Composition-driven surface domain structuring mediated by sphingolipids and membrane-active proteins. Above the nano- but under the micro-scale: mesoscopic biochemical/structural cross-talk in biomembranes.
Biomembranes contain a wide variety of lipids and proteins within an essentially two-dimensional structure. The coexistence of such a large number of molecular species causes local tensions that frequently relax into a phase or compositional immiscibility along the lateral and transverse planes of the interface. As a consequence, a substantial microheterogeneity of the surface topography develops and that depends not only on the lipid-protein composition, but also on the lateral and transverse tensions generated as a consequence of molecular interactions. The presence of proteins, and immiscibility among lipids, constitute major perturbing factors for the membrane sculpturing both in terms of its surface topography and dynamics. In this work, we will summarize some recent evidences for the involvement of membrane-associated, both extrinsic and amphitropic, proteins as well as membrane-active phosphohydrolytic enzymes and sphingolipids in driving lateral segregation of phase domains thus determining long-range surface topography.
Maggio
Bruno
B
Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Centro de Investigaciones en Química Biológica de Córdoba, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba - CONICET, Argentina. bmaggio@dqb.fcq.unc.edu.ar
Borioli
Graciela A
GA
Del Boca
Maximiliano
M
De Tullio
Luisina
L
Fanani
María L
ML
Oliveira
Rafael G
RG
Rosetti
Carla M
CM
Wilke
Natalia
N
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000737:chemistry; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D013107:Sphingolipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D055672:Static Electricity; D013499:Surface Properties
D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D013107:Sphingolipids