Science topic
Membrane Lipids - Science topic
Lipids, predominantly phospholipids, cholesterol and small amounts of glycolipids found in membranes including cellular and intracellular membranes. These lipids may be arranged in bilayers in the membranes with integral proteins between the layers and peripheral proteins attached to the outside. Membrane lipids are required for active transport, several enzymatic activities and membrane formation.
Publications related to Membrane Lipids (10,000)
Sorted by most recent
RAF activation requires interactions with both RAS nanoclusters and membrane lipids, yet the molecular basis of this process remains unclear. Using a bottom-up reconstitution approach, we show how coordinated protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions regulate membrane binding dynamics of RAF to drive its multistep activation. Within membrane e...
Unconventional secretion of Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 (FGF2) is based upon direct self-translocation across the plasma membrane, a process that involves the transient formation of a lipidic membrane pore. The opening of this pore is triggered by PI(4,5)P 2 -dependent oligomerization of FGF2 at the inner plasma membrane leaflet. Subsequently, FGF2...
The susceptibility of corals to environmental stress is determined by complex interactions between host genetic variation and the Symbiodiniaceae family community. We exposed genotypes of Montipora capitata hosting primarily Cladocopium or Durusdinium symbionts to ambient conditions and an eight-day heat stress. Symbionts’ cell surface glycan compo...
![Formation of CB[7]–Chol inclusion complexes: (a) fluorescence intensity...](publication/390875071/figure/fig4/AS:11431281383544503@1744909252520/Formation-of-CB7-Chol-inclusion-complexes-a-fluorescence-intensity-over-13minutes-as_Q320.jpg)
![Stacked ¹H-NMR spectra of liposomes titrated with CB[7]. The proton...](publication/390875071/figure/fig5/AS:11431281383494209@1744909253398/Stacked-H-NMR-spectra-of-liposomes-titrated-with-CB7-The-proton-peak-of-D2O-is_Q320.jpg)
Liposomes, which are bilayer lipidic nanocarriers, have been utilized in many pharmaceutical applications to enhance the solubility and therapeutic index of drugs. Liposomes have also been used as carriers for smaller drug carriers, such as cucurbiturils, to achieve a more controlled release of the drug into the targeted site in the body. In this s...
Lanthanide biosorption is important for recycling value-added materials. Previously, we analyzed dysprosium (Dy) absorption in screening strains of the unpopular yeast species Schizoblastosporion sp. However, it would be more desirable to use the well-known yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to make an easy-to-breed and efficient Dy-absorbing strain. T...
Lithium is commonly prescribed for bipolar disorder due to its proven efficacy on patients. Despite this effectiveness, the molecular mechanisms underlying its action remain poorly understood, as it appears to influence numerous unrelated pathways. We propose that these diverse effects may stem from a specific physicochemical event: the binding of...
Type IV P-type ATPases (P4-ATPases) serve as lipid flippases, translocating membrane lipids from the exoplasmic (or luminal) leaflet to the cytoplasmic leaflet of lipid bilayers. In mammals, these P4-ATPases are localized to distinct subcellular compartments. ATP8A1 and ATP9A, members of the P4-ATPase family, are involved in endosome-mediated membr...
![(a) Exponent [α(t)] of the mean square displacement function given in...](publication/390597801/figure/fig2/AS:11431281363052075@1744155506458/a-Exponent-at-of-the-mean-square-displacement-function-given-in-the-inset-b_Q320.jpg)
Over the last few decades, extensive investigations on spatial and dynamic heterogeneity have been performed on carefully reconstituted biological lipid membranes. Characterizing the molecular features in heterogeneous membranes is extremely challenging due to the experimentally inaccessible time- and length-scales of these emergent systems. In thi...
Key message
A novel GLK transcription factor, BnaA03.G2-like, regulates seed vigor after aging by affecting FAs composition in B. napus.
Abstract
Seeds, a most crucial materials for crop production, constitute the basis of agriculture. Seed aging usually occurs during storage, especially for seeds with high oil content. However, the genes and mech...
Conjugated oligoelectrolytes (COEs) spontaneously intercalate into and modulate lipid membranes thanks to their hydrophobic backbone and hydrophilic ionic termini, enabling applications in biosensing, fluorescence imaging, antimicrobial therapy, and bioelectrochemical devices. While COE‐membrane interactions are fundamental to their functionality,...
