local asymmetry ("antiregistered" bilayer phases). For wide ranges of overall leaflet compositions, multiple competing states are possible. For estimated physical parameters, a quenched bilayer may first evolve toward a metastable state more asymmetric than if the leaflets were uncorrelated; subsequently, it must nucleate to reach its equilibrium, more symmetric, state. These phase-transition kinetics exhibit characteristic signatures through which fundamental and opposing interleaflet interactions may be probed. We emphasize how bilayer phase diagrams with a separate axis for each leaflet can account for overall and local symmetry or asymmetry, and capture a range of observations in the experiment and simulation literature.
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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
| | - P D Olmsted
- 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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23
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Bossa GV, Roth J, May S. Modeling Lipid-Lipid Correlations across a Bilayer Membrane Using the Quasi-chemical Approximation. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2015; 31:9924-9932. [PMID: 26302019 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b01719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Mixed fluid-like lipid membranes exhibit interactions not only among the lipids within a given leaflet but also across the bilayer. The ensuing collective interleaflet coupling of entire membrane domains has been modeled previously using various mean-field approaches. Yet, also on the level of individual lipids have correlations across the bilayer been observed experimentally for binary mixtures of charged/uncharged lipids with mismatching combinations of short and long acyl chain lengths. The present study proposes a lattice gas model to quantify these correlations. To this end, we represent a macroscopically homogeneous lipid bilayer by two coupled two-dimensional lattice gases that we study using the quasi-chemical approximation. We demonstrate that the rationalization of previous experimental results is only possible if besides two-body lipid-lipid interactions within and across the bilayer our model also accounts for an additional multibody interaction mechanism, namely the local hydrophobic height mismatch created by pairing short and long chain lipids together. The robustness of the quasi-chemical approximation is verified by comparison with Monte Carlo simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme Volpe Bossa
- Department of Physics, North Dakota State University , Fargo, North Dakota 58108-6050, United States
| | - Joseph Roth
- Department of Physics, North Dakota State University , Fargo, North Dakota 58108-6050, United States
| | - Sylvio May
- Department of Physics, North Dakota State University , Fargo, North Dakota 58108-6050, United States
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24
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Macroscopic phase separation, modulated phases, and microemulsions: a unified picture of rafts. Biophys J 2014; 106:1979-85. [PMID: 24806930 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2014.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2014] [Revised: 03/05/2014] [Accepted: 03/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
We simulate a simple phenomenological model describing phase behavior in a multicomponent membrane, a model capable of producing macroscopic phase separation, modulated phases, and microemulsions, all of which have been discussed in terms of raft phenomena. We show that one effect of thermal fluctuations on the mean-field phase diagram is that it permits a direct transition between either one of the coexisting liquid phases to a microemulsion. This implies that one system exhibiting phase separation can be related to a similar system exhibiting the heterogeneities characteristic of a microemulsion. The two systems could differ in their average membrane composition or in the relative compositions of their exoplasmic and cytoplasmic leaves. The model provides a unified description of these raft-associated phenomena.
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25
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Komura S, Andelman D. Physical aspects of heterogeneities in multi-component lipid membranes. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2014; 208:34-46. [PMID: 24439258 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2013.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2013] [Accepted: 12/07/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Ever since the raft model for biomembranes has been proposed, the traditional view of biomembranes based on the fluid-mosaic model has been altered. In the raft model, dynamical heterogeneities in multi-component lipid bilayers play an essential role. Focusing on the lateral phase separation of biomembranes and vesicles, we review some of the most relevant research conducted over the last decade. We mainly refer to those experimental works that are based on physical chemistry approach, and to theoretical explanations given in terms of soft matter physics. In the first part, we describe the phase behavior and the conformation of multi-component lipid bilayers. After formulating the hydrodynamics of fluid membranes in the presence of the surrounding solvent, we discuss the domain growth-law and decay rate of concentration fluctuations. Finally, we review several attempts to describe membrane rafts as two-dimensional microemulsion.
