Lipid phase separation in the presence of hydrocarbons in giant unilamellar vesicles

Rianne Bartelds; Jonathan Barnoud; Arnold J. Boersma; Siewert J. Marrink; Bert Poolman; Rianne Bartelds; Jonathan Barnoud; Arnold J. Boersma; Siewert J. Marrink; Bert Poolman

doi:10.3934/biophy.2017.4.528

AIMS Biophysics

2017, Volume 4, Issue 4: 528-542. doi: 10.3934/biophy.2017.4.528

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Research article

Lipid phase separation in the presence of hydrocarbons in giant unilamellar vesicles

Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands

Received: 24 July 2017 Accepted: 22 August 2017 Published: 29 August 2017

Hydrophobic hydrocarbons are absorbed by cell membranes. The effects of hydrocarbons on biological membranes have been studied extensively, but less is known how these compounds affect lipid phase separation. Here, we show that pyrene and pyrene-like hydrocarbons can dissipate lipid domains in phase separating giant unilamellar vesicles at room temperature. In contrast, related aromatic compounds left the phase separation intact, even at high concentration. We hypothesize that this behavior is because pyrene and related compounds lack preference for either the liquid-ordered (L_o) or liquid-disordered (L_d) phase, while larger molecules prefer L_o, and smaller, less hydrophobic molecules prefer L_d. In addition, our data suggest that localization in the bilayer (depth) and the shape of the molecules might contribute to the effects of the aromatic compounds. Localization and shape of pyrene and related compounds are similar to cholesterol and therefore these molecules could behave as such.
- biological membranes,
- lipid phase separation,
- unilamellar vesicles,
- hydrocarbons,
- membrane partitioning,
- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,
- fluorescence microscopy
Citation: Rianne Bartelds, Jonathan Barnoud, Arnold J. Boersma, Siewert J. Marrink, Bert Poolman. Lipid phase separation in the presence of hydrocarbons in giant unilamellar vesicles[J]. AIMS Biophysics, 2017, 4(4): 528-542. doi: 10.3934/biophy.2017.4.528

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Abstract

Hydrophobic hydrocarbons are absorbed by cell membranes. The effects of hydrocarbons on biological membranes have been studied extensively, but less is known how these compounds affect lipid phase separation. Here, we show that pyrene and pyrene-like hydrocarbons can dissipate lipid domains in phase separating giant unilamellar vesicles at room temperature. In contrast, related aromatic compounds left the phase separation intact, even at high concentration. We hypothesize that this behavior is because pyrene and related compounds lack preference for either the liquid-ordered (L_o) or liquid-disordered (L_d) phase, while larger molecules prefer L_o, and smaller, less hydrophobic molecules prefer L_d. In addition, our data suggest that localization in the bilayer (depth) and the shape of the molecules might contribute to the effects of the aromatic compounds. Localization and shape of pyrene and related compounds are similar to cholesterol and therefore these molecules could behave as such.

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