This study focused on how carotenoid pigments in bacteria attached to phytoplankton protect them from singlet oxygen produced by phytoplankton during senescence, specifically under illumination of the diatom Thalassiosira sp. Its effect was analyzed on bacterial membrane structure (photooxidation of bacterial membrane lipids such as mono-unsaturate...
Exposures to aliphatic hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their heat-generated fragments during the Persian Gulf War in 1991 resulted in long-term symptoms of chemical contamination in deployed armed forces. Some of the veterans display to this day a variety of signs and symptoms related to such exposures. With our success in usi...
Aims
Antimonate (Sb(V)) toxicity to plant health is well-known, while a little is known about its uptake mechanism. The application of phosphate fertilizer is a common practice in agriculture. We aimed to study the interaction of phosphorus (P) and Sb(V) in Salvia spinosa L.
Methods
The effects of 50 and 300 μM K2HPO4 on Sb(V) uptake (0 or 50 μM)...
Background
Spleen-stomach damp-heat syndrome is one of the most common syndrome types in periodontitis from traditional Chinese medicine theory. However, its pathological mechanism is still uncertain. Tissue metabolism is driven by microbes in the host and its microenvironment. Hostmicrobe-metabolism is an interacting and closely related complex. L...
Recent insights into the function and composition of cell membranes have transformed our understanding from primarily viewing these structures as passive barriers to recognizing them as dynamic entities actively involved in many cellular functions. This review highlights advances in the photopharmacology of phospholipids, emphasizing in particular...
Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) are ubiquitous bacterial membrane lipids that serve as a reliable proxy for paleotemperature reconstruction. The salinity and seasonal icing of lakes play a crucial role in brGDGT calibration, with calibrations varying between tropical, mid-high latitude, and freshwater versus non-freshwater...
Free radicals are defined as chemical species (atoms or molecules) that possess one or more unpaired electrons in their outer orbit, making them unstable and highly reactive with a short half-life. During metabolic processes, cells produce oxidants and active species at low concentrations, which an antioxidant defense system control. The instabilit...
In spite of the numerous studies dealing with the interaction between lipid membranes and surfactants at subsolubilizing membrane concentrations, quantifying detailled bilayer structure, as for instance pore formation, on phospholipid...
α-Synuclein (αS) interacts with lipid membranes in neurons to form amyloid fibrils that contribute to Parkinson’s disease, and its non-amyloid-β component domain is critical in the fibrillation. In this study, the salt (NaCl) effect on the membrane interaction and fibril formation of αS57–102 peptide (containing the non-amyloid-β component domain)...
Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense L.) is widely utilized in traditional medicine and is a rich source of bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, and silica. This study investigates the protective effect of the polyphenolic extract from field horsetail (HLE) on erythrocytes and their cell membranes. The content of polyphenolic compo...
Biomolecular condensates interfacing with lipid membranes is crucial for several key cellular functions. However, the role of lipid membranes in regulating condensates in cells remains obscure. Here, in‐depth interactions between condensates and lipid membranes are probed and unraveled by employing cell‐mimetic systems like Giant unilamellar vesicl...
In the last decades, numerous dendrimers with a variety of potential biomedical applications have been developed and investigated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the molecular mechanisms of interaction between two dendrimers with proven antibacterial activity (4-N,N-dimethylamino-1,8-naphthalimide (Dab) and 3-bromo-Dab (Dab-Br)) and P...
Many pathogenic bacteria utilize their complicated appalling arsenal, bacterial virulence factors, to attack host cells by damaging the host cell membrane and neutralizing host defense mechanisms. Bacterial pore-forming proteins (PFPs) are one of them, they include a distinct class of secreted soluble toxin monomers, which binds to the specific cel...
Most organic and inorganic surfaces (e.g., glass, nucleic acids or lipid membranes) become charged in aqueous solutions. The resulting ionic distribution induces effective interactions between the charged surfaces. Stacks of like-charged lipid bilayers immersed in multivalent ion solutions exhibit strong coupling (SC) effects, where ion correlation...
Background:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with significantly higher thrombotic risk, which is not yet mechanistically understood. Here, the role of pro-coagulant membranes of platelets and blood cells in driving thrombosis, and their regulation by inflammation was determined using human cohorts and genetically-modified mice.
Methods:
Anti...
