Hopanoids, like sterols, modulate dynamics, compaction, phase segregation and permeability of membranes

A. MANGIAROTTI; D. GENOVESE; NAUMANN, C; M.R.MONTI; N. WILKE; N. WILKE

BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2019 vol. 1861 p. 183060 - 183060

0005-2736

n recent years, hopanoids, a group of pentacyclic compounds found in bacterial membranes, are in the spotlightsince it was proposed that they induce order in lipid membranes in a similar way cholesterol do in eukaryotes,despite their structural differences. We studied here whether diplopterol (an abundant hopanoid) promotedsimilar effects on model membranes as sterols do. We analyzed the compaction, dynamics, phase segregation,permeability and compressibility of model membranes containing diplopterol, and compared with those containingsterols from animals, plants and fungi. We also tested the effect that the incubation with diplopterol hadon hopanoid-lacking bacteria. Our results show that diplopterol induces phase segregation, increases lipidcompaction, and decreases permeability on phospholipid membranes, while retaining membrane fluidity andcompressibility. Furthermore, the exposition to this hopanoid decreases the permeability of the opportunisticpathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa an