title: Compactification of a myelin mimetic Langmuir monolayer upon adsorption and unfolding of myelin basic protein.
abstract: The surface shear viscosity of a myelin mimetic Langmuir monolayer is investigated upon adsorption of myelin basic protein (MBP). We measure an increase of the surface shear viscosity at picomolar concentrations of the protein, suggesting that the globular conformation of MBP changes upon adsorption at the monolayer. The conformational change enables hydrodynamic interactions of the proteins, with a typical separation of hundreds of nanometers. This unfolding is essential for the compactification of the myelin sheath, serving an enhanced saltatory signal transduction in vertebrates. The viscometry used extends the sensitivity of standard surface viscometers toward lower viscosities.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Röntgenphysik, Universität Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Khattari
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ruschel
authors.forename: H Z
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Fischer
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000818:Animals; D016880:Anisotropy; D002417:Cattle; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D015233:Models, Statistical; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000737:chemistry*; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000737:chemistry*; D011312:Pressure; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D017510:Protein Folding; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D004676:Myelin Basic Protein