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Sample records for membrane phospholipid fatty

  1. [Peculiarities of the phospholipid and fatty acid composition of erythrocyte plasma membranes of the Black Sea fish].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silkin, Iu A; Silkina, E N; Zabelinskiĭ, S A

    2012-01-01

    The phospholipid and the fatty acid composition of the main phospholipids families of erythrocyte plasma membranes was studied in two species of cartilaginous fish: the common thrasher (Raja clavata L.) and the common stingray (Dasyatis pastinaca) and three bony fish species: the scorpion fish (Scorpaena porcus L.), the smarida (Spicara flexuosa Raf.), and the horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus ponticus Aleev). It was shown that in the studied fish, 70.0-80.0 % of all membrane phospholipids were composed of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. Phosphatidylserine, monophosphoinositide, and sphingomyelin were minor components whose content in the erythrocyte membrane fluctuated from 3.0 % to 13.0 %. The fatty acid phospholipids composition was represented by a large specter of acids. From saturated acids, basic for plasma membranes are palmitic (C16: 0) and stearic (C18: 0) acids. From unsaturated acids, the larger part belong to mono-, tetra-, penta-, and hexaenoic acids in fish phospholipids. The calculation of the double bond index and of the unsaturation coefficient showed difference in the deformation ability of erythrocyte membranes of the studied fish.

  2. Sequestration of polyunsaturated fatty acids in membrane phospholipids of Caenorhabditis elegans dauer larva attenuates eicosanoid biosynthesis for prolonged survival

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sin Man Lam

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Mechanistic basis governing the extreme longevity and developmental quiescence of dauer juvenile, a “non-ageing” developmental variant of Caenorhabditis elegans, has remained largely obscure. Using a lipidomic approach comprising multiple reaction monitoring transitions specific to distinct fatty acyl moieties, we demonstrated that in comparison to other developmental stages, the membrane phospholipids of dauer larva contain a unique enrichment of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs. Esterified PUFAs in phospholipids exhibited temporal accumulation throughout the course of dauer endurance, followed by sharp reductions prior to termination of diapause. Reductions in esterified PUFAs were accompanied by concomitant increases in unbound PUFAs, as well as their corresponding downstream oxidized derivatives (i.e. eicosanoids. Global phospholipidomics has unveiled that PUFA sequestration in membrane phospholipids denotes an essential aspect of dauer dormancy, principally via suppression of eicosanoid production; and a failure to upkeep membrane lipid homeostasis is associated with termination of dauer endurance. Keywords: Dauer larva, Phospholipids, Polyunsaturated fatty acids, Eicosanoids, Lipidomics, Caenorhabditis elegans

  3. Eccentric contractions affect muscle membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition in rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Helge, Jørn Wulff; Therkildsen, K J; Jørgensen, T B

    2001-01-01

    This study investigated if prior eccentric contractions, and thus mechanical strain and muscle damage, exert an effect on the muscle membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition in rats, and whether a possible effect could be attenuated by dietary supplements. Twenty-three rats were randomised...... muscle, was excised from both legs. In the muscles stimulated to contract eccentrically, compared to the control muscles, the proportion of arachidonic acid, C20:4,n-6 (17.7 +/- 0.6; 16.4 +/- 0.4% of total fatty acids, respectively) and docosapentanoeic acid, C22:5,n-3 (2.9 +/- 0.1 and 2.7 +/- 0.......1% of total fatty acids, respectively) was uniformly higher across groups (P fatty acids) compared to the control leg (38.2 +/- 0...

  4. Protein-membrane interaction and fatty acid transfer from intestinal fatty acid-binding protein to membranes. Support for a multistep process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falomir-Lockhart, Lisandro J; Laborde, Lisandro; Kahn, Peter C; Storch, Judith; Córsico, Betina

    2006-05-19

    Fatty acid transfer from intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (IFABP) to phospholipid membranes occurs during protein-membrane collisions. Electrostatic interactions involving the alpha-helical "portal" region of the protein have been shown to be of great importance. In the present study, the role of specific lysine residues in the alpha-helical region of IFABP was directly examined. A series of point mutants in rat IFABP was engineered in which the lysine positive charges in this domain were eliminated or reversed. Using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay, we analyzed the rates and mechanism of fatty acid transfer from wild type and mutant proteins to acceptor membranes. Most of the alpha-helical domain mutants showed slower absolute fatty acid transfer rates to zwitterionic membranes, with substitution of one of the lysines of the alpha2 helix, Lys27, resulting in a particularly dramatic decrease in the fatty acid transfer rate. Sensitivity to negatively charged phospholipid membranes was also reduced, with charge reversal mutants in the alpha2 helix the most affected. The results support the hypothesis that the portal region undergoes a conformational change during protein-membrane interaction, which leads to release of the bound fatty acid to the membrane and that the alpha2 segment is of particular importance in the establishment of charge-charge interactions between IFABP and membranes. Cross-linking experiments with a phospholipid-photoactivable reagent underscored the importance of charge-charge interactions, showing that the physical interaction between wild-type intestinal fatty acid-binding protein and phospholipid membranes is enhanced by electrostatic interactions. Protein-membrane interactions were also found to be enhanced by the presence of ligand, suggesting different collisional complex structures for holo- and apo-IFABP.

  5. Characterization of phospholipid composition and its control in the plasma membrane of developing soybean root

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whitman, C.E.

    1985-01-01

    The phospholipid composition of plasma membrane enriched fractions from developing soybean root and several mechanisms which may regulate it have been examined. Plasma membrane vesicles were isolated from meristematic and mature sections of four-day-old dark grown soybean roots (Glycine max [L.] Merr. Cult. Wells II). Analysis of lipid extracts revealed two major phospholipid classes: phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. Minor phospholipid classes were phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylgylcerol and diphosphatidylgylcerol. Phospholipid composition was similar at each developmental stage. Fatty acids of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine were 16:0, 18:0, 18:2, and 18:3. Fatty acid composition varied with both phospholipid class and the developmental stage of the root. The degradation of phosphatidylcholine by endogenous phospholipase D during membrane isolation indicated that this enzyme might be involved in phospholipid turnover within the membrane. Phospholipase D activity was heat labile and increasing the pH of the enzyme assay from 5.3 to 7.8 resulted in 90% inhibition of activity. The turnover of fatty acids within the phospholipids of the plasma membrane was studied. Mature root sections were incubated with [1- 14 C] acetate, 1 mM Na acetate and 50 μg/ml chloramphenicol. Membrane lipid extracts analyzed for phospholipid class and acyl chain composition revealed that the long incubation times did not alter the phospholipid composition of the plasma membrane enriched fraction

  6. Plasma and erythrocyte membrane phospholipids and fatty acids in Italian general population and hemodialysis patients.

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    Dessì, Mariarita; Noce, Annalisa; Bertucci, Pierfrancesco; Noce, Gianluca; Rizza, Stefano; De Stefano, Alessandro; Manca di Villahermosa, Simone; Bernardini, Sergio; De Lorenzo, Antonino; Di Daniele, Nicola

    2014-03-21

    Dyslipidemia and abnormal phospholipid metabolism are frequent in uremic patients and increase their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD): ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may reduce this risk in the general population. In this study we compared the plasma and erythrocyte cell membrane composition of PUFAs in a group of Caucasian hemodialysis (HD) patients and in a control group of healthy subjects and evaluated the erythrocyte/cell membrane fatty acid ratio as a marker of the dietary intake of phospholipids. The relationship between ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids and the possible differences in PUFAs concentrations were also investigated. After obtaining a fully informed consent, a total of ninety-nine HD patients and 160 non uremic control subjects from "Tor Vergata" University Hospital were enrolled into the study. None of them took antioxidant drugs or dietary supplements for at least 90 days prior to the observation. Blood samples were analysed by gas-chromatographic coupled to a mass spectrometric detector.The daily intake of total calories, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates is significantly lower in HD patients than in controls (p HD patients (p HD patients, due to the removal of nutrients during the dialysis and to persistent malnutrition. A dietary treatment addressed to increase plasma ω-3 PUFAs and to optimize ω-6/ω-3 ratio may exert a protective action and reduce the risk of CVD in HD patient.

  7. Metabolism of fatty acids in rat brain in microsomal membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aeberhard, E.E.; Gan-Elepano, M.; Mead, J.F.

    1980-01-01

    Using a technique in which substrate fatty acids are incorporated into microsomal membranes followd by comparison of their rates of desaturation or elongation with those of exogenous added fatty acids it has been found that the desaturation rate is more rapid for the membrane-bound substrate than for the added fatty acid. Moreover, the product of the membrane-bound substrate is incorporated into membrane phospholipid whereas the product of the exogenous substrate is found in di- and triacyl glycerols and in free fatty acids as well. These and other findings point to a normal sequence of reaction of membrane liqids with membrane-bound substrates involving transfer of fatty acid from phospholipid to the coupled enzyme systems without ready equilibration with the free fatty acid pool

  8. Training affects muscle phospholipid fatty acid composition in humans

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Helge, Jørn Wulff; Wu, B J; Willer, Mette

    2001-01-01

    on the muscle membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition in humans. Seven male subjects performed endurance training of the knee extensors of one leg for 4 wk. The other leg served as a control. Before, after 4 days, and after 4 wk, muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis. After 4 wk......, the phospholipid fatty acid contents of oleic acid 18:1(n-9) and docosahexaenoic acid 22:6(n-3) were significantly higher in the trained (10.9 +/- 0.5% and 3.2 +/- 0.4% of total fatty acids, respectively) than the untrained leg (8.8 +/- 0.5% and 2.6 +/- 0.4%, P fatty acids...... was significantly lower in the trained (11.1 +/- 0.9) than the untrained leg (13.1 +/- 1.2, P fatty acid composition. Citrate synthase activity was increased by 17% in the trained compared with the untrained leg (P

  9. Effect of polyunsaturated fatty acids and phospholipids on [3H]-vitamin E incorporation into pulmonary artery endothelial cell membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sekharam, K.M.; Patel, J.M.; Block, E.R.

    1990-01-01

    Vitamin E, a dietary antioxidant, is presumed to be incorporated into the lipid bilayer of biological membranes to an extent proportional to the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids or phospholipids in the membrane. In the present study we evaluated the distribution of incorporated polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in various membranes of pulmonary artery endothelial cells. We also studied whether incorporation of PUFA or PE is responsible for increased incorporation of [3H]-vitamin E into the membranes of these cells. Following a 24-hr incubation with linoleic acid (18:2), 18:2 was increased by 6.9-, 9.2-, and 13.2-fold in plasma, mitochondrial, and microsomal membranes, respectively. Incorporation of 18:2 caused significant increases in the unsaturation indexes of mitochondrial and microsomal polyunsaturated fatty acyl chains (P less than .01 versus control in both membranes). Incubation with arachidonic acid (20:4) for 24 hr resulted in 1.5-, 2.3-, and 2.4-fold increases in 20:4 in plasma, mitochondrial, and microsomal membranes, respectively. The unsaturation indexes of polyunsaturated fatty acyl chains of mitochondrial and microsomal membranes also increased (P less than .01 versus control in both membranes). Although incubations with 18:2 or 20:4 resulted in several-fold increases in membrane 18:2 or 20:4 fatty acids, incorporation of [3H]-vitamin E into these membranes was similar to that in controls. Following a 24-hr incubation with PE, membrane PE content was significantly increased, and [3H]-vitamin E incorporation was also increased to a comparable degree, i.e., plasma membrane greater than mitochondria greater than microsomes. Endogenous vitamin E content of the cells was not altered because of increased incorporation of PE and [3H]-vitamin E

  10. Effects of Chain Length and Saturability of Fatty Acids on Phospholipids and Proteins in Plasma Membranes of Bovine Mammary Gland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Qiongxian; Tang, Shaoxun; Han, Xuefeng; Bamikole, Musibau Adungbe; Zhou, Chuanshe; Kang, Jinhe; Wang, Min; Tan, Zhiliang

    2016-12-01

    Free fatty acids (FFAs) in plasma are essential substrates for de novo synthesis of milk fat, or directly import into mammary cells. The physico-chemical properties of mammary cells membrane composition affected by FFAs with different chain lengths and saturability are unclear yet. Employing GC, FTIR and fluorescence spectroscopy, the adsorption capacity, phospholipids content, membrane proteins conformation, lipid peroxidation product, and free sulfhydryl of plasma membranes (PMs) interacted with different FFAs were determined. The mammary cells PMs at 38 and 39.5 °C showed different adsorption capacities: acetic acid (Ac) > stearic acid (SA) > β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) > trans10, cis12 CLA. In the FTIR spectrum, the major adsorption peaks appeared at 2920 and 2850 cm -1 for phospholipids, and at 1628 and 1560 cm -1 for membrane proteins. The intensities of PMs-FFAs complexes were varied with the FFAs species and their initial concentrations. The β-sheet and turn structures of membrane proteins were transferred into random coil and α-helix after BHBA, SA and trans10, cis12 CLA treatments compared with Ac treatment. The quenching effects on the fluorescence of endogenous membrane protein, 1, 8-ANS, NBD-PE, and DHPE entrapped in PMs by LCFA were different from those of short chain FFAs. These results indicate that the adsorption of FFAs could change membrane protein conformation and polarity of head group in phospholipids. This variation of the mammary cells PMs was regulated by carbon chain length and saturability of FFAs.