The core neuroacanthocytosis syndromes, i.e., chorea-acanthocytosis/VPS13A disease (ChAc) and McLeod syndrome/XK disease (MLS), are respectively due to mutations in VPS13A and XK genes and share similar manifestations including the formation of acanthocytes. We previously showed by lipidomics of red blood cells (RBCs) from ChAc patients slight lipi...
Acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylases (ACCs) catalyze the initial reaction of fatty acid (FA) biosynthesis. The marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum has two nuclear-encoded ACCs (PtACC1 (Phatr3_EG01955) and PtACC2 (Phatr3_J55209)), both which are homomeric and predicted to be localized in the plastids and the cytosol, respectively. In this study, we fo...
Archaeal membranes exhibit remarkable stability under extreme environmental conditions, a feature attributed to their unique lipid composition. While it is widely accepted that tetraether lipids confer structural integrity by forming monolayers, the role of bilayer-forming diether lipids in membrane stability remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate t...
Based on observations that HIV-1 envelope (Env) proteins on the surfaces of cells have the capacity to fuse with neighboring cells or enveloped viruses that express CD4 receptors and CXCR4 co-receptors, we tested factors that affect the capacities of lentiviral vectors pseudotyped with CD4 and CXCR4 variants to infect Env-expressing cells. The proc...
The damaging effect of amyloid-β (Aβ) on cellular membranes is an essential factor that contributes to Aβ’s neurotoxicity in Alzheimer’s disease. In this work, we explore the role of trehalose sugar in protecting model lipid membranes composed of DPPC-POPC-Cholesterol against Aβ toxicity. We used localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spectrosc...
Zusammenfassung
Das Verständnis der minimalen Komponenten, die für eine lebende Zelle erforderlich sind, ist entscheidend für den Fortschritt der biologischen Grundlagenforschung und der synthetischen Biologie. In den letzten Jahren wurde viel über die minimale Ausstattung von Genen und Proteinen herausgefunden, die benötigt werden, um zelluläres L...
The study of electrostatic and chemical interactions and transformations on the surface of lipid membranes is crucial for estimating the efficiency and toxicity of different drugs, as well as the mechanisms for their delivery. The description of these interactions at a molecular level requires the use of highly sensitive non-invasive methods. This...
The stable hydrogen isotope composition (δ²H) of lipid biomarkers can track environmental processes and remain stable over geologically relevant time scales, enabling studies of past climate, hydrology, and ecology. Most research has focused on lipids from the domain Eukarya (e.g., plant waxes, long-chain alkanes), and the potential of prokaryotic...
Antibodies to peptide 1147 (amino acids 1147-61) of the SARS-CoV-2 protein S are highly diagnostic. Peptide 1147, although located in a region that is partly spatially hidden in the intact protein, is not subject to mutations, suggesting therapeutic potential. The aim of this study was to elucidate the architecture of this region and the way in whi...
The elasticity of phospholipid membranes as a function of hydration was investigated using coarse-grained molecular simulations. Multilamellar membranes consist of two or more lipid bilayers separated by a thin layer of water, a system commonly found in cell membranes that provides surface tension in the alveoli of the lungs and on cartilaginous su...
Biomolecular condensates play a central role in cellular processes by interacting with membranes driving wetting transitions and inducing mutual remodeling. While condensates are known to locally alter membrane properties such as lipid packing and hydration, it remains unclear how membrane composition and phase state in turn affect condensate affin...
Antimicrobial resistance is a global health threat, which has been worsened by the slow development of new antibiotics. The rational design of natural-derived antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) offers a promising alternative for enhancing the efficacy of AMPs and accelerating drug discovery. This paper describes the rational design of improved peptide d...
Analytical expression for the first moment of lateral pressure in a flat and bent membrane has been
represented in this study. The calculation was carried out within the microscopic model of lipid
bilayer. Macroscopic parameters of lipid membrane in this model (partial function, free energy,
bending modulus, lateral pressure and so on) may be expre...
Candida albicans Cdr1 is a plasma membrane ATP-binding cassette transporter encoded by CDR1 that was first cloned 30 years ago in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Increased expression of Cdr1 in C. albicans clinical isolates results in resistance to azole antifungals due to drug efflux from the cells. Knowledge of Cdr1 structure and function could enable...
A wide range of fundamental cellular activities rely on lipid membrane fusion. Membrane fusion processes can be mimicked by synthetic approaches to understand fusion mechanisms and develop novel drug delivery...