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26
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Sarkar N, Basu A. Phases and fluctuations in a model for asymmetric inhomogeneous fluid membranes. Phys Rev E 2013; 88:042106. [PMID: 24229115 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.88.042106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2012] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
We propose and analyze a model for phase transitions in an inhomogeneous fluid membrane, that couples local composition with curvature nonlinearly. For asymmetric membranes, our model shows generic non-Ising behavior and the ensuing phase diagram displays either a first- or a second-order phase transition through a critical point (CP) or a tricritical point (TP), depending upon the bending modulus. It predicts generic nontrivial enhancement in fluctuations of asymmetric membranes that scales with system size in a power-law fashion at the CP and TP in two dimensions, not observed in symmetric membranes. It also yields two-dimensional Ising universality class for symmetric membranes, in agreement with experimental results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niladri Sarkar
- Condensed Matter Physics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Calcutta 700064, India
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27
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Funkhouser CM, Mayer M, Solis FJ, Thornton K. Effects of interleaflet coupling on the morphologies of multicomponent lipid bilayer membranes. J Chem Phys 2013; 138:024909. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4773856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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28
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Hirose Y, Komura S, Andelman D. Concentration fluctuations and phase transitions in coupled modulated bilayers. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2012; 86:021916. [PMID: 23005794 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.86.021916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We consider the formation of finite-size domains in lipid bilayers consisting of saturated and hybrid lipids. First, we describe a monolayer model that includes a coupling between a compositional scalar field and a two-dimensional vectorial order parameter. Such a coupling yields an effective two-dimensional microemulsion free energy for the lipid monolayer, and its characteristic length of compositional modulations can be considered as the origin of finite-size domains in biological membranes. Next, we consider a coupled bilayer composed of two modulated monolayers and discuss the static and dynamic properties of concentration fluctuations above the transition temperature. We also investigate the micro-phase separation below the transition temperature and compare the micro-phase separated structures with statics and dynamics of concentration fluctuations above the transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuichi Hirose
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan
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29
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Demchenko AP. Modern views on the structure and dynamics of biological membranes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.7124/bc.000029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. P. Demchenko
- Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
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30
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Shimokawa N, Komura S, Andelman D. Charged bilayer membranes in asymmetric ionic solutions: phase diagrams and critical behavior. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2011; 84:031919. [PMID: 22060415 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.84.031919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We consider the phase separation in an asymmetrically charged lipid bilayer membrane consisting of neutral and negatively charged lipids that are in contact with in and out ionic solutions having different ionic strengths. The two asymmetric leaflets are coupled through electrostatic interactions. Based on a free-energy approach, the critical point and phase diagrams are calculated for different ionic strengths of the two solutions and coupling parameter. An increase of the coupling constant or asymmetry in the salt concentration between the in and out solutions yields a higher phase-separation temperature because of electrostatic interactions. As a consequence, the phase-coexistence region increases for strong screening (small Debye length). Finally, possible three-phase coexistence regions in the phase diagram are predicted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naofumi Shimokawa
- Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan.
