Role of cholesterol flip-flop in oxidized lipid bilayers

We performed a series of molecular dynamics simulations of cholesterol (Chol) in nonoxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (PLPC) bilayer and in binary mixtures of PLPC-oxidized-lipid-bilayers with 0–50% Chol concentration and oxidized lipids with hydroperoxide and aldehyde oxidized functional groups. From the 60 unbiased molecular dynamics simulations (total of 161 μs), we found that Chol inhibited pore formation in the aldehyde-containing oxidized lipid bilayers at concentrations greater than 11%. For both pure PLPC bilayer and bilayers with hydroperoxide lipids, no pores were observed at any Chol concentration. Furthermore, increasing cholesterol concentration led to a change of phase state from the liquid-disordered to the liquid-ordered phase. This condensing effect of Chol was observed in all systems. Data analysis shows that the addition of Chol results in an increase in bilayer thickness. Interestingly, we observed Chol flip-flop only in the aldehyde-containing lipid bilayer but neither in the PLPC nor the hydroperoxide bilayers. Umbrella-sampling simulations were performed to calculate the translocation free energies and the Chol flip-flop rates. The results show that Chol’s flip-flop rate depends on the lipid bilayer type, and the highest rate are found in aldehyde bilayers. As the main finding, we shown that Chol stabilizes the oxidized lipid bilayer by confining the distribution of the oxidized functional groups.     

Effect of sterols on beta-amyloid peptide (AbetaP 1-40) channel formation and their properties in planar lipid membranes

We investigate the role played by membrane composition on the interaction and self-assembly of beta-amyloid peptide (AbetaP1-40) during pore formation in planar lipid membranes (PLMs). Incorporation studies showed that AbetaP does not interact with zwitterionic membranes made up of phosphatidylcholine, whereas the addition of cholesterol or ergosterol to the membranes leads to channel formation. Among the PLMs used, a higher propensity of AbetaP to form channels at low applied potential (+/-20 mV) was observed in 7-dehydrocholesterol and in oxidized cholesterol PLMs. These channels present long lifetimes, high-occurrence frequencies, and are voltage dependent. In particular, the AbetaP channel in oxidized cholesterol showed anion selectivity. Thus cholesterol (and sterols in general) could be considered as targets for AbetaP, which prevents the fibrillation process by increasing incorporation into membranes. Furthermore, by switching the channel selectivity versus anions, cholesterol helps to reduce the imbalance of the cellular ions, calcium included, induced by membrane depolarization, which could be one of the factors responsible for cytotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease.     

Sterol and pH interdependence in the binding, oligomerization, and pore formation of Listeriolysin O

Listeriolysin O (LLO) is the most important virulence factor of the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Its main task is to enable escape of bacteria from the phagosomal vacuole into the cytoplasm. LLO belongs to the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (CDC) family but differs from other members, as it exhibits optimal activity at low pH. Its pore forming ability at higher pH values has been largely disregarded in Listeria pathogenesis. Here we show that high cholesterol concentrations in the membrane restore the low activity of LLO at high pH values. LLO binds to lipid membranes, at physiological or even slightly basic pH values, in a cholesterol-dependent fashion. Binding, insertion into lipid monolayers, and permeabilization of calcein-loaded liposomes are maximal above approximately 35 mol % cholesterol, a concentration range typically found in lipid rafts. The narrow transition region of cholesterol concentration separating low and high activity indicates that cholesterol not only allows the binding of LLO to membranes but also affects other steps in pore formation. We were able to detect some of these by surface plasmon resonance-based assays. In particular, we show that LLO recognition of cholesterol is determined by the most exposed 3beta-hydroxy group of cholesterol. In addition, LLO binds and permeabilizes J774 cells and human erythrocytes in a cholesterol-dependent fashion at physiological or slightly basic pH values. The results clearly show that LLO activity at physiological pH cannot be neglected and that its action at sites distal to cell entry may have important physiological consequences for Listeria pathogenesis.     