This is an intensive introductory course targeted to students from the M. Sc. to post-doctoral levels, with either biological or exact sciences backgrounds, who wish to acquire skills in Computational Biology. Applications from B. Sc. students with outstanding CVs/skills will also be considered. It will have four components:
• Introductory lecture...
Two‐dimensional (2D) graphene‐based nanomaterials (GNMs) have shown potential in biomedical applications, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and drug delivery, due to their unique combination of properties such as mechanical strength, excellent electrical and thermal conductivity as well as high adsorption capacity which, combined with the ease o...
Ferlins are vesicle trafficking proteins composed of folded C2 domains conjugated by linkers which are largely disordered. Although a role for the for the C2 domains as calcium sensors has been established it remains unclear whether the linkers function beyond acting as passive spacers. We examined the C2A-C2B linker of vertebrate ferlins and found...
The mass production and applications of tripropyl phosphate (TPrP) and tributyl phosphate (TBP) have facilitated their widespread distribution in aquatic environments, thereby posing a threat to the ecosystem. Here, the acute toxicity of TPrP and TBP to Microcystis aeruginosa and the underlying mechanisms were investigated. The results demonstrate...
Purpose of Review
Cancer is a disease influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, with dietary lipids being a significant contributing factor. This review summarizes the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the mechanism of tumor occurrence and development, and elucidate the role of PUFAs in tumor treatment.
Recent Findings
PUF...
Abiotic stresses, such as drought, heat and cold stress, high salinity, and heavy metal toxicity, are detrimental to plants for growth and development, leading to significant economic loss due to crop yield penalties worldwide. All living organisms including plants are sensitive to stress. Abiotic stress caused by climate change and human intervent...
Src tyrosine kinase regulates cell growth and adhesion through membrane signaling, and its deregulation is associated with cancer. Although active Src is anchored to the plasma membrane, the role of membrane lipids in its regulation remains unclear. Here, we report that Src self-associates via a lysine cluster in its SH4 region, a process mediated...
Lipid packing is a fundamental characteristic of bilayer membranes. It affects all membrane-associated processes ranging from curvature generation to membrane fission. Yet, we lack detailed, mechanistic understanding of how lipid packing directly affects these processes in cellular membranes. Here, we address this by focusing on caveolae, small Ω-s...
Eukaryotes are hypothesized to be archaeal–bacterial chimeras. Given the different chemical structures of membrane phospholipids in archaea and bacteria, transformations of membranes during eukaryogenesis that led to the bacterial‐type membranes of eukaryotic cells remain a major conundrum. One of the possible intermediates of eukaryogenesis could...
The utilization of plant‐derived exosome‐like nanovesicles (ELNs) as nanocarriers for oral delivery of bioactives has garnered significant attention. However, their distinctive lipid membrane composition may result in elevated membrane permeability within the gastrointestinal environment, leading to the leakage of carried bioactives. Inspired by th...
Liposomes serve as an effective delivery system capable of encapsulating a variety of bioactive substances. However, their structural integrity is susceptible to damage from various environmental factors, which can result in the leakage of the encapsulated bioactive agents. Consequently, identifying effective strategies to enhance the stability of...
Gram-negative bacteria are defined by an outer membrane (OM) that contributes to envelope integrity and barrier function. Building this bilayer require proper assembly of lipopolysaccharides, proteins, and phospholipids, yet how the balance of these components is achieved is unclear. One system long known for ensuring OM stability is the Tol-Pal co...
Bacillus thuringiensis, a well-known insecticidal bacterium, produces several insecticidal proteins, including cytolytic (Cyt) proteins. Cyt proteins bind directly to the lipid membrane and form large protein complexes. In addition to the protein ladder bands, information on the oligomeric structure in lipid membranes is necessary to understand the...
Mercuric chloride (HgCl₂) is a highly toxic heavy metal compound known to induce oxidative stress and cellular damage. Antioxidants play a crucial role in mitigating HgCl₂-induced cytotoxicity by scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) and restoring cellular homeostasis. This study presents a comparative analysis of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and o...
Two enantiomeric pairs of iron(II) metallohelices, available as water-soluble, stable, and optically pure bimetallic complexes, differ principally in the length of the central hydrophobic region between two cationic domains, and...
