The Cubic “Faces” of Biomembranes

Almsherqi, Zakaria A.; Margadant, Felix; Deng, Yuru

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-381266-7.00004-3

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…The tendency for induction of curved membrane structures and short-lived intermediates appears to be important for the comprehension of the role of the plasmalogen lipids in the cellular membranes ( Lohner, 1996 ; Almsherqi et al, 2010 ; Koivuniemi, 2017 ; West et al, 2020 ). By inducing transient cubic phase intermediates or higher curvature regions in the membranes of subcellular organelles, the plasmenyl lipids may exert effects on the organization and the activity of membrane proteins or of proteins anchored to the plasma membranes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ultrastructural studies of subcellular organelles by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have indicated the role of plasmalogens in the induction of non-lamellar cubic membrane structures under starvation stress conditions ( Chong and Deng, 2012 ; Deng et al, 2017 ). From a structural viewpoint, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) has been identified as the critical PUFA determinant for the cubic lipid membrane formation in amoeba Chaos mitochondria ( Deng et al, 2009 ; Almsherqi et al, 2010 ). It has been emphasized that plasmalogens are structural membrane components that act also as antioxidants in the Chaos cells.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this context, we report here a structural study of novel custom-synthesized plasmenyl (ether) and ester phospholipids with long PUFA (22:5n6) chains. They were designed by bioinspiration from the main constituents of the biological cubic membranes identified in mitochondria of starved amoeba Chaos cells ( Deng et al, 2009 ; Almsherqi et al, 2010 ; Deng and Almsherqi, 2015 ; Deng et al, 2017 ). The choice of the docosapentaenoyl (DPA, 22:5n6) PUFA chains was determined by the lipidomic (gas liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry) analysis of membranous compositions extracted from amoeba Chaos mitochondria ( Deng et al, 2009 ; Almsherqi et al, 2010 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plasmalogen-Based Liquid Crystalline Multiphase Structures Involving Docosapentaenoyl Derivatives Inspired by Biological Cubic Membranes

Angelova

Angelov

Drechsler

et al. 2021

Front. Cell Dev. Biol.

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Structural properties of plasmenyl-glycerophospholipids (plasmalogens) have been scarcely studied for plasmalogens with long polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) chains, despite of their significance for the organization and functions of the cellular membranes. Elaboration of supramolecular assemblies involving PUFA-chain plasmalogens in nanostructured mixtures with lyotropic lipids may accelerate the development of nanomedicines for certain severe pathologies (e.g., peroxisomal disorders, cardiometabolic impairments, and neurodegenerative Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases). Here, we investigate the spontaneous self-assembly of bioinspired, custom-produced docosapentaenoyl (DPA) plasmenyl (ether) and ester phospholipids in aqueous environment (pH 7) by synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). A coexistence of a liquid crystalline primitive cubic Im3m phase and an inverted hexagonal (HII) phase is observed for the DPA-ethanolamine plasmalogen (C16:1p-22:5n6 PE) derivative. A double-diamond cubic Pn3m phase is formed in mixed assemblies of the phosphoethanolamine plasmalogen (C16:1p-22:5n6 PE) and monoolein (MO), whereas a coexistence of cubic and lamellar liquid crystalline phases is established for the DPA-plasmenyl phosphocholine (C16:1p-22:5n6 PC)/MO mixture at ambient temperature. The DPA-diacyl phosphoinositol (22:5n6-22:5n6 PI) ester lipid displays a propensity for a lamellar phase formation. Double membrane vesicles and multilamellar onion topologies with inhomogeneous distribution of interfacial curvature are formed upon incorporation of the phosphoethanolamine plasmalogen (C16:1p-22:5n6 PE) into dioleoylphosphocholine (DOPC) bilayers. Nanoparticulate formulations of plasmalogen-loaded cubosomes, hexosomes, and various multiphase cubosome- and hexosome-derived architectures and mixed type nano-objects (e.g., oil droplet-embedding vesicles or core–shell particles with soft corona) are produced with PUFA-chain phospholipids and lipophilic antioxidant-containing membrane compositions that are characterized by synchrotron SAXS and cryo-TEM imaging. The obtained multiphase nanostructures reflect the changes in the membrane curvature induced by the inclusion of DPA-based PE and PC plasmalogens, as well as DPA-PI ester derivative, and open new opportunities for exploration of these bioinspired nanoassemblies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plasmalogen-Based Liquid Crystalline Multiphase Structures Involving Docosapentaenoyl Derivatives Inspired by Biological Cubic Membranes

Angelova

Angelov

Drechsler

et al. 2021

Front. Cell Dev. Biol.