  11. Saturated fatty acid in the phospholipid monolayer contributes to the formation of large lipid droplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arisawa, Kotoko; Mitsudome, Haruka; Yoshida, Konomi; Sugimoto, Shizuka; Ishikawa, Tomoko; Fujiwara, Yoko; Ichi, Ikuyo

    2016-01-01

    The degree of saturation of fatty acid chains in the bilayer membrane structure is known to control membrane fluidity and packing density. However, the significance of fatty acid composition in the monolayers of lipid droplets (LDs) has not been elucidated. In this study, we noted a relationship between the size of LDs and the fatty acid composition of the monolayer. To obtain large LDs, we generated NIH3T3 cells overexpressing fat-specific protein 27 (FSP27). This induced the fusion of LDs, resulting in larger LDs in FSP27-overexpressing cells compared with LDs in control cells. Moreover, the lipid extracts of LDs from FSP27-overexpressing cells reconstituted large-droplet emulsions in vitro, implying that the lipid properties of LDs might affect the size of LDs. FSP27-overexpressing cells had more saturated fatty acids in the phospholipid monolayer of the LDs compared with control cells. To further investigate the effects of the degree of phospholipid unsaturation on the size of LDs, we synthesized artificial emulsions of a lipid mixed with distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC, diC18:0-PC) and with dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC, diC18:1n-9-PC) and compared the sizes of the resulting LDs. The emulsions prepared from saturated PC had larger droplets than those prepared from unsaturated PC. Our results suggest that saturated fatty acid chains in phospholipid monolayers might establish the form and/or stability of large LDs. - Highlights: • The lipid extracts of larger LDs from FSP27 cells reconstructed large-droplet emulsions. • Isolated LDs from FSP27 cells had more saturated fatty acids in the phospholipid monolayer compared with the control. • Saturated fatty acids in the phospholipid monolayer are a factor in the formation of large emulsions.

  12. Relationship between red cell membrane fatty acids and adipokines in individuals with varying insulin sensitivity.

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    Min, Y; Lowy, C; Islam, S; Khan, F S; Swaminathan, R

    2011-06-01

    Plasma leptin and adiponectin, and membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition are implicated into the mechanism of insulin resistance but no clear pattern has emerged. Hence, this study examined these variables in subjects presenting to the diabetic clinic for a diagnostic glucose tolerance test. Body composition, glucose, glycated hemoglobin, insulin, leptin, adiponectin, and red cell and plasma phospholipid fatty acids were assessed from 42 normal and 28 impaired glucose tolerant subjects. Insulin sensitivity was determined by homeostatic model assessment. The plasma phosphatidylcholine fatty acid composition of the impaired glucose tolerant subjects was similar to that of normal subjects. However, the impaired glucose tolerant subjects had significantly lower linoleic (Pphosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine compared with the normal subjects. Moreover, red cell phosphatidylcholine docosahexaenoic acid correlated positively with adiponectin (r=0.290, Pinsulin (r=-0.335, Pinsulin resistance (r=-0.322, Pinsulin level whereas insulin was the only component that predicted the membrane fatty acids. We postulate that membrane phospholipids fatty acids have an indirect role in determining insulin concentration but insulin has a major role in determining membrane fatty acid composition.

  13. Fatty Acids in Membranes as Homeostatic, Metabolic and Nutritional Biomarkers: Recent Advancements in Analytics and Diagnostics

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    Carla Ferreri

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Fatty acids, as structural components of membranes and inflammation/anti-inflammatory mediators, have well-known protective and regulatory effects. They are studied as biomarkers of pathological conditions, as well as saturated and unsaturated hydrophobic moieties in membrane phospholipids that contribute to homeostasis and physiological functions. Lifestyle, nutrition, metabolism and stress—with an excess of radical and oxidative processes—cause fatty acid changes that are examined in the human body using blood lipids. Fatty acid-based membrane lipidomics represents a powerful diagnostic tool for assessing the quantity and quality of fatty acid constituents and also for the follow-up of the membrane fatty acid remodeling that is associated with different physiological and pathological conditions. This review focuses on fatty acid biomarkers with two examples of recent lipidomic research and health applications: (i monounsaturated fatty acids and the analytical challenge offered by hexadecenoic fatty acids (C16:1; and (ii the cohort of 10 fatty acids in phospholipids of red blood cell membranes and its connections to metabolic and nutritional status in healthy and diseased subjects.

  14. Bacillus subtilis alters the proportion of major membrane phospholipids in response to surfactin exposure.

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    Uttlová, Petra; Pinkas, Dominik; Bechyňková, Olga; Fišer, Radovan; Svobodová, Jaroslava; Seydlová, Gabriela

    2016-12-01

    Surfactin, an anionic lipopeptide produced by Bacillus subtilis, is an antimicrobial that targets the cytoplasmic membrane. Nowadays it appears increasingly apparent that the mechanism of resistance against these types of antibiotics consists of target site modification. This prompted us to investigate whether the surfactin non-producing strain B. subtilis 168 changes its membrane composition in response to a sublethal surfactin concentration. Here we show that the exposure of B. subtilis to surfactin at concentrations of 350 and 650 μg/ml (designated as SF350 and SF650, respectively) leads to a concentration-dependent growth arrest followed by regrowth with an altered growth rate. Analysis of the membrane lipid composition revealed modifications both in the polar head group and the fatty acid region. The presence of either surfactin concentration resulted in a reduction in the content of the major membrane phospholipid phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and increase in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), which was accompanied by elevated levels of phosphatidic acid (PA) in SF350 cultures. The fatty acid analysis of SF350 cells showed a marked increase in non-branched high-melting fatty acids, which lowered the fluidity of the membrane interior measured as the steady-state fluorescence anisotropy of DPH. The liposome leakage of carboxyfluorescein-loaded vesicles resembling the phospholipid composition of surfactin-adapted cells showed that the susceptibility to surfactin-induced leakage is strongly reduced when the PG/PE ratio decreases and/or PA is included in the target bilayer. We concluded that the modifications of the phospholipid content of B. subtilis cells might provide a self-tolerance of the membrane active surfactin. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Changes in the Fatty Acid Profile and Phospholipid Molecular Species Composition of Human Erythrocyte Membranes after Hybrid Palm and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Supplementation.

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    Pacetti, D; Gagliardi, R; Balzano, M; Frega, N G; Ojeda, M L; Borrero, M; Ruiz, A; Lucci, P

    2016-07-13

    This work aims to evaluate and compare, for the first time, the effects of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and hybrid palm oil (HPO) supplementation on the fatty acid profile and phospholipid (PL) molecular species composition of human erythrocyte membranes. Results supported the effectiveness of both HPO and EVOO supplementation (3 months, 25 mL/day) in decreasing the lipophilic index of erythrocytes with no significant differences between HPO and EVOO groups at month 3. On the other hand, the novel and rapid ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method used for PL analysis reveals an increase in the levels of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine species esterified with polyunsaturated fatty acids. This work demonstrates the ability of both EVOO and HPO to increase the degree of unsaturation of erythrocyte membrane lipids with an improvement in membrane fluidity that could be associated with a lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

  16. Quantification of fatty acids as methyl esters and phospholipids in cheese samples after separation of triacylglycerides and phospholipids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hauff, Simone; Vetter, Walter

    2009-03-23

    Determination of the individual fatty acid composition of neutral- and phospholipids as well as the phospholipid content of dairy food and other foodstuffs are important tasks in life sciences. For these purposes, a method was developed for the separation of lipids (standards of triolein and diacylphosphatidylcholines as well as three cheese samples) by solid-phase extraction using a self-packed column filled with partly deactivated silica. Non-halogenated solvents were used for the elution of the lipid classes. Cyclohexane/ethyl acetate (1:1, v/v) served for the elution of neutral lipids, while polar lipids were eluted with three solvents (ethyl acetate/methanol, methanol, and methanol/water) into one fraction. The separated lipid fractions were transesterified and the individual fatty acids were quantified by using gas chromatography coupled to electron ionization mass spectrometry (GC/EI-MS) in the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The recovery rate for standard phosphatidylcholines was approximately 90% and cross-contamination from neutral lipids was negligible. The method was applied to cheese samples. Quantitative amounts of individual fatty acids in the phospholipid fraction were camembert, cheese. Differences in the fatty acid pattern of neutral and polar lipids were detected. The quantity of the fatty acids determined in the phospholipid fraction was divided by the factor 0.7 in order to convert the fatty acid content into the phospholipid content of the cheese samples. This factor is based on the contribution of 16:0 to dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC). The resulting DPPC equivalents (DPPC(eq)) were found to be representative for the average contribution of fatty acids to all classes of phospholipids in dairy products. Using this approach, the phospholipid content of lipids from mozzarella, camembert, and goat cream cheese was 0.60%, 1.42% and 0.79%, respectively.

  17. Exogenous Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Impact Membrane Remodeling and Affect Virulence Phenotypes among Pathogenic Vibrio Species.

