Role of lipid protrusions in the function of interfacial enzymes

Secretory phospholipase A₂ (sPLA₂) is a class of interfacially active enzymes that selectively hydrolyze lipid molecules organized at interfaces like membranes. We present a simple theoretical model that relates the sPLA₂ action to the protrusions of the lipid molecules. The model explains (1) the observed enhancement of enzymatic activity by lipids with flexible, neutral, water-soluble polymers linked to their head groups and (2) the lag-burst kinetics of sPLA₂. It yields qualitative predictions of the effect of the initial composition of the membrane, the molecular weight of the polymer, and the composition of the hydrolysis products.     

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) as a proliferative marker during embryonic and adult zebrafish hematopoiesis

We investigated the expression of proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in zebrafish to delineate the proliferative hematopoietic component during adult and embryonic hematopoiesis. Immunostaining for PCNA and enhanced green fluorescence protein (eGFP) was performed in wild-type and fli1-eGFP (endothelial marker) and gata1-eGFP (erythroid cell marker) transgenic fish. Expression of PCNA mRNA was examined in wild-type and chordin morphant embryos. In adult zebrafish kidney, the renal tubules are surrounded by endothelial cells and it is separated into hematopoietic and excretory compartments. PCNA was expressed in hematopoietic progenitor cells but not in mature neutrophils, eosinophils or erythroid cells. Some PCNA+ cells are scattered in the hematopoietic compartment of the kidney while others are closely associated with renal tubular cells. PCNA was also expressed in spermatogonial stem cells and intestine crypts, consistent with its role in cell proliferation and DNA synthesis. In embryos, PCNA is expressed in the brain, spinal cord and intermediate cell mass (ICM) at 24 h-post fertilization. In chordin morphants, PCNA is significantly upregulated in the expanded ICM. Therefore, PCNA can be used to mark cell proliferation in zebrafish hematopoietic tissues and to identify a population of progenitor cells whose significance would have to be further investigated.     

Active vaccination against IL-5 bypasses immunological tolerance and ameliorates experimental asthma

Current therapeutic approaches to asthma have had limited impact on the clinical management and resolution of this disorder. By using a novel vaccine strategy targeting the inflammatory cytokine IL-5, we have ameliorated hallmark features of asthma in mouse models. Delivery of a DNA vaccine encoding murine IL-5 modified to contain a promiscuous foreign Th epitope bypasses B cell tolerance to IL-5 and induces neutralizing polyclonal anti-IL-5 Abs. Active vaccination against IL-5 reduces airways inflammation and prevents the development of eosinophilia, both hallmark features of asthma in animal models and humans. The reduced numbers of inflammatory T cells and eosinophils in the lung also result in a marked reduction of Th2 cytokine levels. Th-modified IL-5 DNA vaccination reduces the expression of IL-5 and IL-4 by approximately 50% in the airways of allergen-challenged mice. Most importantly, Th-modified IL-5 DNA vaccination restores normal bronchial hyperresponsiveness to beta-methacholine. Active vaccination against IL-5 reduces key pathological events associated with asthma, such as Th2 cytokine production, airways inflammation, and hyperresponsiveness, and thus represents a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of asthma and other allergic conditions.     

Sun Compass Orientation Helps Coral Reef Fish Larvae Return to Their Natal Reef

Reef fish sustain populations on isolated reefs and show genetic diversity between nearby reefs even though larvae of many species are swept away from the natal site during pelagic dispersal. Retention or recruitment to natal reefs requires orientation capabilities that enable larvae to find their way. Although olfactory and acoustically based orientation has been implicated in homing when larvae are in the reef’s vicinity, it is still unclear how they cope with greater distances. Here we show evidence for a sun compass mechanism that can bring the larvae to the vicinity of their natal reef. In a circular arena, pre-settlement larvae and early settlers (<24 hours) of the cardinal fish, Ostorhinchus doederleini, showed a strong SSE directional swimming response, which most likely has evolved to compensate for the locally prevailing large scale NNW current drift. When fish were clock-shifted 6 hours, they changed their orientation by ca. 180° as predicted by the tropical sun curve at One Tree Island, i.e. they used a time-compensated sun compass. Furthermore, the fish oriented most consistently at times of the day when the sun azimuth is easy to determine. Microsatellite markers showed that the larvae that had just arrived at One Tree Island genetically belonged to either the local reef population or to Fitzroy Reef located 12 kilometers to the SSE. The use of a sun compass adds a missing long-distance link to the hierarchy of other sensory abilities that can direct larvae to the region of origin, including their natal reef. Predominant local recruitment, in turn, can contribute to genetic isolation and potential speciation.     

Molecular mechanism of the allosteric enhancement of the umami taste sensation

The fifth taste quality, umami, arises from binding of glutamate to the umami receptor T1R1/T1R3. The umami taste is enhanced several-fold upon addition of free nucleotides such as guanosine-5'-monophosphate (GMP) to glutamate-containing food. GMP may operate via binding to the ligand-binding domain of the T1R1 part of the umami receptor at an allosteric site. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we show that GMP can stabilize the closed (active) state of T1R1 by binding to the outer vestibule of the so-called Venus flytrap domain of the receptor. The transition between the closed and open conformations was accessed in the simulations. Using principal component analysis, we show that the dynamics of the Venus flytrap domain along the hinge-bending motion that activates signaling is dampened significantly upon binding of glutamate, and further slows down upon binding of GMP at an allosteric site, thus suggesting a molecular mechanism of cooperativity between GMP and glutamate.     

