Lipid Rafts: Buffers of Cell Membrane Physical Properties
Abstract
Lateral organization of lipids in the cell membrane appears to be an ancient feature of the cell, given the existence of lipid rafts in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Currently seen as platforms for protein partitioning, we posit that lipid rafts are capable of playing another role: stabilizing membrane physical properties over varying temperatures and other environmental conditions. Membrane composition defines the mechanical and viscous properties of the bilayer. The composition also varies strongly with temperature, with systematic changes in the partitioning of high and low melting temperature membrane components. In this way, rafts function as buffers of membrane physical properties, progressively counteracting environmental changes via compositional changes; i.e., more high melting lipids partition to the fluid phase with increasing temperature, increasing the bending modulus and viscosity, as thermal effects decrease these same properties. To provide an example of this phenomenon, we have performed neutron scattering experiments and atomistic molecular dynamics simulations on a phase separated model membrane. The results demonstrate a buffering effect in both the lateral diffusion coefficient and the bending modulus of the fluid phase upon changing temperature. Furthermore, this demonstration highlights the potentially advantageous stabilizing effect of complex lipid compositions in response to temperature and potentiallymore »
- Authors:
-
- Univ. of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH (United States)
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
- McMaster Univ., Hamilton, ON (Canada)
- Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1545220
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Physical Chemistry. B, Condensed Matter, Materials, Surfaces, Interfaces and Biophysical Chemistry
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 123; Journal Issue: 9; Journal ID: ISSN 1520-6106
- Publisher:
- American Chemical Society
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS
Citation Formats
Nickels, Jonathan D., Smith, Micholas Dean, Alsop, Richard J., Himbert, Sebastian, Yahya, Ahmad, Cordner, Destini, Zolnierczuk, Piotr A., Stanley, Christopher B., Katsaras, John, Cheng, Xiaolin, and Rheinstädter, Maikel C. Lipid Rafts: Buffers of Cell Membrane Physical Properties. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b12126.
Nickels, Jonathan D., Smith, Micholas Dean, Alsop, Richard J., Himbert, Sebastian, Yahya, Ahmad, Cordner, Destini, Zolnierczuk, Piotr A., Stanley, Christopher B., Katsaras, John, Cheng, Xiaolin, & Rheinstädter, Maikel C. Lipid Rafts: Buffers of Cell Membrane Physical Properties. United States. doi:10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b12126.
Nickels, Jonathan D., Smith, Micholas Dean, Alsop, Richard J., Himbert, Sebastian, Yahya, Ahmad, Cordner, Destini, Zolnierczuk, Piotr A., Stanley, Christopher B., Katsaras, John, Cheng, Xiaolin, and Rheinstädter, Maikel C. Thu .
"Lipid Rafts: Buffers of Cell Membrane Physical Properties". United States. doi:10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b12126. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1545220.
@article{osti_1545220,
title = {Lipid Rafts: Buffers of Cell Membrane Physical Properties},
author = {Nickels, Jonathan D. and Smith, Micholas Dean and Alsop, Richard J. and Himbert, Sebastian and Yahya, Ahmad and Cordner, Destini and Zolnierczuk, Piotr A. and Stanley, Christopher B. and Katsaras, John and Cheng, Xiaolin and Rheinstädter, Maikel C.},
abstractNote = {Lateral organization of lipids in the cell membrane appears to be an ancient feature of the cell, given the existence of lipid rafts in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Currently seen as platforms for protein partitioning, we posit that lipid rafts are capable of playing another role: stabilizing membrane physical properties over varying temperatures and other environmental conditions. Membrane composition defines the mechanical and viscous properties of the bilayer. The composition also varies strongly with temperature, with systematic changes in the partitioning of high and low melting temperature membrane components. In this way, rafts function as buffers of membrane physical properties, progressively counteracting environmental changes via compositional changes; i.e., more high melting lipids partition to the fluid phase with increasing temperature, increasing the bending modulus and viscosity, as thermal effects decrease these same properties. To provide an example of this phenomenon, we have performed neutron scattering experiments and atomistic molecular dynamics simulations on a phase separated model membrane. The results demonstrate a buffering effect in both the lateral diffusion coefficient and the bending modulus of the fluid phase upon changing temperature. Furthermore, this demonstration highlights the potentially advantageous stabilizing effect of complex lipid compositions in response to temperature and potentially other membrane destabilizing environmental conditions.},
doi = {10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b12126},
journal = {Journal of Physical Chemistry. B, Condensed Matter, Materials, Surfaces, Interfaces and Biophysical Chemistry},
number = 9,
volume = 123,
place = {United States},
year = {2019},
month = {1}
}
Web of Science
Works referencing / citing this record:
Self‐assembly of lipid rafts revealed by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy in living breast cancer cells
journal, November 2019
- Dong, Shiqing; Tang, Xiaoqiong; Wang, Jiao
- Journal of Biophotonics, Vol. 13, Issue 2
High-resolution neutron spectroscopy using backscattering and neutron spin-echo spectrometers in soft and hard condensed matter
journal, January 2020
- Gardner, Jason S.; Ehlers, Georg; Faraone, Antonio
- Nature Reviews Physics, Vol. 2, Issue 2