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31
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Putzel GG, Schick M. Insights on raft behavior from minimal phenomenological models. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2011; 23:284101. [PMID: 21709324 DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/23/28/284101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We construct a simple phenomenological theory of phase separation in ternary mixtures of cholesterol and saturated and unsaturated lipids. Such separation is relevant to the formation of 'rafts' in the plasma membrane. We also show how simple cross-linking of proteins which prefer one form of lipid to the other can trigger raft-formation, the first step in a signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Garbès Putzel
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1560, USA
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32
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Putzel GG, Uline MJ, Szleifer I, Schick M. Interleaflet coupling and domain registry in phase-separated lipid bilayers. Biophys J 2011; 100:996-1004. [PMID: 21320444 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2011.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2010] [Revised: 01/08/2011] [Accepted: 01/11/2011] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
There is clear evidence of an interleaflet coupling in model lipid/cholesterol membranes exhibiting liquid-liquid phase separation. The strength of this coupling is quantified by the mismatch free energy, γ. We calculate it using a molecular mean-field model of a phase-separated lipid/cholesterol bilayer and obtain values that increase as the concentration of saturated lipids in the coexisting phases is increased. These values lie in the range 0.01-0.03 k(B)T/nm(2). We clarify the relationship between the interleaflet coupling and the extent of interleaflet alignment of liquid domains by analyzing a statistical mechanical model of coupled fluctuating domain interfaces. The model is solved exactly using the correspondence between statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics, yielding an expression for the characteristic size of fluctuations out of domain registry. This length scale depends only weakly on the strength of the interleaflet coupling and inevitably is only of the order of nanometers, which explains the experimental result that fluctuations out of domain registry have not been observed by optical microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Garbès Putzel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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33
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Isaev NP, Syryamina VN, Dzuba SA. Small-Angle Orientational Motions of Spin-Labeled Lipids in Cholesterol-Containing Bilayers Studied at Low Temperatures by Electron Spin Echo Spectroscopy. J Phys Chem B 2010; 114:9510-5. [DOI: 10.1021/jp1043927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay P. Isaev
- Institute of Chemical Kinetics and Combustion, Institutskaya-3, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia, and, Novosibirsk State University, 630090, Pirogova-2, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Victoria N. Syryamina
- Institute of Chemical Kinetics and Combustion, Institutskaya-3, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia, and, Novosibirsk State University, 630090, Pirogova-2, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Sergei A. Dzuba
- Institute of Chemical Kinetics and Combustion, Institutskaya-3, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia, and, Novosibirsk State University, 630090, Pirogova-2, Novosibirsk, Russia
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34
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McConnell H. Composition fluctuations, correlated response, and protein solvation in membranes. J Chem Phys 2010; 132:205102. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3434342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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35
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Hirose Y, Komura S, Andelman D. Coupled Modulated Bilayers: A Phenomenological Model. Chemphyschem 2009; 10:2839-46. [DOI: 10.1002/cphc.200900618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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36
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Sanders M, Mueller R, Menjoge A, Vasenkov S. Pulsed Field Gradient Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Study of Time-Dependent Diffusion Behavior and Exchange of Lipids in Planar-Supported Lipid Bilayers. J Phys Chem B 2009; 113:14355-64. [DOI: 10.1021/jp9057093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Monica Sanders
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Robert Mueller
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Amrish Menjoge
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
| | - Sergey Vasenkov
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
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37
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Theory of raft formation by the cross-linking of saturated or unsaturated lipids in model lipid bilayers. Biophys J 2009; 96:4935-40. [PMID: 19527652 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2009.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2008] [Revised: 03/24/2009] [Accepted: 04/07/2009] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We consider the effect of cross-linking a small fraction of lipids, either saturated or unsaturated, in a mixture of saturated and unsaturated lipids and cholesterol. The change in phase behavior is examined utilizing a recent phenomenological model of the ternary system, which is extended to include a fourth component representing the cross-linked lipids. These lipids are taken to be identical to monomeric ones except for their reduced entropy of mixing. We find that even a relatively small amount of cross-linked lipids, less than 5 mol %, is sufficient to significantly expand the range of compositions within which there is coexistence between liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered phases. Equivalently, the cross-linking of lipids increases the liquid-liquid miscibility transition temperature, and therefore could bring about phase separation at a temperature at which, before cross-linking, there was only a single liquid phase.