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    Moravec, Anna R; Siv, Andrew W; Hobby, Chelsea R; Lindsay, Emily N; Norbash, Layla V; Shults, Daniel J; Symes, Steven J K; Giles, David K

    2017-11-15

    The pathogenic Vibrio species ( V. cholerae , V. parahaemolyticus , and V. vulnificus ) represent a constant threat to human health, causing foodborne and skin wound infections as a result of ingestion of or exposure to contaminated water and seafood. Recent studies have highlighted Vibrio 's ability to acquire fatty acids from environmental sources and assimilate them into cell membranes. The possession and conservation of such machinery provokes consideration of fatty acids as important factors in the pathogenic lifestyle of Vibrio species. The findings here link exogenous fatty acid exposure to changes in bacterial membrane phospholipid structure, permeability, phenotypes associated with virulence, and consequent stress responses that may impact survival and persistence of pathogenic Vibrio species. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (ranging in carbon length and unsaturation) supplied in growth medium were assimilated into bacterial phospholipids, as determined by thin-layer chromatography and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The incorporation of fatty acids variably affected membrane permeability, as judged by uptake of the hydrophobic compound crystal violet. For each species, certain fatty acids were identified as affecting resistance to antimicrobial peptide treatment. Significant fluctuations were observed with regard to both motility and biofilm formation following growth in the presence of individual PUFAs. Our results illustrate the important and complex roles of exogenous fatty acids in the membrane physiology and virulence of a bacterial genus that inhabits aquatic and host environments containing an abundance of diverse fatty acids. IMPORTANCE Bacterial responses to fatty acids include, but are not limited to, degradation for metabolic gain, modification of membrane lipids, alteration of protein function, and regulation of gene expression. Vibrio species exhibit significant diversity with regard to the machinery known to participate in the

  18. Quantification of fatty acids as methyl esters and phospholipids in cheese samples after separation of triacylglycerides and phospholipids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hauff, Simone [University of Hohenheim, Institute of Food Chemistry, Garbenstrasse 28, D-70599 Stuttgart (Germany); Vetter, Walter [University of Hohenheim, Institute of Food Chemistry, Garbenstrasse 28, D-70599 Stuttgart (Germany)], E-mail: w-vetter@uni-hohenheim.de

    2009-03-23

    Determination of the individual fatty acid composition of neutral- and phospholipids as well as the phospholipid content of dairy food and other foodstuffs are important tasks in life sciences. For these purposes, a method was developed for the separation of lipids (standards of triolein and diacylphosphatidylcholines as well as three cheese samples) by solid-phase extraction using a self-packed column filled with partly deactivated silica. Non-halogenated solvents were used for the elution of the lipid classes. Cyclohexane/ethyl acetate (1:1, v/v) served for the elution of neutral lipids, while polar lipids were eluted with three solvents (ethyl acetate/methanol, methanol, and methanol/water) into one fraction. The separated lipid fractions were transesterified and the individual fatty acids were quantified by using gas chromatography coupled to electron ionization mass spectrometry (GC/EI-MS) in the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The recovery rate for standard phosphatidylcholines was {approx}90% and cross-contamination from neutral lipids was negligible. The method was applied to cheese samples. Quantitative amounts of individual fatty acids in the phospholipid fraction were <0.002-0.29% of total lipids from camembert, <0.002-0.12% of total lipids from mozzarella, and <0.002-0.18% of total lipids in a goat cream cheese. Differences in the fatty acid pattern of neutral and polar lipids were detected. The quantity of the fatty acids determined in the phospholipid fraction was divided by the factor 0.7 in order to convert the fatty acid content into the phospholipid content of the cheese samples. This factor is based on the contribution of 16:0 to dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC). The resulting DPPC equivalents (DPPC{sub eq}) were found to be representative for the average contribution of fatty acids to all classes of phospholipids in dairy products. Using this approach, the phospholipid content of lipids from mozzarella, camembert, and goat cream cheese

  19. Morphological and physical analysis of natural phospholipids-based biomembranes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrien Jacquot

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Liposomes are currently an important part of biological, pharmaceutical, medical and nutritional research, as they are considered to be among the most effective carriers for the introduction of various types of bioactive agents into target cells. SCOPE OF REVIEW: In this work, we study the lipid organization and mechanical properties of biomembranes made of marine and plant phospholipids. Membranes based on phospholipids extracted from rapeseed and salmon are studied in the form of liposome and as supported lipid bilayer. Dioleylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC are used as references to determine the lipid organization of marine and plant phospholipid based membranes. Atomic force microscopy (AFM imaging and force spectroscopy measurements are performed to investigate the membranes' topography at the micrometer scale and to determine their mechanical properties. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: The mechanical properties of the membranes are correlated to the fatty acid composition, the morphology, the electrophoretic mobility and the membrane fluidity. Thus, soft and homogeneous mechanical properties are evidenced for salmon phospholipids membrane containing various polyunsaturated fatty acids. Besides, phase segregation in rapeseed membrane and more important mechanical properties were emphasized for this type of membranes by contrast to the marine phospholipids based membranes. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: This paper provides new information on the nanomechanical and morphological properties of membrane in form of liposome by AFM. The originality of this work is to characterize the physico-chemical properties of the nanoliposome from the natural sources containing various fatty acids and polar head.

  20. Growth and instability of a phospholipid vesicle in a bath of fatty acids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dervaux, J.; Noireaux, V.; Libchaber, A. J.

    2017-06-01

    Using a microfluidic trap, we study the behavior of individual phospholipid vesicles in contact with fatty acids. We show that spontaneous fatty acids insertion inside the bilayer is controlled by the vesicle size, osmotic pressure difference across the membrane and fatty acids concentration in the external bath. Depending on these parameters, vesicles can grow spherically or become unstable and fragment into several daughter vesicles. We establish the phase diagram for vesicle growth and we derive a simple thermodynamic model that reproduces the time evolution of the vesicle volume. Finally, we show that stable growth can be achieved on an artificial cell expressing a simple set of bacterial cytoskeletal proteins, paving the way toward artificial cell reproduction.

  1. Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Erythrocyte Membrane in Diabetic Rats

    OpenAIRE

    Hussein, Jihan; Mostafa, Ehab; El-Waseef, Maha; El-Khayat, Zakarya; Badawy, Ehsan; Medhat, Dalia

    2011-01-01

    Background: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease characterized by chronic hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, almost always with a major contribution from insulin resistance which may be affected by cell membrane fatty acids and phospholipids fractions.Aim: To evaluate the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on erythrocyte membrane and also in decreasing oxidative stress in diabetic rats.Material and Methods: Sixty healthy male albino rats weighting 180-200 g divided int...

  2. Fatty acid composition of total lipids and phospholipids of muscular tissue and brain of rats under the impact of vibration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. M. Kostyshyn

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Fatty acids are important structural components of biological membranes, energy substrate of cells involved in fixing phospholipid bilayer proteins, and acting as regulators and modulators of enzymatic activity. Under the impact of vibration oscillations there can occur shifts in the ratio of different groups of fatty acids, and degrees of their saturation may change. The imbalance between saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which occurs later in the cell wall, disrupts fluidity and viscosity of lipid phase and causes abnormal cellular metabolism. Aim. In order to study the impact of vibration on the level of fatty acids of total lipids in muscular tissue and fatty acid composition of phospholipids in muscles and brain, experimental animals have been exposed to vertical vibration oscillations with different frequency for 28 days. Methods and results. Tissues fragments of hip quadriceps and brain of rats were used for obtaining methyl esters of fatty acids studied by the method of gas-liquid chromatography. It was found that the lipid content, ratio of its separate factions and fatty acid composition in muscular tissue and brain of animals with the action of vibration considerably varies. With the increase of vibration acceleration tendency to increase in absolute quantity of total lipids fatty acids can be observed at the account of increased level of saturated and monounsaturated ones. These processes are caused by activation of self-defense mechanisms of the body under the conditions of deviations from stabilized physiological norm, since adaptation requires certain structural and energy costs. Increase in the relative quantity of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids in phospholipids of muscles and brain and simultaneous reduction in concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids are observed. Conclusion. These changes indicate worsening of structural and functional organization of muscles and brain cell membranes of

  3. Interaction of abscisic acid with phospholipid membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stillwell, W.; Brengle, B.; Hester, P.; Wassall, S.T.

    1989-01-01

    The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) is shown, under certain conditions, to greatly enhance the permeability of phospholipid bilayer membranes to the nonelectrolyte erythritol (followed spectrophotometrically by osmotic swelling) and the anion carboxyfluorescein (followed by fluorescence). The hormone is ineffective with single- and mixed-component phosphatidylcholine membranes in the liquid-crystalline or gel states. In contrast, substantial ABA-induced permeability is measured for two-component membranes containing lipids with different polar head groups or containing phosphatidylcholines with different acyl chains at temperatures where gel and liquid-crystalline phases coexist. Despite the large ABA-induced enhancement in bilayer permeability, no evidence for a substantial change at the molecular level was seen in the membranes by magnetic resonance techniques. 13 C NMR spin-lattice relaxation times, T 1 , in sonicated unilamellar vesicles and ESR of spin-labeled fatty acids intercalated into membranes showed negligible effect on acyl chain order and dynamics within the bilayer, while 31 P NMR of sonicated unilamellar vesicles indicated negligible effect on molecular motion and conformation in the head-group region. The authors propose that, instead of causing a general nonspecific perturbation to the membrane, the hormone acts at membrane defects formed due to mismatch in molecular packing where two different head groups or acyl chain states interface. Increased membrane disruption by ABA at these points of membrane instability could then produce an enhancement in permeability

  4. Improved mitochondrial function with diet-induced increase in either docosahexaenoic acid or arachidonic acid in membrane phospholipids.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramzi J Khairallah

    Full Text Available Mitochondria can depolarize and trigger cell death through the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP. We recently showed that an increase in the long chain n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n3 and depletion of the n6 PUFA arachidonic acid (ARA; 20:4n6 in mitochondrial membranes is associated with a greater Ca(2+ load required to induce MPTP opening. Here we manipulated mitochondrial phospholipid composition by supplementing the diet with DHA, ARA or combined DHA+ARA in rats for 10 weeks. There were no effects on cardiac function, or respiration of isolated mitochondria. Analysis of mitochondrial phospholipids showed DHA supplementation increased DHA and displaced ARA in mitochondrial membranes, while supplementation with ARA or DHA+ARA increased ARA and depleted linoleic acid (18:2n6. Phospholipid analysis revealed a similar pattern, particularly in cardiolipin. Tetralinoleoyl cardiolipin was depleted by 80% with ARA or DHA+ARA supplementation, with linoleic acid side chains replaced by ARA. Both the DHA and ARA groups had delayed Ca(2+-induced MPTP opening, but the DHA+ARA group was similar to the control diet. In conclusion, alterations in mitochondria membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition caused by dietary DHA or ARA was associated with a greater cumulative Ca(2+ load required to induced MPTP opening. Further, high levels of tetralinoleoyl cardiolipin were not essential for normal mitochondrial function if replaced with very-long chain n3 or n6 PUFAs.

  5. Identification of unusual phospholipid fatty acyl compositions of Acanthamoeba castellanii.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marta Palusinska-Szysz

    Full Text Available Acanthamoeba are opportunistic protozoan pathogens that may lead to sight-threatening keratitis and fatal granulomatous encephalitis. The successful prognosis requires early diagnosis and differentiation of pathogenic Acanthamoeba followed by aggressive treatment regimen. The plasma membrane of Acanthamoeba consists of 25% phospholipids (PL. The presence of C20 and, recently reported, 28- and 30-carbon fatty acyl residues is characteristic of amoeba PL. A detailed knowledge about this unusual PL composition could help to differentiate Acanthamoeba from other parasites, e.g. bacteria and develop more efficient treatment strategies. Therefore, the detailed PL composition of Acanthamoeba castellanii was investigated by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, thin-layer chromatography, gas chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Normal and reversed phase liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometric detection was used for detailed characterization of the fatty acyl composition of each detected PL. The most abundant fatty acyl residues in each PL class were octadecanoyl (18∶0, octadecenoyl (18∶1 Δ9 and hexadecanoyl (16∶0. However, some selected PLs contained also very long fatty acyl chains: the presence of 28- and 30-carbon fatty acyl residues was confirmed in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidic acid and cardiolipin. The majority of these fatty acyl residues were also identified in PE that resulted in the following composition: 28∶1/20∶2, 30∶2/18∶1, 28∶0/20∶2, 30∶2/20∶4 and 30∶3/20∶3. The PL of amoebae are significantly different in comparison to other cells: we describe here for the first time unusual, very long chain fatty acids with Δ5-unsaturation (30∶35,21,24 and 30∶221,24 localized exclusively in specific phospholipid classes of A. castellanii protozoa that could serve as specific biomarkers for the presence of

  6. Quantification of fatty acids as methyl esters and phospholipids in cheese samples after separation of triacylglycerides and phospholipids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hauff, Simone; Vetter, Walter

