title: Desipramine induces disorder in cholesterol-rich membranes: implications for viral trafficking.
abstract: In this study, the effect of desipramine (DMI) on phospholipid bilayers and parvoviral entry was elucidated. In atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, DMI was found to introduce disorder in cholesterol-rich phospholipid bilayers. This was manifested by a decrease in the deuterium order parameter S(CD) as well as an increase in the membrane area. Disordering of the membrane suggested DMI to destabilize cholesterol-rich membrane domains (rafts) in cellular conditions. To relate the raft disrupting ability of DMI with novel biological relevance, we studied the intracellular effect of DMI using canine parvovirus (CPV), a virus known to interact with endosomal membranes and sphingomyelin, as an intracellular probe. DMI was found to cause retention of the virus in intracellular vesicular structures leading to the inhibition of viral proliferation. This implies that DMI has a deleterious effect on the viral traffic. As recycling endosomes and the internal vesicles of multivesicular bodies are known to contain raft components, the effect of desipramine beyond the plasma membrane step could be caused by raft disruption leading to impaired endosomal function and possibly have direct influence on the penetration of the virus through an endosomal membrane.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Nanoscience Center, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. kirsi.i.pakkanen@jyu.fi
authors.forename: Kirsi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pakkanen
authors.forename: Emppu
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Salonen
authors.forename: Anna R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Mäkelä
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oker-Blom
authors.forename: Ilpo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vattulainen
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vuento
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000494:pharmacology; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003891:Desipramine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004285:Dogs; D015394:Molecular Structure; D017993:Parvovirus, Canine / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D002784:Cholesterol; D003891:Desipramine