In cells, the curved clathrin structures in vesicle budding are well characterized, while the flat ones remain poorly understood. We reconstituted the flat assembly of ESCRT-0 protein HRS and clathrin onto lipid membranes in vitro. HRS was found to form protein condensates. These condensates spread as a two-dimensional layer on negatively charged m...
Mesoscale eddies are ubiquitous features in the ocean affecting the cycles of nutrients and carbon. Cyclonic eddies formed in Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems can substantially modulate primary production by phytoplankton and the vertical and lateral export of organic carbon. However, the impact of eddy activity on the biochemical composition of...
Biology has mastered energy transduction, converting energy between various forms, and employing it to drive its vital processes. Central to this is the ability to use chemical energy for the active transport of substances, pumping ions and molecules across hydrophobic lipid membranes between aqueous (sub)cellular compartments. Biology employs info...
![Electrical properties of nanopores in [PBD‐PEO + DPhPC] membranes....](publication/389550472/figure/fig2/AS:11431281383123111@1744890548669/Electrical-properties-of-nanopores-in-PBD-PEO-DPhPC-membranes-Recordings-in-DPhPC_Q320.jpg)
![Mixing of [PBD11PEO8 + DPhPC] hybrid membranes. A) Conditional entropy...](publication/389550472/figure/fig3/AS:11431281383113227@1744890548924/Mixing-of-PBD11PEO8-DPhPC-hybrid-membranes-A-Conditional-entropy-of-mixing-computed_Q320.jpg)
Biological nanopores are powerful tools for single‐molecule detection, with promising potential as next‐generation biosensors. A major bottleneck in nanopore analysis is the fragility of the supporting lipid membranes, that easily rupture after exposure to biological samples. Membranes comprising PMOXA‐PDMS‐PMOXA (poly(2‐methyloxazoline‐b‐dimethyls...
Bacterial viruses (phages) are abundant and ecologically impactful, but laboratory-based experimental model systems vastly under-represent known phage diversity, particularly for ssDNA phages. Here, we characterize the genomes and infection properties of two unrelated marine flavophages—ssDNA generalist phage phi18:4 (6.5 Kbp) and dsDNA specialist...
Molecular simulations expand our ability to learn about the interplay of biomolecules. Biological membranes, composed of diverse lipids with varying physicochemical properties, are highly dynamic environments involved in cellular functions. Proteins, nucleic acids, glycans and bio-compatible polymers are the machinery of cellular processes both in...
Drought, exacerbated by global warming, poses a significant threat to crop growth and productivity. This study identified a strain of Trichoderma harzianum from the rhizosphere of healthy Nicotiana tabacum L. plants and evaluated its role in enhancing drought tolerance. The isolated strain effectively colonized plant roots and promoted the growth o...
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute a functionally diverse protein family and are targets for a broad spectrum of pharmaceuticals. Technological progress in X-ray crystallography and cryogenic electron microscopy has enabled extensive, high-resolution structural characterisation of GPCRs in different conformational states. However, as hi...
Chloroplasts, refined through more than a billion years of evolution in plants and algae, act as highly efficient and resilient converters of solar energy. Additionally, these organelles function as complex anabolic factories, synthesizing a wide array of primary and secondary metabolites. The functionality of chloroplasts is dependent on the invol...
Various pathogens use receptors on the host’s plasma membrane for their cellular uptake. For the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, interactions between its lectin LecA and the host cell glycosphingolipid globotriaosylceramide (also known as Gb3) are crucial for its internalization via the so-called lipid zipper mechanism. In this study, we investig...
There has been an increasing demand for longer-timescale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of larger biomolecular systems. To meet these demands, using the C++ API of OpenMM, we developed a fast and flexible MD software, OpenCafeMol, for residue-resolution protein and lipid models that shows high performance on graphics processing unit (GPU) mach...
Archaeal membranes exhibit remarkable stability under extreme environmental conditions, a feature attributed to their unique lipid composition. While it is widely accepted that tetraether lipids confer structural integrity by forming monolayers, the role of bilayer-forming diether lipids in membrane stability remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate t...
GPR55 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) and represents a promising drug target for cancer, inflammation, and metabolic diseases. The endogenous activation of lipid GPCRs can be solely mediated by membrane components and different lipids have been proposed as endogenous activators of GPR55, such as cannabinoids and lysophosphatidylinosi...