    2009-01-01

    Determination of the individual fatty acid composition of neutral- and phospholipids as well as the phospholipid content of dairy food and other foodstuffs are important tasks in life sciences. For these purposes, a method was developed for the separation of lipids (standards of triolein and diacylphosphatidylcholines as well as three cheese samples) by solid-phase extraction using a self-packed column filled with partly deactivated silica. Non-halogenated solvents were used for the elution of the lipid classes. Cyclohexane/ethyl acetate (1:1, v/v) served for the elution of neutral lipids, while polar lipids were eluted with three solvents (ethyl acetate/methanol, methanol, and methanol/water) into one fraction. The separated lipid fractions were transesterified and the individual fatty acids were quantified by using gas chromatography coupled to electron ionization mass spectrometry (GC/EI-MS) in the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The recovery rate for standard phosphatidylcholines was ∼90% and cross-contamination from neutral lipids was negligible. The method was applied to cheese samples. Quantitative amounts of individual fatty acids in the phospholipid fraction were eq ) were found to be representative for the average contribution of fatty acids to all classes of phospholipids in dairy products. Using this approach, the phospholipid content of lipids from mozzarella, camembert, and goat cream cheese was 0.60%, 1.42% and 0.79%, respectively

  7. Daptomycin resistance in enterococci is associated with distinct alterations of cell membrane phospholipid content.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nagendra N Mishra

    Full Text Available The lipopeptide antibiotic, daptomycin (DAP interacts with the bacterial cell membrane (CM. Development of DAP resistance during therapy in a clinical strain of Enterococcus faecalis was associated with mutations in genes encoding enzymes involved in cell envelope homeostasis and phospholipid metabolism. Here we characterized changes in CM phospholipid profiles associated with development of DAP resistance in clinical enterococcal strains.Using two clinical strain-pairs of DAP-susceptible and DAP-resistant E. faecalis (S613 vs. R712 and E. faecium (S447 vs. R446 recovered before and after DAP therapy, we compared four distinct CM profiles: phospholipid content, fatty acid composition, membrane fluidity and capacity to be permeabilized and/or depolarized by DAP. Additionally, we characterized the cell envelope of the E. faecium strain-pair by transmission electron microscopy and determined the relative cell surface charge of both strain-pairs.Both E. faecalis and E. faecium mainly contained four major CM PLs: phosphatidylglycerol (PG, cardiolipin, lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol (L-PG and glycerolphospho-diglycodiacylglycerol (GP-DGDAG. In addition, E. faecalis CMs (but not E. faecium also contained: i phosphatidic acid; and ii two other unknown species of amino-containing PLs. Development of DAP resistance in both enterococcal species was associated with a significant decrease in CM fluidity and PG content, with a concomitant increase in GP-DGDAG. The strain-pairs did not differ in their outer CM translocation (flipping of amino-containing PLs. Fatty acid content did not change in the E. faecalis strain-pair, whereas a significant decrease in unsaturated fatty acids was observed in the DAP-resistant E. faecium isolate R446 (vs S447. Resistance to DAP in E. faecium was associated with distinct structural alterations of the cell envelope and cell wall thickening, as well as a decreased ability of DAP to depolarize and permeabilize the CM

  8. Characterization of Phospholipids in Insulin Secretory Granules and Mitochondria in Pancreatic Beta Cells and Their Changes with Glucose Stimulation*

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacDonald, Michael J.; Ade, Lacmbouh; Ntambi, James M.; Ansari, Israr-Ul H.; Stoker, Scott W.

    2015-01-01

    The lipid composition of insulin secretory granules (ISG) has never previously been thoroughly characterized. We characterized the phospholipid composition of ISG and mitochondria in pancreatic beta cells without and with glucose stimulation. The phospholipid/protein ratios of most phospholipids containing unsaturated fatty acids were higher in ISG than in whole cells and in mitochondria. The concentrations of negatively charged phospholipids, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylinositol in ISG were 5-fold higher than in the whole cell. In ISG phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, and sphingomyelin, fatty acids 12:0 and 14:0 were high, as were phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol containing 18-carbon unsaturated FA. With glucose stimulation, the concentration of many ISG phosphatidylserines and phosphatidylinositols increased; unsaturated fatty acids in phosphatidylserine increased; and most phosphatidylethanolamines, phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelins, and lysophosphatidylcholines were unchanged. Unsaturation and shorter fatty acid length in phospholipids facilitate curvature and fluidity of membranes, which favors fusion of membranes. Recent evidence suggests that negatively charged phospholipids, such as phosphatidylserine, act as coupling factors enhancing the interaction of positively charged regions in SNARE proteins in synaptic or secretory vesicle membrane lipid bilayers with positively charged regions in SNARE proteins in the plasma membrane lipid bilayer to facilitate docking of vesicles to the plasma membrane during exocytosis. The results indicate that ISG phospholipids are in a dynamic state and are consistent with the idea that changes in ISG phospholipids facilitate fusion of ISG with the plasma membrane-enhancing glucose-stimulated insulin exocytosis. PMID:25762724

  9. Characterization of phospholipids in insulin secretory granules and mitochondria in pancreatic beta cells and their changes with glucose stimulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacDonald, Michael J; Ade, Lacmbouh; Ntambi, James M; Ansari, Israr-Ul H; Stoker, Scott W

    2015-04-24

    The lipid composition of insulin secretory granules (ISG) has never previously been thoroughly characterized. We characterized the phospholipid composition of ISG and mitochondria in pancreatic beta cells without and with glucose stimulation. The phospholipid/protein ratios of most phospholipids containing unsaturated fatty acids were higher in ISG than in whole cells and in mitochondria. The concentrations of negatively charged phospholipids, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylinositol in ISG were 5-fold higher than in the whole cell. In ISG phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, and sphingomyelin, fatty acids 12:0 and 14:0 were high, as were phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol containing 18-carbon unsaturated FA. With glucose stimulation, the concentration of many ISG phosphatidylserines and phosphatidylinositols increased; unsaturated fatty acids in phosphatidylserine increased; and most phosphatidylethanolamines, phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelins, and lysophosphatidylcholines were unchanged. Unsaturation and shorter fatty acid length in phospholipids facilitate curvature and fluidity of membranes, which favors fusion of membranes. Recent evidence suggests that negatively charged phospholipids, such as phosphatidylserine, act as coupling factors enhancing the interaction of positively charged regions in SNARE proteins in synaptic or secretory vesicle membrane lipid bilayers with positively charged regions in SNARE proteins in the plasma membrane lipid bilayer to facilitate docking of vesicles to the plasma membrane during exocytosis. The results indicate that ISG phospholipids are in a dynamic state and are consistent with the idea that changes in ISG phospholipids facilitate fusion of ISG with the plasma membrane-enhancing glucose-stimulated insulin exocytosis. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  10. Dynamic shaping of cellular membranes by phospholipids and membrane-deforming proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suetsugu, Shiro; Kurisu, Shusaku; Takenawa, Tadaomi

    2014-10-01

    All cellular compartments are separated from the external environment by a membrane, which consists of a lipid bilayer. Subcellular structures, including clathrin-coated pits, caveolae, filopodia, lamellipodia, podosomes, and other intracellular membrane systems, are molded into their specific submicron-scale shapes through various mechanisms. Cells construct their micro-structures on plasma membrane and execute vital functions for life, such as cell migration, cell division, endocytosis, exocytosis, and cytoskeletal regulation. The plasma membrane, rich in anionic phospholipids, utilizes the electrostatic nature of the lipids, specifically the phosphoinositides, to form interactions with cytosolic proteins. These cytosolic proteins have three modes of interaction: 1) electrostatic interaction through unstructured polycationic regions, 2) through structured phosphoinositide-specific binding domains, and 3) through structured domains that bind the membrane without specificity for particular phospholipid. Among the structured domains, there are several that have membrane-deforming activity, which is essential for the formation of concave or convex membrane curvature. These domains include the amphipathic helix, which deforms the membrane by hemi-insertion of the helix with both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, and/or the BAR domain superfamily, known to use their positively charged, curved structural surface to deform membranes. Below the membrane, actin filaments support the micro-structures through interactions with several BAR proteins as well as other scaffold proteins, resulting in outward and inward membrane micro-structure formation. Here, we describe the characteristics of phospholipids, and the mechanisms utilized by phosphoinositides to regulate cellular events. We then summarize the precise mechanisms underlying the construction of membrane micro-structures and their involvements in physiological and pathological processes. Copyright © 2014 the

  11. Phospholipid fatty acid and phospholipid etherlipid fingerprints approach to describe complex soil microbial community under impact of cattle husbandry

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Elhottová, Dana; Němcová, Anna; Gattinger, A.

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 48, - (2007), s. 73 ISSN 0009-0646. [Kongres Československé společnosti mikrobiologické /24./. 02.10.2007-05.10.2007, Liberec] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60660521 Keywords : phospholipid fatty acid * phospholipid etherlipid fingerprints * cattle husbandry Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour

  12. Autistic disorder and phospholipids: A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Christine M; Austin, David W

    2011-01-01

    Dysregulated phospholipid metabolism has been proposed as an underlying biological component of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autistic disorder (AD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This review provides an overview of fatty acid and phospholipid metabolism and evidence for phospholipid dysregulation with reference to the membrane hypothesis of schizophrenia. While there is evidence that phospholipid metabolism is at least impaired in individuals with AD, it has not been established whether phospholipid metabolism is implicated in causal, mechanistic or epiphenomenological models. More research is needed to ascertain whether breastfeeding, and specifically, the administration of colostrum or an adequate substitute can play a preventative role by supplying the neonate with essential fatty acids (EFAs) at a critical juncture in their development. Regarding treatment, further clinical trials of EFA supplementation are essential to determine the efficacy of EFAs in reducing AD symptomatology and whether supplementation can serve as a cost-effective and readily available intervention. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Effect of phospholipid metabolites on model membrane fusion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shragin, A.S.; Vasilenko, I.A.; Selishcheva, A.A.; Shvets, V.I.

    1985-01-01

    /sup 31/P-NMR spectroscopy and formation of fluorescent complexes between Tb/sup 3 +/ and dipicolinic acid were used to monitor liposome fusion and the effects of phospholipases C and D on the process. Phospholipase C was found highly efficient in initiating liposomal fusion, regardless of the phospholipid composition of the bilayer membranes. However, phospholipase D promoted liposomal fusion only in cases in which the membranes contained high concentrations of phospholipids incapable of forming bilayer membranes, such as phosphatidylethanolamine and cardiolipin. The mechanism of action of both enzymes in promoting liposomal fusion was ascribed to the generation of a metastable state in the membranes as a result of enzymatic formation of lipophilic metabolites 1,2-diacylglycerol and phosphatidic acid. The perturbation, or fluidity, of the liposomal membranes favored fusion on contact. 21 references, 4 figures.

  14. Lipid membrane partitioning of lysolipids and fatty acids: Effects of membrane phase structure and detergent chain length

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Høyrup, Lise Pernille Kristine; Davidsen, Jesper; Jørgensen, Kent

    2001-01-01

    gel phase and at high temperatures in the disordered fluid phase of the phospholipid membrane vesicles. The long saturated acyl chains of the lysolipids and fatty acids varied from 10 to 16 carbon atoms and all titrations were performed below the critical micellar concentrations (cmc...... of magnitude higher when the saturated acyl chain of the detergents increases by two carbon atoms. The obtained partition coefficients are of importance in relation to a deeper understanding of the interplay between global aqueous and local membrane concentrations of the detergents and the functional influence...

