Cooperative behavior of ganglioside molecules in model systems.
A concise discussion of the role of different geometrical conformational states in the process of self-assembling of gangliosides is given. The report focuses on the effects of the geometrical variations occurring in the head group region of gangliosides as reflected on the geometrical properties of the whole assembly. Collective phenomena happening at the water interfacial region are found to be coupled to the phase transition of the lipid moiety, that is, to the well-known order-disorder conformational transition involving the hydrophobic tails. The possible biological relevance of the head group bistability is envisaged.
Brocca
Paola
P
Dipartimento di Chimica e Biochimica Medica, I.N.F.M., Università di Milano, Segrate, Italy.
Cantù
Laura
L
Corti
Mario
M
Del Favero
Elena
E
Raudino
Antonio
A
D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical
D005732:Gangliosides