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Morphological effects of ceramide on DMPC/DHPC bicelles
L Barbosa-Barros1, A De la Maza, P Walther
1Departamento de Tecnología de Tensioactivos, Instituto de Investigaciones Químicas y Ambientales de Barcelona, Spain. lbbesl@cid.csic.es
Journal of Microscopy
|April 5, 2008
Summary
Ceramides alter DMPC/DHPC bicellar systems, forming diverse structures like liposomes and tubules. Temperature changes influence these morphological transformations, offering insights into ceramide
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Materials Science
- Membrane Biology
Background:
- Ceramides are crucial lipids in biological membranes, influencing their structure and function.
- Understanding lipid aggregate morphology is key to deciphering membrane behavior.
- DMPC/DHPC bicellar systems serve as model membranes for studying lipid interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the morphological changes in DMPC/DHPC bicellar systems upon ceramide addition.
- To characterize the impact of varying ceramide concentrations and temperatures on these model membranes.
Main Methods:
- Freeze fracture electron microscopy (FFEM) for high-resolution structural imaging.
- Dynamic light scattering (DLS) for analyzing aggregate size and distribution.
Main Results:
- Low ceramide concentrations at 20°C induced elongated structures with twisted zones.
- Higher ceramide concentrations at 20°C led to liposome formation alongside elongated structures.
- Increased temperature (40°C) promoted branched aggregates at low ceramide levels and phase separation with liposomes and multilamellar tubules at high ceramide levels.
Conclusions:
- Ceramides significantly influence the morphology of DMPC/DHPC bicellar systems in a concentration- and temperature-dependent manner.
- The observed morphological changes provide new insights into the role of ceramides in biological membrane organization and dynamics.
- This study highlights the utility of bicellar systems as a model for exploring lipid-protein and lipid-lipid interactions in complex membrane environments.
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