Transmembrane protein 68 (TMEM68) is a recently identified mammalian triacylglycerol (TAG) synthase with high expression in the brain. How TMEM68 regulates cellular lipid metabolism in concert with other enzymatic pathways remains poorly understood. In this study, we assessed TMEM68 function in neuro‐ and glioblastoma cells by combining genetic gai...
Liposomes are artificially or spontaneously formed hollow structures whose contents are limited to a single, double, or multiple lipid membrane. Liposomes can be formed by amphiphilic substances encapsulating an aqueous solution of any substance under certain conditions. Liposomes have been very successfully used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, an...
Oxidative stress is considered as the root-cause of different pathological conditions. Transition metals, because of their redox-active states, are capable of free radical generation contributing oxidative stress. Hemoglobin and myoglobin are two major heme proteins, involved in oxygen transport and oxygen storage, respectively. Heme prosthetic gro...
Electrical signals in excitable cells involve spatially localized ionic fluxes through ion channels and pumps on cellular lipid membranes. Common approaches to understand how these fluxes spread assume that the membrane and the surrounding electrolyte comprise an equivalent circuit of capacitors and resistors, which ignores the localized nature of...
Rifampicin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, active against several bacterial infections such as tuberculosis. It is a relatively large and structurally complex molecule, including numerous polar groups. Although violating several of Lipinski’s rules for efficient intestinal absorption, rifampicin shows good oral bioavailability, permeating through c...
HSPA1A, a major heat shock protein, is known to translocate to the plasma membrane (PM) in response to cellular stress and cancer, where it plays protective roles in membrane integrity and stress resistance. Although phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate [PI(4)P] is essential in this translocation, the signals that trigger and facilitate HSPA1A's moveme...
In plant cells, ALMTs are key plasma and vacuolar membrane-localized anion channels regulating plant responses to the environment. Vacuolar ALMTs control anion accumulation in plant cells and, in guard cells, they regulate stomata aperture. The activation of vacuolar ALMTs depends on voltage and cytosolic malate, but the underlying molecular mechan...
Almost all integral membrane proteins that reside in the outer membrane (OM) of gram-negative bacteria contain a closed amphipathic β sheet (“β barrel”) that serves as a membrane anchor. The membrane integration of β barrel structures is catalyzed by a highly conserved heterooligomer called the barrel assembly machine (BAM). Although charged residu...
All-atom molecular dynamics (AA MD) simulations remain the gold standard for simulating biomolecular dynamics at an atomistic level for decades. However, they often cannot attain the time scales required to sufficiently sample the many biological processes of interest, especially those that involve large biomolecular systems with high energy barrie...
The mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier (AAC, ANT), a member of the SLC25 family of solute carriers, plays a critical role in transporting purine nucleotides (ATP and ADP) as well as protons across the inner mitochondrial membrane. However, the precise mechanism and physiological significance of proton transport by ADP/ATP carrier remain unclear. Notably...
Soticlestat (TAK‐935) is a potent and selective inhibitor of cholesterol 24‐hydroxylase (CYP46A1), an enzyme primarily expressed in the brain that catabolizes cholesterol to 24S‐hydroxycholesterol (24HC). In the ELEKTRA phase II clinical trial, soticlestat reduced seizure frequency in patients with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies, and...
Clostridioides difficile infections cause over 12,000 deaths and an estimated one billion dollars in healthcare costs annually in the United States. The cell membrane is an essential structure that is important for protection from the extracellular environment, signal transduction, and transport of nutrients. The polar membrane lipids of C. diffici...
The solvatochromic dye Laurdan is widely used in sensing the lipid packing of both model and biological membranes. The fluorescence emission maximum shifts from about 440 nm (blue channel) in condensed membranes (So) to about 490 nm (green channel) in the liquid-crystalline phase (L{\alpha}). Although the fluorescence intensity based generalized po...
In recent years, frequent high temperatures and heavy rainfall in summer in China have led to a large-scale reduction in Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.) production. This experiment used “Hanchuan” Welsh onion as test material to analyze the effect of high temperature and waterlogging on the dry matter quality, root structure, oxygen species (ROS...
Background
Ferroptosis is characterized by increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and membrane lipid peroxidation that can exacerbate inflammatory damage. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) isolated from bovine milk have many biological functions, including antioxidant properties. However, the role of EVs on Klebsiella pneumoniae -induced...