Oxidized low density lipoprotein inhibits the migration of aortic endothelial cells in vitro

Endothelial cell (EC) migration is a critical and initiating event in the formation of new blood vessels and in the repair of injured vessels. Compelling evidence suggests that oxidized low density lipoprotein (LDL) is present in atherosclerotic lesions, but its role in lesion formation has not been defined. We have examined the role of oxidized LDL in regulating the wound-healing response of vascular EC in vitro. Confluent cultures of bovine aortic EC were "wounded" with a razor, and migration was measured after 18 to 24 h as the number of cells moving into the wounded area and the mean distance of cells from the wound edge. Oxidized LDL markedly reduced migration in a concentration- and oxidation-dependent manner. Native LDL or oxidized LDL with a thiobarbituric acid (TBA) reactivity < 5 nmol malondialdehyde equivalents/mg cholesterol was not inhibitory; however, oxidized LDL with a TBA reactivity of 8-12 inhibited migration by 75- 100%. Inhibition was half-maximal at 250-300 micrograms cholesterol/ml and nearly complete at 350-400 micrograms/ml. The antimigratory activity was not due to cell death since it was completely reversed 16 h after removal of the lipoprotein. The inhibitor molecule was shown to be a lipid; organic solvent extracts of oxidized LDL inhibited migration to nearly the same extent as the intact particle. When LDL was variably oxidized by dialysis against FeSO4 or CuSO4, or by UV irradiation, the inhibitory activity correlated with TBA reactivity and total lipid peroxides, but not with electrophoretic mobility or fluorescence (360 ex/430 em). This indicates that a lipid hydroperoxide may be the active species. These results suggest the possibility that oxidized LDL may limit the healing response of the endothelium after injury.     

Heliothis virescens and Manduca sexta lipid rafts are involved in Cry1A toxin binding to the midgut epithelium and subsequent pore formation

Lipid rafts are characterized by their insolubility in nonionic detergents such as Triton X-100 at 4 degrees C. They have been studied in mammals, where they play critical roles in protein sorting and signal transduction. To understand the potential role of lipid rafts in lepidopteran insects, we isolated and analyzed the protein and lipid components of these lipid raft microdomains from the midgut epithelial membrane of Heliothis virescens and Manduca sexta. Like their mammalian counterparts, H. virescens and M. sexta lipid rafts are enriched in cholesterol, sphingolipids, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins. In H. virescens and M. sexta, pretreatment of membranes with the cholesterol-depleting reagent saponin and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin differentially disrupted the formation of lipid rafts, indicating an important role for cholesterol in lepidopteran lipid rafts structure. We showed that several putative Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1A receptors, including the 120- and 170-kDa aminopeptidases from H. virescens and the 120-kDa aminopeptidase from M. sexta, were preferentially partitioned into lipid rafts. Additionally, the leucine aminopeptidase activity was enriched approximately 2-3-fold in these rafts compared with brush border membrane vesicles. We also demonstrated that Cry1A toxins were associated with lipid rafts, and that lipid raft integrity was essential for in vitro Cry1Ab pore forming activity. Our study strongly suggests that these microdomains might be involved in Cry1A toxin aggregation and pore formation.     

Ionic transport in lipid bilayer membranes.

The current-voltage relationships of model bilayer membranes have been measured in various phospholipid systems, under the influence of both a gradient of potential and an ionic concentration, in order to describe the ion translocation through hydrated transient defects (water channels) across the bilayer formed because of lipid structure fluctuations and induced by temperature. The results have been analyzed in the light of a statistical rate theory for the transport process across a lipid bilayer, recently proposed by Skinner et al. (1993). In order to take into account the observed I-V curves and in particular the deviation from an ohmic behavior observed at high potential values, the original model has been modified, and a new version has been proposed by introducing an additional kinetic process. In this way, a very good agreement with the experimental values has been obtained for all of the systems we have investigated (dimyristoylphosphatidyl ethanolamine bilayers and mixed systems composed by dimyristoylphosphatidyl ethanolamine/dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine mixtures and dimyristoylphosphatidyl ethanolamine/phosphatidic acid dipalmitoyl mixtures). The rate constants governing the reactions at the bilayer interfaces have been evaluated for K+ and Cl- ions, as a function of temperature, from 5 to 35 degrees C and bulk ionic concentrations from 0.02 to 0.2 M. Finally, a comparison between the original model of Skinner and the modified version is presented, and the advantages of this new formulation are briefly discussed.     

