原子力显微镜在病毒学研究中的应用

1982年德裔物理学家G.Binnig和H.Rohrer发明了具有原子级分辨率的扫描隧道显微镜(scanning tunneling microscope,STM),使人类第一次能够实时地观察单个原子在物质表面的排列状态和相关的理化性质,两位科学家因此荣获1986年诺贝尔物理学奖[1].在STM基础上发展起来的利用探针扫描技术的一类显微镜统称为扫描探针显微镜(SPM),包括扫描隧道显微镜、原子力显微镜、摩擦力显微镜、磁力显微镜、近场光学显微镜和弹道电子发射显微镜等.档     

溶血磷脂对磷脂脂质体行为和结构的影响

利用差示量热扫描、荧光标记和X-射线衍射法测定了16:0溶血磷脂酰胆碱(LPC)、二棕榈酰磷脂酰胆碱(DPPC)混合脂质体的物化性质:脂双层相变温度、相变热熔、荧光偏振度、双层脂酰链的厚度,证明含有摩尔分数为14.1%和27.0%LPC的DPPC脂质体可以被LPC诱导呈交插脂双层结构,而交插的深度是LPC浓度的函数,当含量超过摩尔分数为30%LPC,混合脂质体趋向于微团化,脂双层膜结构逐渐被破坏,直至最后形成微团结构.     

探者的回忆

林克椿教授是一位资深的生物物理学家 ,他在研究中发现了螺旋脂质体 ,证明了螺旋是生命物质共同的稳定存在形式 ,他还应用扫描隧道显微技术在脂多型性问题上进行了一系列开创性工作。林教授服从需要 ,把毕生精力奉献在生物物理学专业的组建和发展上。他识大体、顾大局的精神值得提倡和学习     

用扫描隧道显微镜观察一些生物分子的结构

扫描隧道显微镜(Scanning Tunneling Microscopy,简称STM)是八十年代初发展起来的研究物质表面结构的新型显微镜和表面分析仪器。它不仅使我们的视野延伸到了原子的尺度,同时也打开了许多广阔的研究与应用领域。它是由IBM苏黎世实验室的G. Binnig和H. Rohrer等人发明的。1981年他们研制成第一代STM,1983年用它首次得到了实空间的Si(111)7×7重构表面的原子分辨图像,从而轰动了科学界。G. Binnig和H. Rohrer也因做出的巨大贡献而荣获了1986年度诺贝尔物理奖。此后,STM在实验和理论方面都有很迅速的发展,目前STM已派生出多种扫描显微镜,例如     

含脂蛋白的结构与功能

最近发现有些膜蛋白共价与脂肪酸或糖磷酸肌醇结合,并以它们插入脂双层膜.这些膜蛋白广泛存在于各种细胞的细胞膜上,功能涉及免疫和信息传递,文章讨论这些膜蛋白的结构、生物合成及功能.     

自噬对胞内感染病原体的双重作用

自噬(autophagy)是细胞维持稳态的一种机制[1,2].在自噬发生过程中,来源不明的单层膜凹陷形成杯状双层膜的结构,包裹细胞质和细胞器部分,形成有双层膜的自噬体(autophagosome).自噬体随之与溶酶体融合形成自噬溶酶体,其中的细胞物质被溶酶体酶降解,降解后产生的氨基酸可以被细胞重新利用,参与物质的再循环.     

脂滴与其他细胞器互作调控脂稳态的分子机制

随着影像技术的发展,越来越多的研究表明细胞器之间存在广泛的直接相互作用,其主要功能是参与物质运输、细胞器新生与生长、细胞器分裂与融合等.细胞器间的互作主要由定位于这些膜器表面的蛋白质分子相互作用介导,磷脂也在其中发挥作用.脂滴作为储存中性脂的细胞器,是细胞内脂质代谢的中心,同时对机体脂稳态的维持起着至关重要的作用.从脂...     