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38
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Kempegowda GB, Karve S, Bandekar A, Adhikari A, Khaimchayev T, Sofou S. pH-dependent formation of lipid heterogeneities controls surface topography and binding reactivity in functionalized bilayers. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2009; 25:8144-8151. [PMID: 19594187 DOI: 10.1021/la9004032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
During direct cell-to-cell communication, lipids on the extracellular side of plasma membranes reorganize, and membrane-associated communication-related molecules colocalize. At colocalization sites, sometimes identified as rafts, the local cell surface topography and reactivity are altered. The processes regulating these changes are largely unknown. On model lipid membranes, study of simplified processes that control surface topography and reactivity may potentially contribute to the understanding and control of related cell functions and associated diseases. Integration of these processes on nanometer-sized lipid vesicles used as drug delivery carriers would precisely control their interactions with diseased cells minimizing toxicities. Here we design such basic pH-dependent processes on model functionalized lipid bilayers, and we demonstrate reversible sharp changes in binding reactivity within a narrow pH window. Cholesterol enables tuning of the membrane reorganization to occur at pH values not necessarily close to the reported pK(a)'s of the constituent titratable lipids, and bilayer reorganization over repeated cycles of induced pH changes exhibits hysteresis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gautam Bajagur Kempegowda
- Othmer-Jacobs Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of New York University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
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39
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Silva LC, Futerman AH, Prieto M. Lipid raft composition modulates sphingomyelinase activity and ceramide-induced membrane physical alterations. Biophys J 2009; 96:3210-22. [PMID: 19383465 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2008.12.3923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2008] [Revised: 12/09/2008] [Accepted: 12/11/2008] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Lipid rafts and ceramide (Cer)-platforms are membrane domains that play an important role in several biological processes. Cer-platforms are commonly formed in the plasma membrane by the action of sphingomyelinase (SMase) upon hydrolysis of sphingomyelin (SM) within lipid rafts. The interplay among SMase activity, initial membrane properties (i.e., phase behavior and lipid lateral organization) and lipid composition, and the amount of product (Cer) generated, and how it modulates membrane properties were studied using fluorescence methodologies in model membranes. The activity of SMase was evaluated by following the hydrolysis of radioactive SM. It was observed that 1), the enzyme activity and extent of hydrolysis are strongly dependent on membrane physical properties but not on substrate content, and are higher in raft-like mixtures, i.e., mixtures with liquid-disordered/liquid-ordered phase separation; and 2), Cer-induced alterations are also dependent on membrane composition, specifically the cholesterol (Chol) content. In the lowest-Chol range, Cer segregates together with SM into small ( approximately 8.5 nm) Cer/SM-gel domains. With increasing Chol, the ability of Cer to recruit SM and form gel domains strongly decreases. In the high-Chol range, a Chol-enriched/SM-depleted liquid-ordered phase predominates. Together, these data suggest that in biological membranes, Chol in particular and raft domains in general play an important role in modulating SMase activity and regulating membrane physical properties by restraining Cer-induced alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liana C Silva
- Centro de Química-Física Molecular & Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon, Portugal
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An introduction to critical points for biophysicists; observations of compositional heterogeneity in lipid membranes. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2008; 1788:53-63. [PMID: 18930706 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2008.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 199] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2008] [Revised: 09/12/2008] [Accepted: 09/15/2008] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Scaling laws associated with critical points have the power to greatly simplify our description of complex biophysical systems. We first review basic concepts and equations associated with critical phenomena for the general reader. We then apply these concepts to the specific biophysical system of lipid membranes. We recently reported that lipid membranes can contain composition fluctuations that behave in a manner consistent with the two-dimensional Ising universality class. Near the membrane's critical point, these fluctuations are micron-sized, clearly observable by fluorescence microscopy. At higher temperatures, above the critical point, we expect to find submicron fluctuations. In separate work, we have reported that plasma membranes isolated directly from cells exhibit the same Ising behavior as model membranes do. We review other models describing submicron lateral inhomogeneity in membranes, including microemulsions, nanodomains, and mean field critical fluctuations, and we describe experimental tests that may distinguish these models.