Cholesterol attenuates and prevents bilayer damage and breakdown in lipoperoxidized model membranes. A spin labeling EPR study

The stabilizing effect of cholesterol on oxidized membranes has been studied in planar phospholipid bilayers and multilamellar 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoyl-phosphatidylcholine vesicles also containing either 1-palmitoyl-2-glutaroyl-phosphatidylcholine or 1-palmitoyl-2-(13-hydroxy-9,11-octadecanedienoyl)-phosphatidylcholine oxidized phosphatidylcholine in variable ratio. Lipid peroxidation-dependent membrane alterations in the absence and in the presence of cholesterol were analyzed using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy of the model membranes spin labelled with either cholestane spin label (3-DC) or phosphatidylcholine spin label (5-DSPC). Cholesterol, added to lipid mixtures up to 40% final molar ratio, decreased the inner bilayer disorder as compared to cholesterol-free membranes and strongly reduced bilayer alterations brought about by the two oxidized phosphatidylcholine species. Furthermore, Sepharose 4B gel-chromatography and cryo electron microscopy of aqueous suspensions of the lipid mixtures clearly showed that cholesterol is able to counteract the micelle forming tendency of pure 1-palmitoyl-2-glutaroyl-phosphatidylcholine and to sustain multilamellar vesicles formation. It is concluded that membrane cholesterol may exert a beneficial and protective role against bilayer damage caused by oxidized phospholipids formation following reactive oxygen species attack to biomembranes.     

Kinetic characteristics of the excitability-inducing material channel in oxidized cholesterol and brain lipid bilayer membranes

The kinetic characteristics of the opening and closing of the excitability-inducing material (EIM) channel in oxidized cholesterol and in brain lipid bilayers are compared. The kinetics of the opening and closing of individual ion-conducting channels in bilayers doped with small amounts of EIM are determined from discrete fluctuations in ionic current. The kinetics for approach to steady-state conductance are determined for lipid bilayers containing many channels. Steady-state and kinetic characteristics for the EIM channel incorporated in brain lipid bilayers can be accounted for by the model developed for the EIM channel incorporated in oxidized cholesterol membranes. Relaxation time, calculated from rate constants of single-channel membranes or directly measured in many-channel membranes is strongly temperature dependent, and is always shorter in brain lipid membranes. Changes in temperature do not affect the interaction of the electric field and the open channel, but the open configuration of the EIM channel in brain lipid bilayers is stablized with increasing temperature. The configurational energy difference between the open and closed channel, calculated from temperature studies, is larger in brain lipid bilayers. The energy barrier which separates the two configurations of the channel is larger in oxidized cholesterol bilayers.     

Oxidized plant sterols in human serum and lipid infusions as measured by combined gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Some oxidized forms of cholesterol (oxysterols) are thought to be atherogenic and cytotoxic. Because plant sterols are structurally related to cholesterol, we examined whether oxidized plant sterols (oxyphytosterols) could be identified in human serum and soy-based lipid emulsions. We first prepared both deuterated and nondeuterated reference compounds. We then analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry the oxyphytosterol concentrations in serum from patients with phytosterolemia or cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis, in a pool serum and in two lipid emulsions. 7-Ketositosterol, 7 beta-hydroxysitosterol, 5 alpha, 6 alpha-epoxysitosterol, 3 beta,5 alpha,6 beta-sitostanetriol, and probably also 7 alpha-hydroxysitosterol were present in markedly elevated concentrations in serum from phytosterolemic patients only. Also, campesterol oxidation products such as 7 alpha-hydroxycampesterol and 7 beta-hydroxycampesterol were found. Interestingly, sitosterol was oxidized for approximately 1.4% in phytosterolemic serum, which is rather high compared with the approximate 0.01% oxidatively modified cholesterol normally seen in human serum. The same oxyphytosterols were also found in two lipid emulsions in which the ratio of oxidized sitosterol to sitosterol varied between 0.038 and 0.041.In conclusion, we have shown that oxidized forms of plant sterols are present in serum from phytosterolemic patients and two frequently used soy-based lipid emulsions. Currently, it is unknown whether oxyphytosterols affect health, as has been suggested for oxysterols. However, 7 beta-hydroxycholesterol may be one of the more harmful oxysterols, and both sitosterol and campesterol were oxidized into 7 beta-hydroxysitosterol and 7 beta-hydroxycampesterol. The relevance of these findings therefore deserves further exploration.     

