This title appears in the Scientific Report :
2020
Please use the identifier:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/D0SM01549K in citations.
Please use the identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/26597 in citations.
Not just a fluidifying effect: omega-3 phospholipids induce formation of non-lamellar structures in biomembranes
Not just a fluidifying effect: omega-3 phospholipids induce formation of non-lamellar structures in biomembranes
Polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is found in very high concentrations in a few peculiar tissues, suggesting that it must have a specialized role. DHA was proposed to affect the function of the cell membrane and related proteins through an indirect mechanism of action, ba...
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Personal Name(s): | de Santis, Augusta |
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Vitiello, Giuseppe / Appavou, Marie-Sousai / Scoppola, Ernesto / Fragneto, Giovanna / Barnsley, Lester C. / Clifton, Luke A. / Ottaviani, Maria Francesca / Paduano, Luigi / Russo Krauss, Irene (Corresponding author) / D’Errico, Gerardino (Corresponding author) | |
Contributing Institute: |
Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum; MLZ Neutronenstreuung; JCNS-1 JCNS-FRM-II; JCNS-FRM-II |
Published in: | Soft matter, 16 (2020) 46, S. 10425-10438 |
Imprint: |
London
Royal Soc. of Chemistry
2020
|
DOI: |
10.1039/D0SM01549K |
Document Type: |
Journal Article |
Research Program: |
FRM II / MLZ Jülich Centre for Neutron Research (JCNS) |
Subject (ZB): | |
Link: |
Restricted Published on 2020-10-16. Available in OpenAccess from 2021-10-16. |
Publikationsportal JuSER |
Please use the identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/26597 in citations.
Polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is found in very high concentrations in a few peculiar tissues, suggesting that it must have a specialized role. DHA was proposed to affect the function of the cell membrane and related proteins through an indirect mechanism of action, based on the DHA-phospholipid effects on the lipid bilayer structure. In this respect, most studies have focused on its influence on lipid-rafts, somehow neglecting the analysis of effects on liquid disordered phases that constitute most of the cell membranes, by reporting in these cases only a general fluidifying effect. In this study, by combining neutron reflectivity, cryo-transmission electron microscopy, small angle neutron scattering, dynamic light scattering and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, we characterize liquid disordered bilayers formed by the naturally abundant 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and different contents of a di-DHA glycero-phosphocholine, 22:6-22:6PC, from both a molecular/microscopic and supramolecular/mesoscopic viewpoint. We show that, below a threshold concentration of about 40% molar percent, incorporation of 22:6-22:6PC in the membrane increases the lipid dynamics slightly but sufficiently to promote the membrane deformation and increase of multilamellarity. Notably, beyond this threshold, 22:6-22:6PC disfavours the formation of lamellar phases, leading to a phase separation consisting mostly of small spherical particles that coexist with a minority portion of a lipid blob with water-filled cavities. Concurrently, from a molecular viewpoint, the polyunsaturated acyl chains tend to fold and expose the termini to the aqueous medium. We propose that this peculiar tendency is a key feature of the DHA-phospholipids making them able to modulate the local morphology of biomembranes. |