Apolipoprotein A-I possessing activity of defensin proteins modifies structure of plasma membranes
L E Panin1, N V Ryazantseva, V V Novitskii
1Institute of Biochemistry, Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Novosibirsk.
Abstract:
We studied the in vitro effect of apolipoprotein A-I possessing activity of defensin proteins on the structure of plasma membranes in donor erythrocytes and lymphocytes. Incubation of erythrocyte membranes with apolipoprotein A-I was accompanied by significant changes in biophysical characteristics of a fluorescent probe pyrene in the hydrophobic membrane region and a decrease in Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity. Microviscosity of annular lipids in the plasma membrane of lymphocytes increased during incubation with apolipoprotein A-I. Our results suggest that membranotropic activity of apolipoprotein A-I is associated with the presence of amphipathic alpha-helix regions.
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