BtuC-POPC脂膜体系的分子动力学模拟

大肠杆菌的维生素B12转运蛋白（BtuCD）属于ATP结合盒转运蛋白,目前对BtuCD转运底物进入胞质内的确切机制仍不清楚．本研究将BtuCD的跨膜结构域BtuC插入棕榈酰油酸磷脂酰胆碱（POPC）双层膜中,通过MD模拟来研究BtuC的功能性运动．通过超过57ns的MD模拟得到了稳定的蛋白质-脂双层膜体系．模拟结果发现,POPC双层膜能够调整其厚度以适应其中的BtuC．反映脂双层膜性质的两个参数,即每个脂分子的面积和脂双层膜厚度,均与实验测得数据吻合．通过对从MD模拟提取的轨迹进行主成分分析（PCA）,使得能从原子水平上了解BtuC的几种主要运动模式．结果表明,尽管BtuC的几种主要运动模式各不相同,却都实现了跨膜通道维度的改变,控制通道开121的打开和闭合．这些BtuC运动模式和与其相互作用的BtuF和BtuD的功能性运动很好的偶合．BtuC的运动主要体现在周质一侧的区域,控制跨膜通道在该侧开口的大小．MD模拟过程中,这一侧开口可以比晶体结构反映的“开放”状态更开放．在胞质一侧,并未观察到通道开口的明显变化．意外的是,尽管BtuC两个结构域具有相同的序列和类似的高级结构,但它们在运动上却有明显差异．这些结果有助于在原子水平上理解底物的转运机制．     

日本鬼()背鳍棘毒腺中Ⅰ、Ⅱ型毒腺细胞关系的探讨

日本鬼()背鳍棘毒腺中有两种类型毒腺细胞--Ⅰ型细胞和Ⅱ型细胞.两种细胞结构明显不同.本文用形态学方法探讨Ⅰ型与Ⅱ型细胞的关系.结果表明:毒腺组织中Ⅰ型细胞光镜下有的胞质内可见浅染点样结构,并且在不同的细胞内其浅染点状结构的多少有差异;电镜下Ⅰ型细胞膜结构差异较大,有的Ⅰ型细胞的脂质双层膜性结构清楚;有的细胞膜外侧可见膜包小泡;有的细胞内侧面也见小泡形成、融合,使脂质双层膜间隙变宽,其内可见膜包样物质,其电子密度中等或较高,结构类似于Ⅱ型细胞的囊泡样物质.不同的Ⅱ型细胞其胞质内颗粒大小及电子密度不一,囊泡状物多少也不一.含较小而密集颗粒的Ⅱ型细胞胞膜的脂质双层膜的外侧面较规则,与Ⅰ型细胞相似;脂质双层膜的内侧面出现许多扩张的大囊泡,其内含物电子密度高或中等,与胞质内含的颗粒状物质相同;位于扩张的囊泡与胞膜之间的胞质结构有的与I型细胞的胞质内的某些结构相似.含大而稀疏颗粒的Ⅱ型细胞其颗粒数量少、电子密度差异大,并且囊泡样物质增多.推测Ⅱ型细胞可能由Ⅰ型细胞转化而来.     

DMPC单分子层膜及细胞色素C氧化酶重组脂质体表面的扫描隧道显微镜观察

本文报导了扫描隧道显微镜对固相磷脂单分子层膜以及重组了细胞色素C氧化酶后的脂质体表面结构的观察.对DMPC单分子层著,得到了有关磷脂头部形态,大小及排态状况等结构信息,达到分子水平分辨;对重组酶后的脂质体表面,也得到了氧化酶分子在膜上的结构信息.     

Localized density pulses in lipid membranes on the piсosecond time scale

Physical mechanisms for the modulation of lipid nanodomain dynamics and transport of small molecules across the lipid bilayer of biological membranes can have considerable functional significance. The longitudinal propagating compression–expansion mode in a single-component lipid bilayer is considered on a spatial scale comparable to the bilayer thickness. The expression used for free energy per lipid molecule includes a term with the gradient of the area per lipid molecule. The finite character of the stress relaxation time in the lipid bilayer, which causes significant attenuation of viscous damping at sufficiently high frequencies, is taken into account. A hydrodynamic ad hoc model that describes soliton-like excitations in the bilayer is proposed. The possibility of formation and propagation of nanoscale pulses of lipid density with velocities determined by surface compressibility of the bilayer (similarly to the propagation of sound) is demonstrated for the picosecond time scale.     

