Quantification of the nanomechanical stability of ceramide-enriched domains. 2009

Ruby May A Sullan, and James K Li, and Shan Zou
Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences, National Research Council Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada.

The quantification of the mechanical stability of lipid bilayers is important in establishing composition-structure-property relations and sheds light on our understanding of the functions of biological membranes. Here, we designed an experiment to directly probe and quantify the nanomechanical stability and rigidity of the ceramide-enriched platforms that play a distinctive role in a variety of cellular processes. Our force mapping results have demonstrated that the ceramide-enriched domains require both methyl beta-cyclodextrin (MbCD) and chloroform treatments to weaken their highly ordered organization, suggesting a lipid packing that is different from that in typical gel states. Our results also show the expulsion of cholesterol from the sphingolipid/cholesterol-enriched domains as a result of ceramide incorporation. This work provides quantitative information on the nanomechanical stability and rigidity of coexisting phase-segregated lipid bilayers with the presence of ceramide-enriched platforms, indicating that that generation of ceramide in cells drastically alters the structural organization and the mechanical property of biological membranes.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries

Related Publications

Ruby May A Sullan, and James K Li, and Shan Zou
December 2005, Biochimica et biophysica acta,
Ruby May A Sullan, and James K Li, and Shan Zou
February 2006, Biophysical journal,
Ruby May A Sullan, and James K Li, and Shan Zou
January 2007, Progress in lipid research,
Ruby May A Sullan, and James K Li, and Shan Zou
January 2009, Biochimica et biophysica acta,
Ruby May A Sullan, and James K Li, and Shan Zou
January 2021, Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.),
Ruby May A Sullan, and James K Li, and Shan Zou
January 2008, Sub-cellular biochemistry,
Ruby May A Sullan, and James K Li, and Shan Zou
March 2005, FEBS letters,
Ruby May A Sullan, and James K Li, and Shan Zou
September 2009, The journal of physical chemistry. B,
Ruby May A Sullan, and James K Li, and Shan Zou
January 2005, Biophysical journal,
Copied contents to your clipboard!