  15. Membrane phospholipid composition may contribute to exceptional longevity of the naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber): a comparative study using shotgun lipidomics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Todd W; Buffenstein, Rochelle; Hulbert, A J

    2007-11-01

    Phospholipids containing highly polyunsaturated fatty acids are particularly prone to peroxidation and membrane composition may therefore influence longevity. Phospholipid molecules, in particular those containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), from the skeletal muscle, heart, liver and liver mitochondria were identified and quantified using mass-spectrometry shotgun lipidomics in two similar-sized rodents that show an approximately 9-fold difference in maximum lifespan. The naked mole rat is the longest-living rodent known with a maximum lifespan of >28 years. Total phospholipid distribution is similar in tissues of both species; DHA is only found in phosphatidylcholines (PC), phosphatidylethanolamines (PE) and phosphatidylserines (PS), and DHA is relatively more concentrated in PE than PC. Naked mole-rats have fewer molecular species of both PC and PE than do mice. DHA-containing phospholipids represent 27-57% of all phospholipids in mice but only 2-6% in naked mole-rats. Furthermore, while mice have small amounts of di-polyunsaturated PC and PE, these are lacking in naked mole-rats. Vinyl ether-linked phospholipids (plasmalogens) are higher in naked mole-rat tissues than in mice. The lower level of DHA-containing phospholipids suggests a lower susceptibility to peroxidative damage in membranes of naked mole-rats compared to mice. Whereas the high level of plasmalogens might enhance membrane antioxidant protection in naked mole-rats compared to mice. Both characteristics possibly contribute to the exceptional longevity of naked mole-rats and may indicate a special role for peroxisomes in this extended longevity.

  16. 13C-labeled 18 : 2n-6 recovered in brush border membrane phospholipids short time after administration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vistisen, Bodil; Høy, Carl-Erik

    2004-01-01

    fatty acids in the two phospholipid pools. Minor effects on BBM-PC and BBM-PE fatty acid profiles (mole-%) were observed. The present study demonstrated for the first time incorporation of C-13-labeled 18:2n-6 into BBM-PC 2 hours and 6 hours after intragastric administration of L*L*L* or ML......*M. This emphasizes the influence of the dietary fatty acid on BBM fatty acid composition and the rapid incorporation of dietary long-chain fatty acids into intestinal enterocyte phospholipids. Medium-chain fatty acids in a single meal exert only a minor influence on the BBM phospholipid fatty acid profile....

  17. Perimicrovillar membrane assembly: the fate of phospholipids synthesised by the midgut of Rhodnius prolixus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paula Rego Bittencourt-Cunha

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we describe the fate of fatty acids that are incorporated from the lumen by the posterior midgut epithelium of Rhodnius prolixus and the biosynthesis of lipids. We also demonstrate that neutral lipids (NL are transferred to the haemolymphatic lipophorin (Lp and that phospholipids remain in the tissue in which they are organised into perimicrovillar membranes (PMMs. 3H-palmitic acid added at the luminal side of isolated midguts of R. prolixus females was readily absorbed and was used to synthesise phospholipids (80% and NL (20%. The highest incorporation of 3H-palmitic acid was on the first day after a blood meal. The amounts of diacylglycerol (DG and triacylglycerol synthesised by the tissue decreased in the presence of Lp in the incubation medium. The metabolic fates of 3H-lipids synthesised by the posterior midgut were followed and it was observed that DG was the major lipid released to Lp particles. However, the majority of phospholipids were not transferred to Lp, but remained in the tissue. The phospholipids that were synthesised and accumulated in the posterior midgut were found to be associated with Rhodnius luminal contents as structural components of PMMs.

  18. Effect of intravenous omega-3 fatty acid infusion and hemodialysis on fatty acid composition of free fatty acids and phospholipids in patients with end-stage renal disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madsen, Trine; Christensen, Jeppe Hagstrup; Toft, Egon; Aardestrup, Inge; Lundbye-Christensen, Søren; Schmidt, Erik B

    2011-01-01

    Patients treated with hemodialysis (HD) have been reported to have decreased levels of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in plasma and cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ω-3 PUFAs administered intravenously during HD, as well as the effect of HD treatment, on the fatty acid composition of plasma free fatty acids (FFAs), plasma phospholipids, and platelet phospholipids. Forty-four HD patients were randomized to groups receiving either a single dose of a lipid emulsion containing 4.1 g of ω-3 PUFAs or placebo (saline) administered intravenously during HD. Blood was drawn immediately before (baseline) and after (4 hours) HD and before the next HD session (48 hours). Fatty acid composition was measured using gas chromatography. The increase in ω-3 FFAs was greater in the ω-3 PUFA group compared with the placebo group, whereas the increase in total FFAs was similar between the 2 groups. In the ω-3 PUFA group, ω-3 PUFAs in plasma phospholipids were higher after 48 hours than at baseline, and in platelet phospholipids, ω-3 PUFAs increased after 4 hours. In the placebo group, no changes were observed in ω-3 PUFAs in plasma and platelet phospholipids. Intravenous ω-3 PUFAs administered during HD caused a transient selective increase in ω-3 FFA concentration. Furthermore, ω-3 PUFAs were rapidly incorporated into platelets, and the content of ω-3 PUFAs in plasma phospholipids increased after 48 hours.

  19. Plasma phospholipid long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and body weight change

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jakobsen, Marianne Uhre; Dethlefsen, Claus; Due, Karen Margrete

    2011-01-01

    We investigated the association between the proportion of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in plasma phospholipids from blood samples drawn at enrollment and subsequent change in body weight. Sex, age, and BMI were considered as potential effect modifiers.......We investigated the association between the proportion of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in plasma phospholipids from blood samples drawn at enrollment and subsequent change in body weight. Sex, age, and BMI were considered as potential effect modifiers....

  20. Molecular dynamics simulation of a phospholipid membrane

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Egberts, Egbert; Marrink, Siewert-Jan; Berendsen, Herman J.C.

    We present the results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a phospholipid membrane in water, including full atomic detail. The goal of the simulations was twofold: first we wanted to set up a simulation system which is able to reproduce experimental results and can serve as a model membrane in

  1. Beneficial effects of gamma linolenic acid supplementation on nerve conduction velocity, Na+, K+ ATPase activity, and membrane fatty acid composition in sciatic nerve of diabetic rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coste, T; Pierlovisi, M; Leonardi, J; Dufayet, D; Gerbi, A; Lafont, H; Vague, P; Raccah, D

    1999-07-01

    Metabolic and vascular abnormalities are implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy. Two principal metabolic defects are altered lipid metabolism resulting from the impairment of delta-6-desaturase, which converts linoleic acid (LA) into gamma linolenic acid (GLA), and reduced nerve Na+, K+ ATPase activity. This reduction may be caused by a lack of incorporation of (n-6) fatty acids in membrane phospholipids. Because this ubiquitous enzyme maintains the membrane electrical potential and allows repolarization, disturbances in its activity can alter the process of nerve conduction velocity (NCV). We studied the effects of supplementation with GLA (260 mg per day) on NCV, fatty acid phospholipid composition, and Na+, K+ ATPase activity in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. Six groups of 10 rats were studied. Two groups served as controls supplemented with GLA or sunflower oil (GLA free). Two groups with different durations of diabetes were studied: 6 weeks with no supplementation and 12 weeks supplemented with sunflower oil. To test the ability of GLA to prevent or reverse the effects of diabetes, two groups of diabetic rats were supplemented with GLA, one group for 12 weeks and one group for 6 weeks, starting 6 weeks after diabetes induction. Diabetes resulted in a 25% decrease in NCV (P < 0.0001), a 45% decrease in Na+, K+ ATPase activity (P < 0.0001), and an abnormal phospholipid fatty acid composition. GLA restored NCV both in the prevention and reversal studies and partially restored Na+, K+ ATPase activity in the preventive treatment group (P < 0.0001). These effects were accompanied by a modification of phospholipid fatty acid composition in nerve membranes. Overall, the results suggest that membrane fatty acid composition plays a direct role in NCV and confirm the beneficial effect of GLA supplementation in diabetic neuropathy.

  2. Temperature-induced changes in lecithin model membranes detected by novel covalent spin-labelled phospholipids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stuhne-Sekalec, L; Stanacev, N Z

    1977-02-01

    Several spin-labelled phospholipids carrying covalently bound 5-doxylstearic acid (2-(3-carboxydecyl)-2-hexyl-4,4-dimethyl-3-oxazolidinoxyl) were intercalated in liposomes of saturated and unsaturated lecithins. Temperature-induced changes of these liposomes, detected by the spin-labelled phospholipids, were found to be in agreement with the previously described transitions of hydrocarbon chains of host lecithins detected by different probes and different techniques, establishing that spin-labelled phosopholipids are sensitive probes for the detection of temperature-induced changes in lecithin model membranes. In addition to the detection of already-known transitions in lecithin liposomes, the coexistence of two distinctly different enviroments was observed above the characteristic transition temperature. This phenomenon was tentatively attributed to the influence of the lecithin polar group on the fluidity of fatty acyl chains near the polar group. Combined with other results from the literature, the coexistence of two environments could be associated with the coexistence of two conformational isomers of lecithin, differing in the orientation of the polar head group with respect to the plane of bilayer. These findings have been discussed in view of the present state of knowledge regarding temperature-induced changes in model membranes.

  3. The effect of natural and synthetic fatty acids on membrane structure, microdomain organization, cellular functions and human health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibarguren, Maitane; López, David J; Escribá, Pablo V

    2014-06-01

    This review deals with the effects of synthetic and natural fatty acids on the biophysical properties of membranes, and on their implication on cell function. Natural fatty acids are constituents of more complex lipids, like triacylglycerides or phospholipids, which are used by cells to store and obtain energy, as well as for structural purposes. Accordingly, natural and synthetic fatty acids may modify the structure of the lipid membrane, altering its microdomain organization and other physical properties, and provoking changes in cell signaling. Therefore, by modulating fatty acids it is possible to regulate the structure of the membrane, influencing the cell processes that are reliant on this structure and potentially reverting pathological cell dysfunctions that may provoke cancer, diabetes, hypertension, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The so-called Membrane Lipid Therapy offers a strategy to regulate the membrane composition through drug administration, potentially reverting pathological processes by re-adapting cell membrane structure. Certain fatty acids and their synthetic derivatives are described here that may potentially be used in such therapies, where the cell membrane itself can be considered as a target to combat disease. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Membrane Structure and Function: Relevance in the Cell's Physiology, Pathology and Therapy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. 13C- and 15N-Labeling Strategies Combined with Mass Spectrometry Comprehensively Quantify Phospholipid Dynamics in C. elegans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Blair C R Dancy

    Full Text Available Membranes define cellular and organelle boundaries, a function that is critical to all living systems. Like other biomolecules, membrane lipids are dynamically maintained, but current methods are extremely limited for monitoring lipid dynamics in living animals. We developed novel strategies in C. elegans combining 13C and 15N stable isotopes with mass spectrometry to directly quantify the replenishment rates of the individual fatty acids and intact phospholipids of the membrane. Using multiple measurements of phospholipid dynamics, we found that the phospholipid pools are replaced rapidly and at rates nearly double the turnover measured for neutral lipid populations. In fact, our analysis shows that the majority of membrane lipids are replaced each day. Furthermore, we found that stearoyl-CoA desaturases (SCDs, critical enzymes in polyunsaturated fatty acid production, play an unexpected role in influencing the overall rates of membrane maintenance as SCD depletion affected the turnover of nearly all membrane lipids. Additionally, the compromised membrane maintenance as defined by LC-MS/MS with SCD RNAi resulted in active phospholipid remodeling that we predict is critical to alleviate the impact of reduced membrane maintenance in these animals. Not only have these combined methodologies identified new facets of the impact of SCDs on the membrane, but they also have great potential to reveal many undiscovered regulators of phospholipid metabolism.