Integration of phospholipid and sterol metabolism in mammalian cells

The lethal consequences of imbalances in lipid and sterol metabolism in human diseases such as atherosclerosis and lipid storage disorders underscores our need to know how cholesterol, phospholipid and sphingolipid metabolism is integrated. Accumulation and abnormal localization of lipids and sterol affects cellular function not only by perturbing membrane activity but also by increasing production of bioactive lipids derived from cholesterol, phospholipids and sphingolipids. For example in the NPC mouse model, accumulation of intracellular cholesterol and sphingomyelin is accompanied by increased sphingosine [187], a potent regular of protein kinase C and cell proliferation [152]. Oxidized LDL has an important role in the pathology of atherosclerosis by promoting foam cell formation and cytotoxicity [65]. 7-Hydroxycholesterol and 7-ketocholesterol are involved in many aspects of oxidized LDL activity including initiation of apoptosis in a number of cell types [188, 189] and enhancing cholesterol accumulation by inhibiting efflux [190]. Oxysterols formed intracellularly or from oxidized lipoproteins could have an important role in regulating lipid metabolism in the foam cell. Bioactive metabolites of phospholipids, such as diglyceride, phosphatidic acid and lysolipids, could also increase in circumstances of elevated deposition and have profound and varied effects on cell physiology. In addition to elucidating mechanisms for integration of lipid metabolism, we should determine when these responses go awry and assess the influence of bioactive compounds formed under these circumstances on cell viability and growth.     

Magainin 2 channel formation in planar lipid membranes: the role of lipid polar groups and ergosterol

Magainin 2, a polycationic peptide, displays bactericidal and tumoricidal activity, presumably interacting with negatively charged phospholipids in the membrane hosts. In this work, we investigate the role played by the lipid head-group in the interactions and self-association of magainin 2 during pore formation in lipid bilayers. Two methods are used: single-channel and macroscopic incorporation into planar lipid membranes. Single-channel incorporation showed that magainin 2 did not interact with zwitterionic membranes, while the addition of negatively charged dioleoylphosphatidylglycerol to the membrane leads to channel formation. On the other hand, magainin 2 did not form channels in membranes made up of dioleoylphosphatidylserine (DOPS), although the addition of ergosterol to DOPS membranes leads to channel formation. This finding could indicate that ergosterol may be a possible target of magainin 2 in fungal membranes. Further support for this hypothesis comes from experiments in which the addition of ergosterol to palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine membranes induced channel formation. Besides the role of negatively charged membranes, this study has shown that magainin 2 also forms channels in membranes lacking heads, such as monoolein and oxidized cholesterol, indicating an interaction of magainin 2 with acyl chains and cholesterol, respectively. This finding provides further evidence that peptide binding and assembly in lipid membranes is a complex process driven by electrostatic and/or hydrophobic interactions, depending on the structure of the peptide and the membrane composition.     

Photo-activated phase separation in giant vesicles made from different lipid mixtures

Using giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) made from POPC, DPPC, cholesterol and a small amount of a porphyrin-based photosensitizer that we name PE-porph, we investigated the response of the lipid bilayer under visible light, focusing in the formation of domains during the lipid oxidation induced by singlet oxygen. This reactive species is generated by light excitation of PE-porf in the vicinity of the membrane, and thus promotes formation of hydroperoxides when unsaturated lipids and cholesterol are present. Using optical microscopy we determined the lipid compositions under which GUVs initially in the homogeneous phase displayed Lo-Ld phase separation following irradiation. Such an effect is attributed to the in situ formation of both hydroperoxized POPC and cholesterol. The boundary line separating homogeneous Lo phase and phase coexistence regions in the phase diagram is displaced vertically towards the higher cholesterol content in respect to ternary diagram of POPC:DPPC:cholesterol mixtures in the absence of oxidized species. Phase separated domains emerge from sub-micrometer initial sizes to evolve over hours into large Lo-Ld domains completely separated in the lipid membrane. This study provides not only a new tool to explore the kinetics of domain formation in mixtures of lipid membranes, but may also have implications in biological signaling of redox misbalance.     

Life Cycle of an Electropore: Field-Dependent and Field-Independent Steps in Pore Creation and Annihilation

Electropermeabilization, an electric field-induced modification of the barrier functions of the cell membrane, is widely used in laboratories and increasingly in the clinic; but the mechanisms and physical structures associated with the electromanipulation of membrane permeability have not been definitively characterized. Indirect experimental observations of electrical conductance and small molecule transport as well as molecular dynamics simulations have led to models in which hydrophilic pores form in phospholipid bilayers with increased probability in the presence of an electric field. Presently available methods do not permit the direct, nanoscale examination of electroporated membranes that would confirm the existence of these structures. To facilitate the reconciliation of poration models with the observed properties of electropermeabilized lipid bilayers and cell membranes, we propose a scheme for characterizing the stages of electropore formation and resealing. This electropore life cycle, based on molecular dynamics simulations of phospholipid bilayers, defines a sequence of discrete steps in the electric field-driven restructuring of the membrane that leads to the formation of a head group-lined, aqueous pore and then, after the field is removed, to the dismantling of the pore and reassembly of the intact bilayer. Utilizing this scheme we can systematically analyze the interactions between the electric field and the bilayer components involved in pore initiation, construction and resealing. We find that the pore creation time depends strongly on the electric field gradient across the membrane interface and that the pore annihilation time is at least weakly dependent on the magnitude of the pore-initiating electric field and, in general, much longer than the pore creation time.     