Human serum albumin supported lipid patterns for the targeted recognition of microspheres coated by membrane based on ss-DNA hybridization

Human serum albumin (HSA) patterns have been successfully fabricated for the deposition of lipid bilayer, 1,2-dimyristoyl-sglycerophosphate (DMPA), by making use of the micro-contact printing (microCP) technique and liposome fusion. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) results indicate that lipid bilayer has been assembled in HSA patterns with a good stability. Such well-defined lipid patterns formed on HSA surface create possibility to incorporate specific components like channels or receptors for specific recognition. In view of this, microspheres coated with lipid membranes were immobilized in HSA-supported lipid patterns via the hybridization of complementary ss-DNAs. This procedure enables to transfer solid materials to a soft surface through a specific recognition.     

Interaction of multicomponent anionic liposomes with cationic pyridylphenylene dendrimer: Does the complex behavior depend on the liposome composition?

Dendrimers are individual macromolecular compounds having a great potential for biomedical application. The key step of the cell penetration by dendrimers is the interaction with lipid bilayer. Here, the interaction between cationic pyridylphenylene dendrimer of third generation (D₃⁵⁰⁺) and multicomponent liquid (CL/POPC), solid (CL/DPPC) and cholesterol-containing (CL/POPC/30% Chol) anionic liposomes was investigated by dynamic light scattering, fluorescence spectroscopy, conductometry, calorimetric studies and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. Microelectrophoresis and MD simulations revealed the interaction is electrostatic and reversible with only part of pyridinium groups of dendrimers involved in binding with liposomes. The ability of dendrimer molecules to migrate between liposomes was discovered by the labeling liposomes with Rhodamine B. The phase state of the lipid membrane and the incorporation of cholesterol into the lipid bilayer were found to not affect the mechanism of the dendrimer - liposome complex formation. Rigid dendrimer adsorption on liposomal surface does not induce the formation of significant defects in the lipid membrane pave the way for possible biological application of pyridylphenylene dendrimers.     

Interaction of the herbicide atrazine with model membranes. I: Physico-chemical studies on dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine liposomes

Atrazine (2-chloro-4 ethylamino-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine) is one of the most widely used herbicides. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and fluorescence polarization of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) and of its derivative 1-(4-trimethylaminophenyl)-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (TMA-DPH) were used to study the interaction of atrazine with dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine liposomes used as a model for biological membranes. The results show that atrazine does not perturb the hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer and suggest that the herbicide localizes near the glycerol backbone of the lipid.     

Interaction of the chemopreventive agent resveratrol and its metabolite,piceatannol, with model membranes

Resveratrol and piceatannol are plant-derived polyphenols possessing extremely wide range of biological activities such as cancer chemopreventive, cardio- and neuroprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and lifespan extending properties. Despite great interest in these stilbenes, their interactions with lipid bilayers have not been extensively studied. In the present work, the interaction of both resveratrol and piceatannol with model membranes composed of phosphatidylcholine (DMPC and DPPC) was investigated by means of fluorescence spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR). Generalized polarization of two fluorescent probes Laurdan and Prodan measured in pure lipid and lipid:stilbene mixtures revealed that resveratrol and piceatannol changed bilayer properties in both gel-like and liquid crystalline phase and interacted with lipid headgroup region of the membrane. These findings were corroborated by DSC experiments in which the stilbene-induced decrease of lipid melting temperature and transition cooperativity were recorded. Resveratrol and piceatannol restricted also the ESR-measured mobility of spin probes GluSIN18, 5DSA and 16DSA with nitroxide group localized at different depths. Since the most pronounced effect was exerted on the spin probe located near membrane surface, we concluded that also ESR results pointed to the preferential interaction of resveratrol and piceatannol with headgroup region of lipid bilayer.     

Lipid bilayer permeation by neutral aluminum citrate and by three alpha-hydroxy carboxylic acids

Several groups have proposed that aluminum (Al) may permeate biological membranes as a neutral complex with citrate. We tested this hypothesis by measuring aluminum citrate flux across unilamellar phospholipid vesicles (liposomes). Results from two independent procedures show that lipid bilayer permeation by the neutral aluminum-citrate complex is slow (P approximately equal to 1 x 10(-11) cm.s-1). We then compared aluminum-citrate permeation with permeation by a series of alpha-hydroxy carboxylic acids and by trimethylcitrate. This comparison showed that the aluminum-citrate flux is limited by diffusion across the water/lipid interface. This is due to hydrogen bonding between water and the citrate carboxyl groups, and by hydration of the bound metal in the aqueous phase. By analogy with citric acid, steric hindrance of diffusion within the bilayer does not affect the permeation rate of aluminum citrate. Elevated tissue levels of Al in subjects fed a diet supplemented with citric acid and Al(OH)3 cannot be explained by lipid bilayer permeation of the neutral complex.     

