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Updated: Jan 19, 2026
10:08
Phase Behavior of Charged Vesicles Under Symmetric and Asymmetric Solution Conditions Monitored with Fluorescence Microscopy
Published on: October 24, 2017
9.6K
Gangliosides Destabilize Lipid Phase Separation in Multicomponent Membranes
Yang Liu1, Jonathan Barnoud1, Siewert J Marrink1
1Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and the Zernike Institute for Advanced Material, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Biophysical Journal
|September 23, 2019
Summary
Gangliosides (GMs) prefer ordered membrane domains. Higher GM concentrations can destabilize these domains, influencing membrane organization.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Membrane Biophysics
- Computational Biology
Background:
- Gangliosides (GMs) are key membrane lipids involved in cellular processes.
- Their precise lateral organization within plasma membranes remains incompletely understood.
- GMs typically associate with cholesterol and sphingomyelin in ordered membrane domains.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the molecular basis of ganglioside organization in model membranes.
- To investigate the influence of ganglioside concentration and structure on membrane phase behavior.
Main Methods:
- Molecular dynamics simulations were employed.
- Simulations utilized model membranes with coexisting liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered domains.
- Varying ganglioside concentrations and structures were simulated.
Main Results:
- Gangliosides preferentially partition into ordered membrane domains.
- At concentrations exceeding 10 mol%, gangliosides destabilize domain coexistence.
- Ganglioside headgroup structure influences phase separation, while tail structure dictates localization.
Conclusions:
- Ganglioside partitioning and concentration significantly impact membrane lateral organization.
- Molecular dynamics simulations provide insights into the complex behavior of gangliosides in membranes.
- Findings offer a molecular framework for understanding GM-rich membrane organization.
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