Lipid membranes have complex compositions, and modeling the thermodynamic properties of multi-component lipid systems remains a remote goal. In this work, we attempt to describe the thermodynamics of binary lipid mixtures by mapping coarse-grained molecular dynamics systems to two-dimensional simple fluid mixtures. By computing and analyzing the de...
Plants possess a defense system for minimizing the stresses caused by nutrient deficiencies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the enzymatic and morphological changes in corn hybrids inoculated with Azospirillum brasilense. The experiment was set up in a completely randomized design comprising six corn hybrids inoculated with A. brasilens...
The development of experimental methodologies that enable investigations of biochemistry at high pressure promises to yield significant advances in our understanding of life on Earth and its origins. Here, we introduce a method for studying lipid membranes at thermodynamic conditions relevant for life at deep sea hydrothermal vents. Using in situ h...
Surface binding and surface phase separation of cytosolic scaffold proteins on lipid membranes are involved in many cellular processes such as cell signaling, cell adhesion, and cortex regulation. However, the interplay between surface binding and surface phase separation is poorly understood. In this work, we study this interplay by deriving a gen...
Lipid membranes and membrane deformations are a long-standing area of research in soft matter and biophysics. Computer simulations have complemented analytical and experimental approaches as one of the pillars in the field. However, setting up and using membrane simulations can come with barriers due to the multidisciplinary effort involved and the...
According to mainstream neuroscience, the action potential (AP) is a purely dissipative electrical phenomenon that should be modeled as such. However, also (essentially) reversible mechanical, thermal, and optical changes in the neuron have been reported to accompany the movement of the AP along the axonal surface. These are not accounted for in th...
B-cell receptor (BCR) complexes are expressed on the surface of a B-cell and are critical in antigen recognition and modulating the adaptive immune response. Even though the relevance of antibodies has been known for almost a hundred years, the antigen-dependent activation mechanism of B-cells has remained elusive. Several models have been proposed...
Machine learning (ML) techniques have been making major impacts on all areas of science and engineering, including biophysics. In this review, we discuss several applications of ML to biophysical problems based on our recent research. The topics include the use of ML techniques to identify hotspot residues in allosteric proteins using deep mutation...
Lipid membranes are key to the nanoscale compartmentalization of biological systems, but fluorescent visualization of them in intact tissues, with nanoscale precision, is challenging to do with high labeling density. Here, we report ultrastructural membrane expansion microscopy (umExM), which combines an innovative membrane label and optimized expa...
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are highly effective broad-spectrum antibiotics, found as components of the immune system in almost all forms of life. It is well established that their primary target is the cell membrane where they are hypothesized to permeabilize the bilayer. However, it is a long-standing question whether stable transmembrane and s...
Notch signaling has been identified as a key regulatory pathway in patterning the endocardium through activation of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the atrioventricular canal (AVC) and proximal outflow tract (OFT) region. However, the precise mechanism underlying Notch activation remains elusive. By transiently blocking the heartbeat...
Key message
Seed morphological traits and antioxidant defense mechanisms determine desiccation sensitivity differences between Quercus species, enabling development of species-specific seed storage protocols.
Abstract
Despite extensive research on the desiccation sensitivity of Quercus seeds, the factors and physiological mechanisms driving inters...
Phosphorus application is widely regarded as a key measure for improving crop resistance to drought. This study investigated the effect of appropriate phosphorus fertilization on photosynthesis, physiological traits, and yield under water stress during the soybean flowering stage and selected the drought-sensitive soybean variety “Sui Nong 26” as t...
The postharvest longevity of Lilium tigrinum (Tiger lily) flowers is a critical factor influencing their commercial value, highlighting the need for effective strategies to extend their vase life (VL). This study evaluates the efficacy of salicylic acid (SA) at a concentration of 60 µM as a preservative for prolonging the postharvest life of L. tig...
We report the direct imaging of supported lipid membranes using electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of [Ru(bpy) 3 ] ²⁺ and tri- n -propylamine (TPrA). Lipid membranes with different compositions exhibited inherent ECL emissions due to electrostatic interactions...
In 2024, WHO added multiple multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria to the bacteria priority pathogens list, and the continued increase in MDR Gram-negative bacteria poses a serious threat to public health. Uridine diphosphate-3-O-(hydroxymyristoyl)-N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase (LpxC) is a metalloenzyme cofactored with zinc ions, which...
