Composition-driven surface domain structuring mediated by sphingolipids and membrane-active proteins. Above the nano- but under the micro-scale: Mesoscopic biochemical/structural cross-talk in biomembranes

BRUNO MAGGIO,; BORIOLI, GRACIELA; DEL BOCA, M; DE TULLIO, L.; FANANI M.L,; OLIVEIRA, R.; ROSETTI* C.M.,; WILKE, N.

HUMANA PRESS INC

Año: 2008 vol. 50 p. 79 - 79

Abstract Biomembranes contain a wide variety of lipids13 and proteins within an essentially two-dimensional struc-14 ture. The coexistence of such a large number of molecular15 species causes local tensions that frequently relax into a16 phase or compositional immiscibility along the lateral and17 transverse planes of the interface. As a consequence, a18 substantial microheterogeneity of the surface topography19 develops and that depends not only on the lipid–protein20 composition, but also on the lateral and transverse tensions21 generated as a consequence of molecular interactions. The22 presence of proteins, and immiscibility among lipids,23 constitute major perturbing factors for the membrane24 sculpturing both in terms of its surface topography and25 dynamics. In this work, we will summarize some recent26 evidences for the involvement of membrane-associated,27 both extrinsic and amp