  5. Direct interaction between EgFABP1, a fatty acid binding protein from Echinococcus granulosus, and phospholipid membranes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge L Porfido

    Full Text Available Growth and maintenance of hydatid cysts produced by Echinococcus granulosus have a high requirement for host lipids for biosynthetic processes, membrane building and possibly cellular and developmental signalling. This requires a high degree of lipid trafficking facilitated by lipid transporter proteins. Members of the fatty acid binding protein (FABP family have been identified in Echinococcus granulosus, one of which, EgFABP1 is expressed at the tegumental level in the protoscoleces, but it has also been described in both hydatid cyst fluid and secretions of protoscoleces. In spite of a considerable amount of structural and biophysical information on the FABPs in general, their specific functions remain mysterious.We have investigated the way in which EgFABP1 may interact with membranes using a variety of fluorescence-based techniques and artificial small unilamellar vesicles. We first found that bacterial recombinant EgFABP1 is loaded with fatty acids from the synthesising bacteria, and that fatty acid binding increases its resistance to proteinases, possibly due to subtle conformational changes induced on EgFABP1. By manipulating the composition of lipid vesicles and the ionic environment, we found that EgFABP1 interacts with membranes in a direct contact, collisional, manner to exchange ligand, involving both ionic and hydrophobic interactions. Moreover, we observed that the protein can compete with cytochrome c for association with the surface of small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs.This work constitutes a first approach to the understanding of protein-membrane interactions of EgFABP1. The results suggest that this protein may be actively involved in the exchange and transport of fatty acids between different membranes and cellular compartments within the parasite.

  6. Effects of dietary omega-3 and -6 supplementations on phospholipid fatty acid composition in mice uterus during window of pre-implantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fattahi, Amir; Darabi, Masoud; Farzadi, Laya; Salmassi, Ali; Latifi, Zeinab; Mehdizadeh, Amir; Shaaker, Maghsood; Ghasemnejad, Tohid; Roshangar, Leila; Nouri, Mohammad

    2018-03-01

    Since fatty acid composition of uterus phospholipids is likely to influence embryo implantation, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary omega-3 and -6 fatty acids on implantation rate as well as uterine phospholipid fatty acids composition during mice pre-implantation period. Sixty female mice were randomly distributed into:1) control (standard pellet), 2) omega-3 (standard pellet + 10% w/w of omega-3 fatty acids) and 3) omega-6 (standard pellet + 10% w/w of omega-6 fatty acids). Uterine phospholipid fatty acid composition during the pre-implantation window (days 1-5 of pregnancy) was analyzed using gas-chromatography. The implantation rate on the fifth day of pregnancy was also determined. Our results showed that on days 1, 2 and 3 of pregnancy, the levels of arachidonic acid (ARA) as well as total omega-6 fatty acids were significantly higher and the levels of linolenic acid and total omega-3 fatty acids were statistically lower in the omega-6 group compared to the omega-3 group (p omega-6 fatty acids, and poly-unsaturated fatty acids levels were significantly different between the two dietary supplemented groups (p omega-6 fatty acids, especially ARA, with the implantation rate. The present study showed that diets rich in omega-3 and -6 fatty acids could differently modify uterine phospholipid fatty acid composition and uterine levels of phospholipid ARA, and that the total omega-6 fatty acids had a positive association with the implantation rate. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Influence of membrane phospholipid composition and structural organization on spontaneous lipid transfer between membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pankov, R; Markovska, T; Antonov, P; Ivanova, L; Momchilova, A

    2006-09-01

    Investigations were carried out on the influence of phospholipid composition of model membranes on the processes of spontaneous lipid transfer between membranes. Acceptor vesicles were prepared from phospholipids extracted from plasma membranes of control and ras-transformed fibroblasts. Acceptor model membranes with manipulated levels of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), sphingomyelin and phosphatidic acid were also used in the studies. Donor vesicles were prepared of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and contained two fluorescent lipid analogues, NBD-PC and N-Rh-PE, at a self-quenching concentration. Lipid transfer rate was assessed by measuring the increase of fluorescence in acceptor membranes due to transfer of fluorescent lipid analogues from quenched donor to unquenched acceptor vesicles. The results showed that spontaneous NBD-PC transfer increased upon fluidization of acceptor vesicles. In addition, elevation of PE concentration in model membranes was also accompanied by an increase of lipid transfer to all series of acceptor vesicles. The results are discussed with respect to the role of lipid composition and structural order of cellular plasma membranes in the processes of spontaneous lipid exchange between membrane bilayers.

  8. [Trans fatty acids in the nutrition of children with neurological disorders].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cortés, E; Aguilar, M J; Rizo, M M; Hidalgo, M J

    2013-01-01

    Trans-fatty acids are present in various foods, being the only source of the same in humans. Its presence in high concentrations is a risk factor for health, being involved in a series of events, cardiovascular, inflammatory, etc. Therefore, steps have been taken for its decrease in the diet. The aim is to determine serum and phospholipids of membranes in healthy children and neurological alterations. It has analyzed the fatty acids trans in 34 healthy children and 374 with various neurological pathologies. Serum and blood cells, making the lipid extraction, samples have been separation of the phospholipids of cells membranes, methylation of fatty acids, separation by gas chromatography and quantification using mass detector. The data have been processed statistically. The distribution of trans fatty acids and their sum is not normally distributed, so its nonparemetric tests were used. The values are higher than in serum phospholipids and membrane with a weak but significant correlation. The tC18: 1 is in a double proportion in children with neurological disorders in healthy children, both in serum and membrane phospholipids, with significant differences. The highest proportion of trans-fatty acids in the group of children with neurological disorders is caused no doubt by an increase in intake, due to less adequate food. Copyright © AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2013. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

  9. Biophysical studies of cholesterol in unsaturated phospholipid model membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Justin Adam

    Cellular membranes contain a staggering diversity of lipids. The lipids are heterogeneously distributed to create regions, or domains, whose physical properties differ from the bulk membrane and play an essential role in modulating the function of resident proteins. Many basic questions pertaining to the formation of these lateral assemblies remain. This research employs model membranes of well-defined composition to focus on the potential role of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and their interaction with cholesterol (chol) in restructuring the membrane environment. Omega-3 (n-3) PUFAs are the main bioactive components of fish oil, whose consumption alleviates a variety of health problems by a molecular mechanism that is unclear. We hypothesize that the incorporation of PUFAs into membrane lipids and the effect they have on molecular organization may be, in part, responsible. Chol is a major constituent in the plasma membrane of mammals. It determines the arrangement and collective properties of neighboring lipids, driving the formation of domains via differential affinity for different lipids. The molecular organization of 1-[2H31]palmitoyl-2-eicosapentaenoylphosphatidylcholine (PEPC-d31) and 1-[2H31]palmitoyl-2-docosahexaenoylphosphatidylcholine (PDPC-d31) in membranes with sphingomyelin (SM) and chol (1:1:1 mol) was compared by solid-state 2H NMR spectroscopy. Eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids are the two major n-3 PUFAs found in fish oil, while PEPC-d31 and PDPC-d31 are phospholipids containing the respective PUFAs at the sn-2 position and a perdeuterated palmitic acid at the sn-1 position. Analysis of spectra recorded as a function of temperature indicates that in both cases, formation of PUFA-rich (less ordered) and SM-rich (more ordered) domains occurred. A surprisingly substantial proportion of PUFA was found to infiltrate the more ordered domain. There was almost twice as much DHA (65%) as EPA (30%). The implication is that n-3

  10. Correlating phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) in a landfill leachate polluted aquifer with biogeochemical factors by multivariate statistical methods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ludvigsen, Liselotte; Albrechtsen, Hans-Jørgen; Rootzén, Helle

    1997-01-01

    Different multivariate statistical analyses were applied to phospholipid fatty acids representing the biomass composition and to different biogeochemical parameters measured in 37 samples from a landfill contaminated aquifer at Grindsted Landfill (Denmark). Principal component analysis...... and correspondence analysis were used to identify groups of samples showing similar patterns with respect to biogeochemical variables and phospholipid fatty acid composition. The principal component analysis revealed that for the biogeochemical parameters the first principal component was linked to the pollution...... was used to allocate samples of phospholipid fatty acids into predefined classes. A large percentages of samples were classified correctly when discriminating samples into groups of dissolved organic carbon and specific conductivity, indicating that the biomass is highly influenced by the pollution...

  11. Mechanics and dynamics of triglyceride-phospholipid model membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pakkanen, Kirsi I.; Duelund, Lars; Qvortrup, Klaus

    2011-01-01

    We demonstrate here that triolein alters the mechanical properties of phospholipid membranes and induces extraordinary conformational dynamics. Triolein containing membranes exhibit fluctuations up to size range of 100µm and with the help of these are e.g. able to squeeze through narrow passages...... with larger lamellar distances observed in the TOPOPC membranes. These findings suggest repulsion between adjacent membranes. We provide a comprehensive discussion on the possible explanations for the observed mechanics and dynamics in the TOPOPC system and on their potential cellular implications....

  12. Formation and Regulation of Mitochondrial Membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laila Cigana Schenkel

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Mitochondrial membrane phospholipids are essential for the mitochondrial architecture, the activity of respiratory proteins, and the transport of proteins into the mitochondria. The accumulation of phospholipids within mitochondria depends on a coordinate synthesis, degradation, and trafficking of phospholipids between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER and mitochondria as well as intramitochondrial lipid trafficking. Several studies highlight the contribution of dietary fatty acids to the remodeling of phospholipids and mitochondrial membrane homeostasis. Understanding the role of phospholipids in the mitochondrial membrane and their metabolism will shed light on the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of mitochondrial function and in the mitochondrial-related diseases.

  13. Effect of fish oil supplementation on the n-3 fatty acid content of red blood cell membranes in preterm infants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlson, S E; Rhodes, P G; Rao, V S; Goldgar, D E

    1987-05-01

    Very low birth weight infants demonstrate significant reductions in red blood cell membrane docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) following delivery unless fed human milk. The purpose of the present study was to determine if a dietary source of DHA (MaxEPA, R. P. Scherer Corporation, Troy, MI) could prevent the decline in red blood cell phospholipid DHA in very low birth weight infants whose enteral feeding consisted of a preterm formula without DHA. Longitudinal data were obtained on membrane phospholipid DHA in both unsupplemented and MaxEPA-supplemented infants by a combination of thin-layer and gas chromatography. These infants (n = 39) ranged in age from 10 to 53 days at enrollment (0 time). At enrollment, phospholipid DHA and arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) were inversely correlated with age in days. During the study, mean red blood cell phospholipid DHA declined without supplementary DHA as determined by biweekly measurement, but infants supplemented with MaxEPA maintained the same weight percent of phospholipid (phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidylserine) DHA as at enrollment. The pattern of red blood cell phospholipid fatty acids in supplemented infants was similar to that reported for preterm infants fed human milk.

  14. Covalent modification of serum transferrin with phospholipid and incorporation into liposomal membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Afzelius, P; Demant, E J; Hansen, Gert Helge

    1989-01-01

    A method is described for incorporation of water-soluble proteins into liposomal membranes using covalent protein-phospholipid conjugates in detergent solution. A disulfide derivative of phosphatidylethanolamine containing a reactive N-hydroxysuccinimide ester group is synthesized, and the deriva......A method is described for incorporation of water-soluble proteins into liposomal membranes using covalent protein-phospholipid conjugates in detergent solution. A disulfide derivative of phosphatidylethanolamine containing a reactive N-hydroxysuccinimide ester group is synthesized...

  15. Preparation and evaluation of PEGylated phospholipid membrane coated layered double hydroxide nanoparticles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mina Yan

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to develop layered double hydroxide (LDH nanoparticles coated with PEGylated phospholipid membrane. By comparing the size distribution and zeta potential, the weight ratio of LDH to lipid materials which constitute the outside membrane was identified as 2:1. Transmission electron microscopy photographs confirmed the core-shell structure of PEGylated phospholipid membrane coated LDH (PEG-PLDH nanoparticles, and cell cytotoxicity assay showed their good cell viability on Hela and BALB/C-3T3 cells over the concentration range from 0.5 to 50 μg/mL.

