title: Spontaneous and reversible switch from amphiphilic to oil-like structures.
abstract: Current theories assume that the amphiphilicity of biological membranes is always preserved. We observed that two hydrogen-bonding lipid layers in contact can spontaneously and reversibly lose their amphiphilic structure and turn into an assembly of oily complexes. This result opens a new angle for understanding the reorganization of lipids during membrane fusion, since similar complexes could fill the troubling hydrophobic voids displayed in the current models. The unique tribological properties described here may also find application in the development of novel nanolubricants.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique Statistique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, UMR8550, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Universités Paris 6 et 7, 24, rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pincet
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tareste
authors.forename: Martine Ben
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Amar
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perez
mesh_terms: D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008561:Membrane Fusion; D008954:Models, Biological; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009571:Nitrilotriacetic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D009821:Oils / Q000737:chemistry; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines / Q000737:chemistry; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D009821:Oils; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines; D009571:Nitrilotriacetic Acid; C018525:1,2-dimyristoylphosphatidylethanolamine