Effects of a bacterial trehalose lipid on phosphatidylglycerol membranes

Bacterial trehalose lipids are biosurfactants with potential application in the biomedical/healthcare industry due to their interesting biological properties. Given the amphiphilic nature of trehalose lipids, the understanding of the molecular mechanism of their biological action requires that the interaction between biosurfactant and membranes is known. In this study we examine the interactions between a trehalose lipid from Rhodococcus sp. and dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol membranes by means of differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and fluorescence polarization. We report that there are extensive interactions between trehalose lipid and dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol involving the perturbation of the thermotropic gel to liquid-crystalline phase transition of the phospholipid, the increase of fluidity of the phosphatidylglycerol acyl chains and dehydration of the interfacial region of the bilayer, and the modulation of the order of the phospholipid bilayer. The observations are interpreted in terms of structural perturbations affecting the function of the membrane that might underline the biological actions of the trehalose lipid.     

Freeze-fracture electron microscopy of lipid membranes on colloidal polyelectrolyte multilayer coated supports

Lipid membranes were assembled on polyelectrolyte (PE)-coated colloidal particles. The assembly was studied by means of confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, scanning force microscopy, and freeze-fracture electron microscopy. A homogeneous lipid coverage was established within the limits of optical resolution. Flow cytometry showed that the lipid coverage was uniform. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy revealed that the lipid was adsorbed as a bilayer, which closely followed the surface profile of the polyelectrolyte support. Additional adsorption of polyelectrolyte layers on top of the lipid bilayer introduced inhomogeneities as evident from jumps in the fracture plane. Characteristic lipid multilayers have not been seen with freeze-fracture electron microscopy.     

Direct determination of a membrane-peptide interface using the nuclear magnetic resonance cross-saturation method

Membrane-peptide interactions are involved in many crucial biological and pharmacological activities. To clarify the interaction mode of membrane-peptide complexes, it is important to analyze both the dynamic properties and the contact residues of the membrane-bound peptide. In this study, we investigated the dynamic properties of a peptide bound to a lipid bilayer, using relaxation and amide-water exchange analyses, and directly determined the membrane-peptide interface, using the cross-saturation method. For the models of a lipid bilayer and a peptide, isotropic bicelles and mastoparan were used, respectively. The results indicate that mastoparan had a heterogeneous distribution of motion over various timescales and interacted with the lipid bilayer by using its hydrophobic side; the molecule was located within the lipid bilayer rather than on the surface, as thought previously. This study shows that the cross-saturation method is useful for determining the interface of not only protein-protein but also membrane-peptide complexes.     

S-layer-supported lipid membranes

Many prokaryotic organisms (archaea and bacteria) are covered by a regularly ordered surface layer (S-layer) as the outermost cell wall component. S-layers are built up of a single protein or glycoprotein species and represent the simplest biological membrane developed during evolution. Pores in S-layers are of regular size and morphology, and functional groups on the protein lattice are aligned in well-defined positions and orientations. Due to the high degree of structural regularity S-layers represent unique systems for studying the structure, morphogenesis, and function of layered supramolecular assemblies. Isolated S-layer subunits of numerous organisms are able to assemble into monomolecular arrays either in suspension, at air/water interfaces, on planar mono- and bilayer lipid films, on liposomes and on solid supports (e.g. silicon wafers). Detailed studies on composite S-layer/lipid structures have been performed with Langmuir films, freestanding bilayer lipid membranes, solid supported lipid membranes, and liposomes. Lipid molecules in planar films and liposomes interact via their head groups with defined domains on the S-layer lattice. Electrostatic interactions are the most prevalent forces. The hydrophobic chains of the lipid monolayers are almost unaffected by the attachment of the S-layer and no impact on the hydrophobic thickness of the membranes has been observed. Upon crystallization of a coherent S-layer lattice on planar and vesicular lipid membranes, an increase in molecular order is observed, which is reflected in a decrease of the membrane tension and an enhanced mobility of probe molecules within an S-layer-supported bilayer. Thus, the terminology 'semifluid membrane' has been introduced for describing S-layer-supported lipid membranes. The most important feature of composite S-layer/lipid membranes is an enhanced stability in comparison to unsupported membranes.