Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Structure of sphingomyelin bilayers: a simulation study.

S W Chiu1, S Vasudevan, Eric Jakobsson

  • 1Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Programs in Biophysics, Neuroscience, and Bioengineering, and Beckman Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA.

Biophysical Journal
|December 4, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Chemoradiation Reprograms Tumor Cells and the Immune Microenvironment in Cervical Cancer.

Cancer research·2026
Same author

The evolution of training in robotic colorectal surgery.

Journal of robotic surgery·2025
Same author

Pan-cancer immune and stromal deconvolution predicts clinical outcomes and mutation profiles.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Characterization of RNF144B and PPP2R2A identified by a novel approach using TCGA data in ovarian cancer.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

A Pan-Cancer Patient-Derived Xenograft Histology Image Repository with Genomic and Pathologic Annotations Enables Deep Learning Analysis.

Cancer research·2024
Same author

Evaluation of Copanlisib in Combination with Eribulin in Triple-negative Breast Cancer Patient-derived Xenograft Models.

Cancer research communications·2024
Same journal

Tau protein differentially affects Piezo1 and Kir2.1 channels in brain capillary endothelial cells.

Biophysical journal·2026
Same journal

Emergent Intercellular Junction Stability during Cyclic Tissue Loading.

Biophysical journal·2026
Same journal

Enhanced-Sampling Simulations Reveal Distinct Intermediates in SARS-CoV-2 FSE Pseudoknot Interconversion.

Biophysical journal·2026
Same journal

Structure-based simulations of the full Flock House virus capsid reveal pathways and energetics of an infection-critical peptide externalization event.

Biophysical journal·2026
Same journal

Quantifying the Peripheral Surface Information Entropy from Conformational Ensembles of Globular Protein-Peptide Complexes.

Biophysical journal·2026
Same journal

Anisotropic unbinding and location-dependent hovering of a kinesin motor head over microtubule.

Biophysical journal·2026
See all related articles

Sphingomyelin (SM) lipid bilayers are more ordered and compact than dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayers. This study reveals unique properties of SM bilayers, including intramolecular hydrogen bonding and altered mechanical characteristics.

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Computational Chemistry
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Sphingomyelin (SM) is a crucial component of cell membranes.
  • Understanding lipid bilayer properties is essential for cell biology and drug delivery.
  • Molecular dynamics simulations offer insights into lipid behavior at the molecular level.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the structural and dynamic properties of a hydrated 18:0 sphingomyelin lipid bilayer.
  • To compare the characteristics of sphingomyelin bilayers with dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayers.
  • To analyze the mechanical properties, such as bending modulus and area compressibility, of sphingomyelin bilayers.

Main Methods:

  • Molecular dynamics simulation of a large hydrated lipid bilayer (1600 SM molecules, 50,592 water molecules).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Simulation conducted at 50°C and 1 atm for 3.8 ns.
  • Calculation of bilayer properties, power spectrum of undulation and peristaltic modes, and comparison with experimental data and DPPC bilayers.

    • Main Results:

    • Sphingomyelin bilayers exhibit significantly higher order and compactness compared to DPPC bilayers at 50°C.
    • Intramolecular hydrogen bonding in SM bilayers leads to reduced hydration in the polar region.
    • SM bilayers demonstrate a larger bending modulus and area compressibility than DPPC bilayers.

    Conclusions:

    • Sphingomyelin bilayers possess distinct structural and mechanical properties compared to common phospholipid bilayers like DPPC.
    • Intramolecular hydrogen bonding plays a key role in the hydration and organization of SM bilayers.
    • The findings provide valuable data for understanding membrane biophysics and designing lipid-based materials.