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Feigenson GW. Phase diagrams and lipid domains in multicomponent lipid bilayer mixtures. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2008; 1788:47-52. [PMID: 18805392 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2008.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 207] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2008] [Revised: 08/18/2008] [Accepted: 08/21/2008] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the phase behavior of biological membranes is helped by the study of more simple systems. Model membranes that have as few as 3 components exhibit complex phase behavior that can be well described, providing insight for biological membranes. A number of different studies are in agreement on general findings for some compositional phase diagrams, in particular, those that model the outer leaflet of animal cell plasma membranes. These model mixtures include cholesterol, together with one high-melting lipid and one low-melting lipid. An interesting finding is of two categories of such 3-component mixtures, leading to what we term Type I and Type II compositional phase diagrams. The latter have phase regions of macroscopic coexisting domains of [Lalpha+Lbeta+Lo] and of [Lalpha+Lo], with domains resolved under the light microscope. Type I mixtures have the same phase coexistence regions, but the domains seem to be nanoscopic. Type I mixtures are likely to be better models for biological membranes.
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Almeida PFF. Thermodynamics of lipid interactions in complex bilayers. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2008; 1788:72-85. [PMID: 18775410 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2008.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2008] [Revised: 07/29/2008] [Accepted: 08/06/2008] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The mutual interactions between lipids in bilayers are reviewed, including mixtures of phospholipids, and mixtures of phospholipids and cholesterol (Chol). Binary mixtures and ternary mixtures are considered, with special emphasis on membranes containing Chol, an ordered phospholipid, and a disordered phospholipid. Typically the ordered phospholipid is a sphingomyelin (SM) or a long-chain saturated phosphatidylcholine (PC), both of which have high phase transitions temperatures; the disordered phospholipid is 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC) or dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC). The unlike nearest-neighbor interaction free energies (omega(AB)) between lipids (including Chol), obtained by an variety of unrelated methods, are typically in the range of 0-400 cal/mol in absolute value. Most are positive, meaning that the interaction is unfavorable, but some are negative, meaning it is favorable. It is of special interest that favorable interactions occur mainly between ordered phospholipids and Chol. The interpretation of domain formation in complex mixtures of Chol and phospholipids in terms of phase separation or condensed complexes is discussed in the light of the values of lipid mutual interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo F F Almeida
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA.
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Membrane domain formation, interdigitation, and morphological alterations induced by the very long chain asymmetric C24:1 ceramide. Biophys J 2008; 95:2867-79. [PMID: 18586849 DOI: 10.1529/biophysj.108.129858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Ceramide (Cer) is involved in the regulation of several biological processes, such as apoptosis and cell signaling. The alterations induced by Cer in the biophysical properties of membranes are thought to be one of the major routes of Cer action. To gain further knowledge about the alterations induced by Cer, membrane reorganization by the very long chain asymmetric nervonoylceramide (NCer) was studied. The application of an established fluorescence multiprobe approach, together with x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and confocal fluorescence microscopy, allowed the characterization of NCer and the determination of the phase diagram of palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC)/NCer binary mixtures. Nervonoylceramide undergoes a transition from a mixed interdigitated gel phase to a partially interdigitated gel phase at approximately 20 degrees C, and a broad main transition to the fluid phase at approximately 52 degrees C. The solubility of NCer in the fluid POPC is low, driving gel-fluid phase separation, and the binary-phase diagram is characterized by multiple and large coexistence regions between the interdigitated gel phases and the fluid phase. At 37 degrees C, the relevant phases are the fluid and the partially interdigitated gel. Moreover, the formation of NCer interdigitated gel phases leads to strong morphological alterations in the lipid vesicles, driving the formation of cochleate-type tubular structures.
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Abstract
Whereas it appears to be generally believed that the leaflets of a phospholipid/cholesterol bilayer interact with each other in some way, the exact mechanism remains undetermined. Various suggestions have been invoked, including chain interdigitation and rapid translocation of cholesterol. There is little, if any, direct evidence supporting or excluding these hypotheses. In this letter, I examine a few different possibilities. Chain interdigitation is unlikely to be significant. Cholesterol translocation meets some, though not all, of the relevant criteria, and probably plays an important role. The simplest explanation is that the layers interact at the midplane in the same way that the ordered and disordered liquid phases common in these systems interact at their interfaces. A quick estimate of that interfacial energy shows that this is a very likely candidate. The consequences of such an energy in biological systems are briefly considered.
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