The effect of increasing membrane curvature on the phase transition and mixing behavior of a dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine/ distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine lipid mixture as studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry.

The phase transition behavior of a lipid bilayer of dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine/distearoyl-sn-glycero-3- phosphatidylcholine (DMPC-d54/DSPC) (1:1) on a solid support with varying curvatures was investigated with differential scanning calorimetry, infrared spectroscopy, and model calculations. With increasing curvature the temperatures of the liquidus and solidus points are shifted to lower values by up to 7 degrees C and 15 degrees C, and the mixing of the two lipid species in the two phase region is altered. With increasing curvature the DSPC dominates the gel phase, whereas the DMPC-d54 is expelled to the fluid phase. Whereas the planar system shows a nearly simultaneous phase transition of DSPC and DMPC-d54, the spherical system with the highest curvature exhibits an almost complete separation of the phase transitions of the two lipids. Model calculations suggest that the shift of the liquidus point can be understood as a reduction of the lateral pressure in the bilayer with increasing curvature. The shift of the solidus line is interpreted as a result of the increased demixing of the two components in the two-phase region with increasing curvature due to lowering of the lateral pressure.     

The effects of density fluctuations on the partitioning of foreign molecules into lipid bilayers: application to anaesthetics and insecticides

An extensive computer-simulation study is performed on a simple but general molecular model recently proposed (J?rgensen et al. (1991) Biochem. Biophys. Acta 1062, 277-238) to describe foreign molecules interacting with lipid bilayers. The model is a multi-state lattice model of the main bilayer transition in which the foreign molecules are assumed to intercalate at interstitial lattice positions. Specific as well as non-specific interactions between the foreign molecules and the lipid acyl chains are considered. Particular attention is paid to the fluctuating properties of the membrane and how the presence of the foreign molecules modulates these fluctuations in the transition region. By means of computer-stimulation techniques, a detailed account is given of the macroscopic as well as microscopic consequences of the fluctuations. The macroscopic consequences of the fluctuations are seen in the thermal anomalies of the specific heat and the passive trans-membrane permeability. Microscopically, the fluctuations manifest themselves in lipid-domain formation in the transition region which implies an effective dynamic membrane heterogeneity. Within the model it is found that certain anaesthetics and insecticides which are characterised by specific interactions with the lipids have a strong effect on the heterogeneity of the membrane inducing regions of locally very high concentration of the foreign molecules. This leads to a broadening of the specific heat peak and a maximum in the membrane/water partition coefficient. These results are in accordance with available experimental data for volatile general anaesthetics like halothane, local anaesthetics like cocain derivatives, and insecticides like lindane.     

Relationships between lipid membrane area, hydrophobic thickness, and acyl-chain orientational order. The effects of cholesterol.

A microscopic interaction model for a fully hydrated lipid bilayer membrane containing cholesterol is used to calculate, as a function of temperature and composition, the membrane area, the membrane hydrophobic thickness, and the average acyl-chain orientational order parameter, S. The order parameter, S, is related to the first moment, M1, of the quadrupolar magnetic resonance spectrum which can be measured for lipids with perdeuterated chains. On the basis of these model calculations as well as recent experimental measurements of M1 using magnetic resonance and of membrane area using micromechanical measurements, a discussion of the possible relationships between membrane area, hydrophobic thickness, and moments of nuclear magnetic resonance spectra is presented. It is pointed out that S under certain circumstances may be useful for estimating the hydrophobic membrane thickness. This is particularly advantageous for multicomponent membranes where structural data are difficult to obtain by using diffraction techniques. The usefulness of the suggested relationships is demonstrated for cholesterol-containing bilayers.     

Phase behavior and nanoscale structure of phospholipid membranes incorporated with acylated C14-peptides

The thermotropic phase behavior and lateral structure of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) lipid bilayers containing an acylated peptide has been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) on vesicles and atomic force microscopy (AFM) on mica-supported bilayers. The acylated peptide, which is a synthetic decapeptide N-terminally linked to a C14 acyl chain (C14-peptide), is incorporated into DPPC bilayers in amounts ranging from 0-20 mol %. The calorimetric scans of the two-component system demonstrate a distinct influence of the C14-peptide on the lipid bilayer thermodynamics. This is manifested as a concentration-dependent downshift of both the main phase transition and the pretransition. In addition, the main phase transition peak is significantly broadened, indicating phase coexistence. In the AFM imaging scans we found that the C14-peptide, when added to supported gel phase DPPC bilayers, inserts preferentially into preexisting defect regions and has a noticeable influence on the organization of the surrounding lipids. The presence of the C14-peptide gives rise to a laterally heterogeneous bilayer structure with coexisting lipid domains characterized by a 10 A height difference. The AFM images also show that the appearance of the ripple phase of the DPPC lipid bilayers is unaffected by the C14-peptide. The experimental results are supported by molecular dynamics simulations, which show that the C14-peptide has a disordering effect on the lipid acyl chains and causes a lateral expansion of the lipid bilayer. These effects are most pronounced for gel-like bilayer structures and support the observed downshift in the phase-transition temperature. Moreover, the molecular dynamics data indicate a tendency of a tryptophan residue in the peptide sequence to position itself in the bilayer headgroup region.