  16. Chlorinated Phospholipids and Fatty Acids: (Pathophysiological Relevance, Potential Toxicity, and Analysis of Lipid Chlorohydrins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jenny Schröter

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Chlorinated phospholipids are formed by the reaction of hypochlorous acid (HOCl, generated by the enzyme myeloperoxidase under inflammatory conditions, and the unsaturated fatty acyl residues or the head group. In the first case the generated chlorohydrins are both proinflammatory and cytotoxic, thus having a significant impact on the structures of biomembranes. The latter case leads to chloramines, the properties of which are by far less well understood. Since HOCl is also widely used as a disinfecting and antibacterial agent in medicinal, industrial, and domestic applications, it may represent an additional source of danger in the case of abuse or mishandling. This review discusses the reaction behavior of in vivo generated HOCl and biomolecules like DNA, proteins, and carbohydrates but will focus on phospholipids. Not only the beneficial and pathological (toxic effects of chlorinated lipids but also the importance of these chlorinated species is discussed. Some selected cleavage products of (chlorinated phospholipids and plasmalogens such as lysophospholipids, (chlorinated free fatty acids and α-chloro fatty aldehydes, which are all well known to massively contribute to inflammatory diseases associated with oxidative stress, will be also discussed. Finally, common analytical methods to study these compounds will be reviewed with focus on mass spectrometric techniques.

  17. Computer simulations of phospholipid - membrane thermodynamic fluctuations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, U.R.; Peters, Günther H.j.; Schröder, T.B.

    2008-01-01

    This paper reports all-atom computer simulations of five phospholipid membranes, DMPC, DPPC, DMPG, DMPS, and DMPSH, with a focus on the thermal equilibrium fluctuations of volume, energy, area, thickness, and order parameter. For the slow fluctuations at constant temperature and pressure (defined...... membranes, showing a similar picture. The cause of the observed strong correlations is identified by splitting volume and energy into contributions from tails, heads, and water, showing that the slow volume-energy fluctuations derive from the tail region’s van der Waals interactions and are thus analogous...

  18. [Effect of total hypothermia on the fatty acid composition of blood phospholipids of rats and sousliks and light irradiation on chemical processes in lipid extract].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zabelinskiĭ, S A; Chebotareva, M A; Kalandarov, A M; Feĭzulaev, B A; Klichkhanov, N K; Krivchenko, A I; Kazennov, A M

    2011-01-01

    Effect of hypothermia on the fatty acid composition of rat and souslik blood phospholipids is studied. Different reaction of these animals to cooling is revealed: in rats no changes were observed in the fatty acid composition of blood phospholipids, whereas in the hibernating there were significant changes in the content of individual fatty acids (FA). The content of monoenic acids in sousliks decreased almost by 50%, while the content of saturated acid (C18) and of polyenic acids C18 : 2omega6 and C20 : 4omega6 rose significantly. Such changes seem to be the mechanism that promotes maintenance of the organism viability under conditions of a decreased level of metabolism, heart rhythm, and body temperature and is evolutionarily acquired. At the same time, the observed changes in the content of individual FA do not lead to sharp changes in such integrative parameters as the total non-saturation of phospholipids, which determines liquid properties of chylomicrons and other lipolipoprotein transport particles of the souslik blood. There are studied absorption spectra of blood lipid extracts of rats and sousliks under effect of light as well as effect of light upon the FA composition of lipid extracts of these animals. The FA composition of lipid extracts has been established to remain practically constant, whereas the character of changes of spectra under action of light indicates the presence in the extracts of oxidation-reduction reactions. The obtained data allow suggesting that in the lipid extract there occurs cooperation both of the phospholipid molecules themselves and of them with other organic molecules, which makes it possible for fatty acids to participate in processes of transport both of electrons and of protons. This novel role of FA as a participant of the electron transfer might probably be extrapolated to chemical reactions (processes) occurring inside the membrane.

  19. Thermodynamics of Indomethacin Adsorption to Phospholipid Membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fearon, Amanda D; Stokes, Grace Y

    2017-11-22

    Using second-harmonic generation, we directly monitored adsorption of indomethacin, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, to supported lipid bilayers composed of phospholipids of varying phase, cholesterol content, and head group charge without the use of extrinsic labels at therapeutically relevant aqueous concentrations. Indomethacin adsorbed to gel-phase lipids with a high binding affinity, suggesting that like other arylacetic acid-containing drugs, it preferentially interacts with ordered lipid domains. We discovered that adsorption of indomethacin to gel-phase phospholipids was endothermic and entropically driven, whereas adsorption to fluid-phase phospholipids was exothermic and enthalpically driven. As temperature increased from 19 to 34 °C, binding affinities to gel-phase lipids increased by 7-fold but relative surface concentration decreased to one-fifth of the original value. We also compared our results to the entropies reported for indomethacin adsorbed to surfactant micelles, which are used in drug delivery systems, and assert that adsorbed water molecules in the phospholipid bilayer may be buried deeper into the acyl chains and less accessible for disruption. The thermodynamic studies reported here provide mechanistic insight into indomethacin interactions with mammalian plasma membranes in the gastrointestinal tract and inform studies of drug delivery, where indomethacin is commonly used as a prototypical, hydrophobic small-molecule drug.

  20. Aqueous magnesium as an environmental selection pressure in the evolution of phospholipid membranes on early earth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dalai, Punam; Ustriyana, Putu; Sahai, Nita

    2018-02-01

    Early compartmentalization of simple biomolecules by membrane bilayers was, presumably, a critical step in the emergence of the first cell-like entities, protocells. Their membranes were likely composed of single chain amphiphiles (SCAs), but pure SCA membranes especially those with short-chains are highly unstable towards divalent cations, which are ubiquitous in aqueous environments. The prebiotic synthesis of phospholipids (PLs), even in only trace amounts, may also have been possible. PL membranes are much more stable towards divalent cations. Here, we show the transition of fatty acid membranes to mixed fatty acid-PL and, finally, to PL membranes in the presence of Mg2+, which acts as an environmental selection pressure, and we propose different mechanisms for the observed increased Mg2+-immunity. The "fatal" concentration ([Mg2+]fatal) at which vesicles are disrupted increased dramatically by an order of magnitude from OA to mixed to POPC vesicles. Two mechanisms for the increasing immunity were determined. The negative charge density of the vesicles decreased with increasing POPC content, so more Mg2+ was required for disruption. More interestingly, Mg2+ preferentially bound to and abstracted OA from mixed lipid membranes, resulting in relatively POPC-enriched vesicles compared to the initial ratio. The effect was the most dramatic for the largest initial OA-POPC ratio representing the most primitive protocells. Thus, Mg2+ acted to evolve the mixed membrane composition towards PL enrichment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of selective lipid abstraction from mixed SCA-PL vesicles. These results may hold implications for accommodating prebiotic Mg2+-promoted processes such as non-enzymatic RNA polymerization on early Earth.

  1. Polyunsaturated fatty acid composition of maternal diet and erythrocyte phospholipid status in Chilean pregnant women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bascuñán, Karla A; Valenzuela, Rodrigo; Chamorro, Rodrigo; Valencia, Alejandra; Barrera, Cynthia; Puigrredon, Claudia; Sandoval, Jorge; Valenzuela, Alfonso

    2014-11-07

    Chilean diets are characterized by a low supply of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), which are critical nutrients during pregnancy and lactation, because of their role in brain and visual development. DHA is the most relevant n-3 PUFA in this period. We evaluated the dietary n-3 PUFA intake and erythrocyte phospholipids n-3 PUFA in Chilean pregnant women. Eighty healthy pregnant women (20-36 years old) in the 3rd-6th month of pregnancy were included in the study. Dietary assessment was done applying a food frequency questionnaire, and data were analyzed through the Food Processor SQL® software. Fatty acids of erythrocyte phospholipids were assessed by gas-liquid chromatography. Diet composition was high in saturated fat, low in mono- and PUFA, high in n-6 PUFA (linoleic acid) and low in n-3 PUFA (alpha-linolenic acid and DHA), with imbalance in the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio. Similar results were observed for fatty acids from erythrocyte phospholipids. The sample of Chilean pregnant women showed high consumption of saturated fat and low consumption of n-3 PUFA, which is reflected in the low DHA content of erythrocyte phospholipids. Imbalance between n-6/n-3 PUFA could negatively affect fetal development. New strategies are necessary to improve n-3 PUFA intake throughout pregnancy and breast feeding periods. Furthermore, it is necessary to develop dietary interventions to improve the quality of consumed foods with particular emphasis on n-3 PUFA.

  2. Characterization of Type Three Secretion System Translocator Interactions with Phospholipid Membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adam, Philip R; Barta, Michael L; Dickenson, Nicholas E

    2017-01-01

    In vitro characterization of type III secretion system (T3SS) translocator proteins has proven challenging due to complex purification schemes and their hydrophobic nature that often requires detergents to provide protein solubility and stability. Here, we provide experimental details for several techniques that overcome these hurdles, allowing for the direct characterization of the Shigella translocator protein IpaB with respect to phospholipid membrane interaction. The techniques specifically discussed in this chapter include membrane interaction/liposome flotation, liposome sensitive fluorescence quenching, and protein-mediated liposome disruption assays. These assays have provided valuable insight into the role of IpaB in T3SS-mediated phospholipid membrane interactions by Shigella and should readily extend to other members of this important class of proteins.

  3. Mass spectrometric study of rhamnolipid biosurfactants and their interactions with cell membrane phospholipids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pashynska V. A.

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To examine the formation of supramolecular complexes of biogenous rhamnolipids with membrane phospholipids that is considered as a molecular mechanism of the biosurfactants antimicrobial action. Method. In the present work rhamnolipid biosurfactant samples produced by Pseudomonas sp. PS-17 strain have been investigated by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for the first time. Results. As a result of the study, characteristic mass spectra of the rhamnolipid samples were obtained, that can be used as reference spectra for mass spectrometric identification of the compounds in any biological or industrial samples. At the next stage of the experiments the pair systems, containing the biosurfactants and a membrane phospholipid dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, have been tested. The cationized noncovalent complexes of the rhamnolipids with the phospholipid were observed in the spectra. Conclusions. The results obtained testify to the consideration that rhamnolipids (similar to other membranotropic agents can form stable supramolecular complexes with membrane phospholipids that are able to evoke the biosurfactants antimicrobial action. A great potential of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for the biosurfactants identification and study has been demonstrated in the work.

  4. Flip-flop of phospholipids in proteoliposomes reconstituted from detergent extract of chloroplast membranes: kinetics and phospholipid specificity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Archita Rajasekharan

    Full Text Available Eukaryotic cells are compartmentalized into distinct sub-cellular organelles by lipid bilayers, which are known to be involved in numerous cellular processes. The wide repertoire of lipids, synthesized in the biogenic membranes like the endoplasmic reticulum and bacterial cytoplasmic membranes are initially localized in the cytosolic leaflet and some of these lipids have to be translocated to the exoplasmic leaflet for membrane biogenesis and uniform growth. It is known that phospholipid (PL translocation in biogenic membranes is mediated by specific membrane proteins which occur in a rapid, bi-directional fashion without metabolic energy requirement and with no specificity to PL head group. A recent study reported the existence of biogenic membrane flippases in plants and that the mechanism of plant membrane biogenesis was similar to that found in animals. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time ATP independent and ATP dependent flippase activity in chloroplast membranes of plants. For this, we generated proteoliposomes from Triton X-100 extract of intact chloroplast, envelope membrane and thylakoid isolated from spinach leaves and assayed for flippase activity using fluorescent labeled phospholipids. Half-life time of flipping was found to be 6 ± 1 min. We also show that: (a intact chloroplast and envelope membrane reconstituted proteoliposomes can flip fluorescent labeled analogs of phosphatidylcholine in ATP independent manner, (b envelope membrane and thylakoid reconstituted proteoliposomes can flip phosphatidylglycerol in ATP dependent manner, (c Biogenic membrane ATP independent PC flipping activity is protein mediated and (d the kinetics of PC translocation gets affected differently upon treatment with protease and protein modifying reagents.

