Membrane geometry and protein functions

This review is devoted to systematization and analysis of the data on the effect of membrane geometry on different processes in living cells. In some cases, membrane curvature is the determinant in regulation of enzyme activity and in protein-lipid interactions. This fact has been demonstrated by the example of regulation of activity of some important enzymes, such as phospholipase A₂, protein kinase C, phosphatidyl serine decarboxylase 2, cytochrome P450, phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase, CTP:phosphocholine cytidyltransferase, diglycosyl diacylglycerol synthetase, and G protein ArfGAP1 hydrolyzing GTP in the Arf-GTP complex. The effect of membrane geometry and bilayer curvature stress on penetration of cytotoxic and Trojan peptides into a cell, formation of pores at penetration of viruses into a cell, folding of membrane proteins, and release of cytochrome c from mitochondria during apoptosis have been considered as well. The conclusion has been made that membrane geometry and the resultant curvature stress energy are critical parameters in many vitally important cell processes, including regulation of some key enzymes.