Identification and characterization of the pore-forming protein in the outer membrane of rat liver mitochondria

The proteins of the outer membrane from rat liver mitochondria have been subfractionated by means of density gradient centrifugation. The different polypeptides of the membrane were incorporated into asolectin vesicles and black lipid membranes. It was observed that a polypeptide of M_r 32 000 renders asolectin vesicles permeable to ADP and forms pores in bilayer membrane. These pores showed the same properties as the channels which are formed in the lipid membrane after addition of Triton X-100 solubilized complete outer membrane. The properties of the pore are as follows: (1) The formation of pores depends on the type of phospholipid used for the preparation of the black membranes. (2) The pore is inserted asymmetrically into the membrane. (3) The pore is voltage gated but does not switch off completely at higher voltages. The pore seems to show different conductance states decreasing conductance being observed at increasing voltage. The implications of these findings for the regulation of transport processes across the outer membrane are discussed.     

Synergistic pore formation by type III toxin translocators of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Type III secretion/translocation systems are essential actors in the pathogenicity of Gram-negative bacteria. The injection of bacterial toxins across the host cell plasma membranes is presumably accomplished by a proteinaceous structure, the translocon. In vitro, Pseudomonas aeruginosa translocators PopB and PopD form ringlike structures observed by electron microscopy. We demonstrate here that PopB and PopD are functionally active and sufficient to form pores in lipid vesicles. Furthermore, the two translocators act in synergy to promote membrane permeabilization. The size-based selectivity observed for the passage of solutes indicates that the membrane permeabilization is due to the formation of size-defined pores. Our results provide also new insights into the mechanism of translocon pore formation that may occur during the passage of toxins from the bacterium into the cell. While proteins bind to lipid vesicles equally at any pH, the kinetics of membrane permeabilization accelerate progressively with decreasing pH values. Electrostatic interactions and the presence of anionic lipids were found to be crucial for pore formation whereas cholesterol did not appear to play a significant role in functional translocon formation.     

The oxidation hypothesis of atherogenesis: the role of oxidized phospholipids and HDL

For more than two decades, there has been continuing evidence of lipid oxidation playing a central role in atherogenesis. The oxidation hypothesis of atherogenesis has evolved to focus on specific proinflammatory oxidized phospholipids that result from the oxidation of LDL phospholipids containing arachidonic acid and that are recognized by the innate immune system in animals and humans. These oxidized phospholipids are largely generated by potent oxidants produced by the lipoxygenase and myeloperoxidase pathways. The failure of antioxidant vitamins to influence clinical outcomes may have many explanations, including the inability of vitamin E to prevent the formation of these oxidized phospholipids and other lipid oxidation products of the myeloperoxidase pathway. Preliminary data suggest that the oxidation hypothesis of atherogenesis and the reverse cholesterol transport hypothesis of atherogenesis may have a common biological basis. The levels of specific oxidized lipids in plasma and lipoproteins, the levels of antibodies to these lipids, and the inflammatory/anti-inflammatory properties of HDL may be useful markers of susceptibility to atherogenesis. Apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) and apoA-I mimetic peptides may both promote a reduction in oxidized lipids and enhance reverse cholesterol transport and therefore may have therapeutic potential.     

Cholesterol stabilizes recombinant exocytic fusion pores by altering membrane bending rigidity

SNARE-mediated membrane fusion proceeds via the formation of a fusion pore. This intermediate structure is highly dynamic and can flicker between open and closed states. In cells, cholesterol has been reported to affect SNARE-mediated exocytosis and fusion pore dynamics. Here, we address the question of whether cholesterol directly affects the flickering rate of reconstituted fusion pores in vitro. These experiments were enabled by the recent development of a nanodisc⋅black lipid membrane recording system that monitors dynamic transitions between the open and closed states of nascent recombinant pores with submillisecond time resolution. The fusion pores formed between nanodiscs that bore the vesicular SNARE synaptobrevin 2 and black lipid membranes that harbored the target membrane SNAREs syntaxin 1A and SNAP-25B were markedly affected by cholesterol. These effects include strong reductions in flickering out of the open state, resulting in a significant increase in the open dwell-time. We attributed these effects to the known role of cholesterol in altering the elastic properties of lipid bilayers because manipulation of phospholipids to increase membrane stiffness mirrored the effects of cholesterol. In contrast to the observed effects on pore kinetics, cholesterol had no effect on the current that passed through individual pores and, hence, did not affect pore size. In conclusion, our results show that cholesterol dramatically stabilizes fusion pores in the open state by increasing membrane bending rigidity.     

