Molecular Condensate in a Membrane: A Tugging Game between Hydrophobicity and Polarity with Its Biological Significance

Abstract

Lipid self-organization and lipid−water interfaces have been an increasingly important topic positioned at the crossroads of physical chemistry and biology. Some neutral lipids can partition into the biomembrane and play an important biological role. In this study, we have used all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to dissect the partition, aggregation, flip-flop, and modulation of neutral lipids including (i) menaquinone/menaquinol, (ii) ubiquinone/ubiquinol, and (iii) triacylglycerol. The partitioning of these molecules is driven by the balancing force between headgroup hydrophilicity and acyl chain hydrophobicity as well as the lipid shapes. We then discuss the emerging questions in this area, share our own perspectives, and mention the development of the CHARMM-GUI membrane modeling platform, which enables further computational investigations into those questions.

CHARMM-GUI Membrane Builder: Past, Current, and Future Developments and Applications

“…Lipids in biological membranes can be roughly divided into two categories: bilayer-forming and nonbilayer-forming. The former includes phospholipids, while the latter includes sterols diacylglyceride, triacylglyceride, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, quinones, and squalene . Triacylglycerols consist of three fatty acid chains linked to the glycerol backbone (Figure ).…”

“…The former includes phospholipids, while the latter includes sterols diacylglyceride, triacylglyceride, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, quinones, and squalene. 75 Triacylglycerols consist of three fatty acid chains linked to the glycerol backbone (Figure 2). All membrane lipids share a common structure consisting of a headgroup, backbone, and tails (Figure 2).…”