Protein-mediated surface structuring in biointerfaces.

MAGGIO, B.,; ROSETTI* C.M.,; GRACIELA ADRIANA BORIOLI; FANANI M.L,; DEL BOCA, M

ASSOC BRAS DIVULG CIENTIFICA

Lugar: Aceptado para su publicación; Año: 2005 vol. 38 p. 1735 - 1735

The lipids and proteins of biomembranes exhibit highly dissimilarconformations, geometrical shapes, amphipathicity, and thermodynamicproperties which constrain their two-dimensional molecularpacking, electrostatics, and interaction preferences. This causes inevitabledevelopment of large local tensions that frequently relax intophase or compositional immiscibility along lateral and transverseplanes of the membrane. On the other hand, these effects constitute thevery codes that mediate molecular and structural changes determiningand controlling the possibilities for enzymatic activity, apposition andrecombination in biomembranes. The presence of proteins constitutesa major perturbing factor for the membrane sculpturing both in termsof its surface topography and dynamics. We will focus on some resultsfrom our group within this context and summarize some recentevidence for the active involvement of extrinsi