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The influence of sterols on the sensitivity of lipid bilayers to melittin. 1995

A M Feigin, and J H Teeter, and J G Brand
Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3308, USA.

The sensitivity of planar lipid bilayers to the permeabalizing effect of melittin was evaluated when sterols of varying structure were incorporated into the membrane. The addition of increasing amount of cholesterol (0-50 mole %) decreased the sensitivity of membranes formed from negatively charged phospholipids to melittin but did not (in amount of up to 66 mole %) change the sensitivity of membranes formed from zwitterionic lipids. 7-Dehydrocholesterol, stigmasterol and ergosterol had the same ability as that of cholesterol to decrease the membrane sensitivity to melittin, while lanosterol had no effect on the sensitivity of membranes to melittin. The results suggest that the effect of sterols is complex and cannot be explained only by a direct interaction of melittin with cholesterol, by a decrease of membrane fluidity, or by changes in distribution of surface charge.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007700 Kinetics The rate dynamics in chemical or physical systems.
D008051 Lipid Bilayers Layers of lipid molecules which are two molecules thick. Bilayer systems are frequently studied as models of biological membranes. Bilayers, Lipid,Bilayer, Lipid,Lipid Bilayer
D008555 Melitten Basic polypeptide from the venom of the honey bee (Apis mellifera). It contains 26 amino acids, has cytolytic properties, causes contracture of muscle, releases histamine, and disrupts surface tension, probably due to lysis of cell and mitochondrial membranes. Melittin,Mellitin
D002784 Cholesterol The principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in animal fats and oils. Epicholesterol
D012680 Sensitivity and Specificity Binary classification measures to assess test results. Sensitivity or recall rate is the proportion of true positives. Specificity is the probability of correctly determining the absence of a condition. (From Last, Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2d ed) Specificity,Sensitivity,Specificity and Sensitivity
D013261 Sterols Steroids with a hydroxyl group at C-3 and most of the skeleton of cholestane. Additional carbon atoms may be present in the side chain. (IUPAC Steroid Nomenclature, 1987) Sterol
D013329 Structure-Activity Relationship The relationship between the chemical structure of a compound and its biological or pharmacological activity. Compounds are often classed together because they have structural characteristics in common including shape, size, stereochemical arrangement, and distribution of functional groups. Relationship, Structure-Activity,Relationships, Structure-Activity,Structure Activity Relationship,Structure-Activity Relationships

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