Deciphering Melatonin-Stabilized Phase Separation in Phospholipid Bilayers
Lipid bilayers are fundamental building blocks of cell membranes, which contain the machinery needed to perform a range of biological functions, including cell–cell recognition, signal transduction, receptor trafficking, viral budding, and cell fusion. Importantly, many of these functions are thought to take place in the laterally phase-separated regions of the membrane, commonly known as lipid rafts. In this paper, we provide experimental evidence for the “stabilizing” effect of melatonin, a naturally occurring hormone produced by the brain’s pineal gland, on phase-separated model membranes mimicking the outer leaflet of plasma membranes. Specifically, we show that melatonin stabilizes the liquid-ordered/liquid-disordered phase coexistence over an extended range of temperatures. The melatonin-mediated stabilization effect is observed in both nanometer- and micrometer-sized liposomes using small angle neutron scattering (SANS), confocal fluorescence microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. To experimentally detect nanoscopic domains in 50 nm diameter phospholipid vesicles, we developed a model using the Landau–Brazovskii approach that may serve as a platform for detecting the existence of nanoscopic lateral heterogeneities in soft matter and biological materials with spherical and planar geometries.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities Division
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- OSTI ID:
- 1649297
- Journal Information:
- Langmuir, Vol. 35, Issue 37; ISSN 0743-7463
- Publisher:
- American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
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