Oxidized low density lipoprotein suppresses the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha mRNA in stimulated murine peritoneal macrophages

In the present report we have examined expression of the gene encoding the inflammatory monokine TNF-alpha in murine peritoneal macrophages treated with different forms of low density lipoprotein (LDL). LDL modified by oxidation in vitro is unable to stimulate inflammatory gene expression in peritoneal macrophages. However, treatment of macrophage cultures with oxidized LDL for 6 h or more resulted in a concentration and time-dependent suppression of TNF-alpha mRNA expression induced in response to stimulation with either LPS or maleylated BSA. This suppression was maximal after 12 h of exposure to oxidized LDL and at a concentration of 100 to 200 micrograms LDL cholesterol/ml of culture medium. The suppressive effect was restricted to oxidatively modified LDL as treatment with native LDL or acetylated LDL did not affect TNF-alpha mRNA expression, despite the fact that both acetylated and oxidized LDL lead to intracellular lipid accumulation. The expression of maleyl albumin-stimulated TNF-alpha mRNA expression could be reproduced by lipid extracts of oxidized LDL provided to macrophages at the same cholesterol concentration as from the intact lipoprotein particle. Extracts from native LDL were ineffective. These results suggest that oxidized lipid accumulation in monocytes infiltrating the arterial wall may lead to the suppression of certain inflammatory functions which, in turn, may influence the development of mature atherosclerotic lesions.     

High Cholesterol Obviates a Prolonged Hemifusion Intermediate in Fast SNARE-Mediated Membrane Fusion

Cholesterol is essential for exocytosis in secretory cells, but the exact molecular mechanism by which it facilitates exocytosis is largely unknown. Distinguishing contributions from the lateral organization and dynamics of membrane proteins to vesicle docking and fusion and the promotion of fusion pores by negative intrinsic spontaneous curvature and other mechanical effects of cholesterol have been elusive. To shed more light on this process, we examined the effect of cholesterol on SNARE-mediated membrane fusion in a single-vesicle assay that is capable of resolving docking and elementary steps of fusion with millisecond time resolution. The effect of cholesterol on fusion pore formation between synaptobrevin-2 (VAMP-2)-containing proteoliposomes and acceptor t-SNARE complex-containing planar supported bilayers was examined using both membrane and content fluorescent markers. This approach revealed that increasing cholesterol in either the t-SNARE or the v-SNARE membrane favors a mechanism of direct fusion pore opening, whereas low cholesterol favors a mechanism leading to a long-lived (>5 s) hemifusion state. The amount of cholesterol in the target membrane had no significant effect on docking of synaptobrevin vesicles. Comparative studies with α-tocopherol (vitamin E) show that the negative intrinsic spontaneous curvature of cholesterol and its presumed promotion of a very short-lived (<50 ms) lipid stalk intermediate is the main factor that favors rapid fusion pore opening at high cholesterol. This study also shows that this single-vesicle fusion assay can distinguish between hemifusion and full fusion with only a single lipid dye, thereby freeing up a fluorescence channel for the simultaneous measurement of another parameter in fast time-resolved fusion assays.     

Voltage-dependent pore activity of the peptide alamethicin correlated with incorporation in the membrane: salt and cholesterol effects

Strong aggregation of incorporated alamethicin in the bilayer of lipid vesicles has been observed spectroscopically at aqueous peptide concentrations above a critical value c*. On the other hand, in conventional gating studies with planar lipid films, the onset of conducting pore formation can be characterized by a threshold voltage V.. We present experimental evidence of a direct correspondence between the effects on c* and V. when these parameters are modulated by adding NaCl (to the aqueous medium) or cholesterol (to the lipid moiety). A quantitative analysis supports the idea that the measured aggregation actually results in pore formation, the voltage-dependence being due to an electric field effect on the partition equilibrium of the peptide between the aqueous and the lipid phases.