Biochemical and structural information transduction at the mesoscopic level in biointerfases containing sphingolipids

BRUNO MAGGIO; MARIA LAURA FANANI; RAFAEL GUSTAVO OLIVEIRA

SPRINGER/PLENUM PUBLISHERS

Lugar: New York; Año: 2002 vol. 27 p. 547 - 547

n this work we describe two aspects of molecular and supramolecular information transduction. The first is the biochemical and structural information content and transduction associated with sphingomyelinase activity. The results disclose a lipid-mediated cross-communication between the sphingomyelinase and phospholipase A2 pathways. In addition, the two-dimensional degradation of sphingomyelin by sphingomyelinase affects the surface topography and the latter modulates the enzyme activity. The second is the information contained in the compositionally driven lateral organization of whole glial and neuronal membrane interfaces. The myelin monolayer exhibits microheterogeneous topographical structuring and onhomogeneous lateral thickness of phase separated regions, depending dynamically on the lateral surface pressure. On the other hand, the differential response of functional living cells depends on information contained in the molecular organization of the contacting membrane interf