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Related Concept Videos

Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer01:35

Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer

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Biological membranes show uneven distribution of different types of lipids in the inner and outer layers, resulting in transverse asymmetric membranes. The treatment of the erythrocyte membrane with the enzyme phospholipase confirmed the asymmetric nature of the lipid bilayer. The enzyme hydrolyzes lipids into fatty acids and hydrophilic groups. The phospholipase acts only on the outer layer of the membrane, while the inner layer remains intact. The phospholipase treatment resulted in 80%...
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Proteins show rotational as well as lateral diffusion across the membrane. The lateral diffusion of proteins was confirmed through the cell fusion experiment where mouse and human cells were fused, resulting in hybrid cells. When the human and mouse cells fused, the specific membrane proteins on human and mouse cells were marked with the red and green-fluorescent markers, respectively. Initially, the red and green fluorescence was located on the respective hemisphere of the cell. As time...
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Scientists identified the plasma membrane in the 1890s and its principal chemical components (lipids and proteins) by 1915. The model for plasma membrane structure, proposed in 1935 by Hugh Davson and James Danielli, was the first model to be widely accepted in the scientific community. The model was based on the plasma membrane's "railroad track" appearance in early electron micrographs. Davson and Danielli theorized that the plasma membrane's structure resembled a sandwich...
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In multi-pass transmembrane proteins, the polypeptide chain crosses the membrane more than once. The transmembrane polypeptide chain either forms an α-helix or β-strand structure. α-Helix containing multi-pass transmembrane proteins are ubiquitous, whereas β-strand containing ones are mainly found in gram-negative bacteria, mitochondria, and chloroplasts.
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Different physical properties of lipids and proteins allow them to localize and form distinct islands or domains in the membrane. Some membrane domains are formed due to protein-protein interactions, whereas others are formed due to the presence of specific lipids such as sphingolipids and sterols—for example, large proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin, aggregate and create distinct domains.
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Method to Visualize and Analyze Membrane Interacting Proteins by Transmission Electron Microscopy
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Asymmetric membrane properties through a protein lens.

Joseph H Lorent1, Angela Cabrera-Jojoa2,3, Kandice R Levental4

  • 1Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology (FACM), Louvain Drug Research Institute, UCLouvain, Avenue Mounier 73/1, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium. joseph.lorent@uclouvain.be.

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Transmembrane domains (TMDs) in cell membranes show specific structural adaptations to asymmetric lipid bilayers. These TMD properties can predict the characteristics of their surrounding membranes.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Plasma membranes exhibit lipid asymmetry, influencing transmembrane protein behavior.
  • Single-pass transmembrane proteins (spTMPs) possess transmembrane domains (TMDs) adapted to membrane constraints.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Analyze structural features of TMDs across life to understand their interaction with asymmetric membranes.
  • Predict species-specific membrane properties based on TMD characteristics.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of TMD structural features (ASA, hydrophobicity, aromaticity, charge) across diverse species.
  • Molecular dynamics simulations of a representative spTMP in an asymmetric lipid bilayer.

Main Results:

  • Eukaryotic plasma membrane TMDs show consistent asymmetries, while bacterial TMDs vary significantly.
  • TMDs in eukaryotic Golgi and ER membranes exhibit inverted profiles compared to plasma membranes.
  • Simulations revealed strong correlations between TMD hydrophobicity and acyl-chain density, and TMD charge and phosphate group density.
  • Phospholipid unsaturation correlated with TMD phenylalanine location; membrane midplane showed hydrophobic residue accumulation.

Conclusions:

  • TMD structural properties are complementary to the properties of their asymmetric lipid bilayers.
  • TMD characteristics can serve as predictive indicators for the properties of their host membranes.