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“…Upon cubic membrane formation, under starvation stressed conditions, the relative amounts of PUFA especially DPA increased up to 1.6-fold ( Almsherqi et al, 2010 ), at the expense of linoleic acid (all- cis -9,12-octadecadienoic acid; C18:2 omega-6). This suggests a metabolic link via the omega-6 DPA pathway giving rise to omega-6 DPA, rather than omega-3 DPA, which requires Δ15 desaturation of the acyl chain that is absent in animals ( Deng et al, 2009 ).…”

Section: Effects Of Plasmalogens On Alteration Of Biomembrane Morphologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential Role of Plasmalogens in the Modulation of Biomembrane Morphology

Almsherqi

2021

Front. Cell Dev. Biol.

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Plasmalogens are a subclass of cell membrane glycerophospholipids that typically include vinyl- ether bond at the sn-1 position and polyunsaturated fatty acid at the sn-2 position. They are highly abundant in the neuronal, immune, and cardiovascular cell membranes. Despite the abundance of plasmalogens in a plethora of cells, tissues, and organs, the role of plasmalogens remains unclear. Plasmalogens are required for the proper function of integral membrane proteins, lipid rafts, cell signaling, and differentiation. More importantly, plasmalogens play a crucial role in the cell as an endogenous antioxidant that protects the cell membrane components such as phospholipids, unsaturated fatty acids, and lipoproteins from oxidative stress. The incorporation of vinyl-ether linked with alkyl chains in phospholipids alter the physicochemical properties (e.g., the hydrophilicity of the headgroup), packing density, and conformational order of the phospholipids within the biomembranes. Thus, plasmalogens play a significant role in determining the physical and chemical properties of the biomembrane such as its fluidity, thickness, and lateral pressure of the biomembrane. Insights on the important structural and functional properties of plasmalogens may help us to understand the molecular mechanism of membrane transformation, vesicle formation, and vesicular fusion, especially at the synaptic vesicles where plasmalogens are rich and essential for neuronal function. Although many aspects of plasmalogen phospholipid involvement in membrane transformation identified through in vitro experiments and membrane mimic systems, remain to be confirmed in vivo, the compiled data show many intriguing properties of vinyl-ether bonded lipids that may play a significant role in the structural and morphological changes of the biomembranes. In this review, we present the current limited knowledge of the emerging potential role of plasmalogens as a modulator of the biomembrane morphology.

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“…1) is most commonly observed which mimics plasma membrane whereas hexagonal and cubic types of nanostructures resemble complex intracellular biomembranes. 15,23 Lipid nanostructures are also used for many applications, for example, for separation of biomolecules, 24 protein crystallization, 25 synthesis of metal nanoparticles 26 and electrophoresis gels for amphiphilic molecules. 24 However, in some cases their applicability is hampered by their extremely high viscosity and inconsistent domain consistency.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon nanotubes for stabilization of nanostructured lipid particles

et al. 2015

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Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are increasingly studied for innovative biotechnological applications particularly where they are combined with essential biological materials like lipids. Lipids have been used earlier for enhancing the dispersibility of CNTs in aqueous solutions. Here we report a novel application of CNTs for stabilization of internally self-assembled nanostructured lipid particles of 2-5 μm size. Single-walled ( pristine) as well as -OH and -COOH functionalized multi-walled CNTs were employed to produce nanostructured emulsions which stayed stable for months and could be re-dispersed after complete dehydration. Concentrations of CNTs employed for stabilization were very low; moreover CNTs were well-decorated with lipid molecules. These features contribute towards reducing their toxicity and improving biocompatibility for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Our approach paves the way for future development of combination therapies employing both CNTs and nanostructured lipid self-assembly together as carriers of different drugs.

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The Cubic “Faces” of Biomembranes

Cited by 8 publications

References 73 publications

Plasmalogen-Based Liquid Crystalline Multiphase Structures Involving Docosapentaenoyl Derivatives Inspired by Biological Cubic Membranes

Plasmalogen-Based Liquid Crystalline Multiphase Structures Involving Docosapentaenoyl Derivatives Inspired by Biological Cubic Membranes

Potential Role of Plasmalogens in the Modulation of Biomembrane Morphology

Carbon nanotubes for stabilization of nanostructured lipid particles

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