  5. Impaired plasma phospholipids and relative amounts of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids in autistic patients from Saudi Arabia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    El-Ansary Afaf K

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Backgrounds Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by social and emotional deficits, language impairments and stereotyped behaviors that manifest in early postnatal life. This study aims to compare the relative concentrations of essential fatty acids (Linoleic and α- linolenic, their long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and phospholipids in plasma of autistic patients from Saudi Arabia with age-matching controls. Methods 25 autistic children aged 3-15 years and 16 healthy children as control group were included in this study. Relative concentration of essential fatty acids/long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and omega-3/omega-6 fatty acid series together with phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylcholine were measured in plasma of both groups. Results Remarkable alteration of essential fatty acids/long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, omeg-3/omega-6 and significant lower levels of phospholipids were reported. Reciever Operating characteristics (ROC analysis of the measured parameters revealed a satisfactory level of sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion Essential fatty acids/long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and omeg-3/omega-6 ratios, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylcholine could be used as potential biomarkers that point to specific mechanisms in the development of autism and may help tailor treatment or prevention strategies.

  6. Efficient and Specific Analysis of Red Blood Cell Glycerophospholipid Fatty Acid Composition

    OpenAIRE

    Klem, Sabrina; Klingler, Mario; Demmelmair, Hans; Koletzko, Berthold

    2012-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Red blood cell (RBC) n-3 fatty acid status is related to various health outcomes. Accepted biological markers for the fatty acid status determination are RBC phospholipids, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidyletholamine. The analysis of these lipid fractions is demanding and time consuming and total phospholipid n-3 fatty acid levels might be affected by changes of sphingomyelin contents in the RBC membrane during n-3 supplementation. AIM: We developed a method for the specific a...

  7. Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Composition of Maternal Diet and Erythrocyte Phospholipid Status in Chilean Pregnant Women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karla A. Bascuñán

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Chilean diets are characterized by a low supply of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA, which are critical nutrients during pregnancy and lactation, because of their role in brain and visual development. DHA is the most relevant n-3 PUFA in this period. We evaluated the dietary n-3 PUFA intake and erythrocyte phospholipids n-3 PUFA in Chilean pregnant women. Eighty healthy pregnant women (20–36 years old in the 3rd–6th month of pregnancy were included in the study. Dietary assessment was done applying a food frequency questionnaire, and data were analyzed through the Food Processor SQL® software. Fatty acids of erythrocyte phospholipids were assessed by gas-liquid chromatography. Diet composition was high in saturated fat, low in mono- and PUFA, high in n-6 PUFA (linoleic acid and low in n-3 PUFA (alpha-linolenic acid and DHA, with imbalance in the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio. Similar results were observed for fatty acids from erythrocyte phospholipids. The sample of Chilean pregnant women showed high consumption of saturated fat and low consumption of n-3 PUFA, which is reflected in the low DHA content of erythrocyte phospholipids. Imbalance between n-6/n-3 PUFA could negatively affect fetal development. New strategies are necessary to improve n-3 PUFA intake throughout pregnancy and breast feeding periods. Furthermore, it is necessary to develop dietary interventions to improve the quality of consumed foods with particular emphasis on n-3 PUFA.

  8. The Effect of Meal Frequency on the Fatty Acid Composition of Serum Phospholipids in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahleova, Hana; Malinska, Hana; Kazdova, Ludmila; Belinova, Lenka; Tura, Andrea; Hill, Martin; Pelikanova, Terezie

    2016-01-01

    Fatty acids are important cellular constituents that can affect many metabolic processes relevant for the development of diabetes and its complications. We previously demonstrated a positive effect of eating just 2 meals a day, breakfast and lunch, compared to 6 small meals. The aim of this secondary analysis was to explore the effect of meal frequency on the fatty acid composition of serum phospholipids in subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2D). In a randomized, crossover study, we assigned 54 patients with T2D to follow one of 2 regimens of a hypocaloric diet (-500 kcal/day), each for 12 weeks: 6 meals (A6) or 2 meals a day, breakfast and lunch (B2). The diet in both regimens had the same macronutrient and energy content. The fatty acid composition of serum phospholipids was measured at weeks 0, 12, and 24, using gas liquid chromatography. Insulin sensitivity was derived as an oral glucose insulin sensitivity (OGIS) index. Saturated fatty acids (mainly myristic and palmitic acids) decreased (p meal frequency affects the fatty acid composition of serum phospholipids. The B2 regimen had more marked positive effects, with saturated fatty acids and the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids decreasing more. The increase in linoleic acid could partly explain the insulin-sensitizing effect of B2 in T2D.

  9. Amphotericin B channels in phospholipid membrane-coated nanoporous silicon surfaces: implications for photovoltaic driving of ions across membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yilma, Solomon; Liu, Nangou; Samoylov, Alexander; Lo, Ting; Brinker, C Jeffrey; Vodyanoy, Vitaly

    2007-03-15

    The antimycotic agent amphotericin B (AmB) functions by forming complexes with sterols to form ion channels that cause membrane leakage. When AmB and cholesterol mixed at 2:1 ratio were incorporated into phospholipid bilayer membranes formed on the tip of patch pipettes, ion channel current fluctuations with characteristic open and closed states were observed. These channels were also functional in phospholipid membranes formed on nanoporous silicon surfaces. Electrophysiological studies of AmB-cholesterol mixtures that were incorporated into phospholipid membranes formed on the surface of nanoporous (6.5 nm pore diameter) silicon plates revealed large conductance ion channels ( approximately 300 pS) with distinct open and closed states. Currents through the AmB-cholesterol channels on nanoporous silicon surfaces can be driven by voltage applied via conventional electrical circuits or by photovoltaic electrical potential entirely generated when the nanoporous silicon surface is illuminated with a narrow laser beam. Electrical recordings made during laser illumination of AmB-cholesterol containing membrane-coated nanoporous silicon surfaces revealed very large conductance ion channels with distinct open and closed states. Our findings indicate that nanoporous silicon surfaces can serve as mediums for ion-channel-based biosensors. The photovoltaic properties of nanoporous silicon surfaces show great promise for making such biosensors addressable via optical technologies.

  10. Structure refinement and membrane positioning of selectively labeled OmpX in phospholipid nanodiscs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hagn, Franz, E-mail: franz.hagn@tum.de; Wagner, Gerhard, E-mail: gerhard-wagner@hms.harvard.edu [Harvard Medical School, Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology (United States)

    2015-04-15

    NMR structural studies on membrane proteins are often complicated by their large size, taking into account the contribution of the membrane mimetic. Therefore, classical resonance assignment approaches often fail. The large size of phospholipid nanodiscs, a detergent-free phospholipid bilayer mimetic, prevented their use in high-resolution solution-state NMR spectroscopy so far. We recently introduced smaller nanodiscs that are suitable for NMR structure determination. However, side-chain assignments of a membrane protein in nanodiscs still remain elusive. Here, we utilized a NOE-based approach to assign (stereo-) specifically labeled Ile, Leu, Val and Ala methyl labeled and uniformly {sup 15}N-Phe and {sup 15}N-Tyr labeled OmpX and calculated a refined high-resolution structure. In addition, we were able to obtain residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) of OmpX in nanodiscs using Pf1 phage medium for the induction of weak alignment. Back-calculated NOESY spectra of the obtained NMR structures were compared to experimental NOESYs in order to validate the quality of these structures. We further used NOE information between protonated lipid head groups and side-chain methyls to determine the position of OmpX in the phospholipid bilayer. These data were verified by paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) experiments obtained with Gd{sup 3+}-modified lipids. Taken together, this study emphasizes the need for the (stereo-) specific labeling of membrane proteins in a highly deuterated background for high-resolution structure determination, particularly in large membrane mimicking systems like phospholipid nanodiscs. Structure validation by NOESY back-calculation will be helpful for the structure determination and validation of membrane proteins where NOE assignment is often difficult. The use of protein to lipid NOEs will be beneficial for the positioning of a membrane protein in the lipid bilayer without the need for preparing multiple protein samples.

  11. [Modification of the pattern of fatty acids of erythrocytes’ membranes due to the acetone intoxication].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Momot, T V; Kushnerova, N F; Rakhmanin, Yu A

    Results of the study of the impact of acetone intoxication on the fatty acids pattern of the general lipids of erythrocytes’ membranes in rats are presented. The inhalation exposure of acetone was carried out in the inoculation chamber with the volume of 100 liters. The chamber was designed for the type of B.A. Kurlyandsky with self-contained system of purification and air regeneration and specified parameters of temperature (20-22С) and air humidity. The flow rate of the air and aerosolized acetone passed through the chamber accounted of 10 liters/min. Concentration of acetone in the chamber was sustained at the level of 206 ± 3,9 mg/m that corresponds to maximum permissible concentration for acetone vapor in the air of a working area. The time of exposure was 6 hours per day for 3 weeks in a monotonous mode, excluding weekend, and was based upon specific parameters of environment simulation in industry. The acetone impact was shown to be accompanied by the gain in the quantity of all kinds of saturated fatty acids and the fall of unsaturated fatty acids in general lipids of erythrocytes ’ membranes in rats and in the structure ofphospholipid fractions. In the content of phosphatydilcholine and phosphatydilethanolamine, as a basic structural phospholipids of biological membranes, there was noted the increase in palmitic and stearic acids. In the range offatty acids of the n-6 family the amount of linoleic and arachidonic acids decreased. In the array of fatty acids of the n-3 family the content of linolenic, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids (n-3 family) declined. Redistribution of fatty acids in the erythrocytes membrane towards to such alteration in quantity as the increasing of saturation and decreasing of the unsaturated fatty acids supposes the change of its physical and chemical properties, permeability, lability and complexity of passing erythrocyte via microcircular channels.

  12. Growth on Octane Alters the Membrane Lipid Fatty Acids of Pseudomonas oleovorans due to the Induction of alkB and Synthesis of Octanol

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chen, Qi; Janssen, Dick B.; Witholt, Bernard

    1995-01-01

    Growth of Pseudomonas oleovorans GPo1, which contains the OCT plasmid, on octane results in changes in the membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition. These changes were not found for GPo12, an OCT-plasmid-cured variant of GPo1, during growth in the presence or absence of octane, implying the

  13. Effects of chronic fly ash exposure on golden hamsters: changes in lung phospholipids and their fatty acid composition as a result of inhalation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nishimura, I; Negishi, T; Kamihira, M

    1986-01-01

    Changes in lung phospholipids of golden hamsters exposed to 2 mg/mT coal fly ash for 180 days, 7 days/week, 20 hours/day were examined. In the exposed group the amount of phospholipids in lavaged lung organ increased significantly compared with the control group, but in pulmonary surfactant did not. As regards lipid composition of phospholipids in lavaged lung organ, phosphatidylcholine was slightly increased but sphingomyelin was decreased by exposure. Some significant changes in fatty acid composition of phospholipids were observed between exposed and control group. In pulmonary surfactant, palmitic acid showed no change but myristic acid and oleic acid decreased. On the other hand, in lavaged lung organ, palmitic acid increased but stearic acid and decosatetraenoic acid decreased. Arachidonic acid composition increased in both parts of lung. An increase in the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acid in whole fatty acid of phospholipids was found in pulmonary surfactant of exposed hamsters. 24 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs.

  14. The effect of X-irradiation on membrane lipids of lymphosarcoma cells in vivo and in vitro

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fonck, K; Scherphof, GL; Konings, AWT

    1982-01-01

    Phospholipids of the membranes of spleen lymphosarcoma cells were radioactively labelled with the radioresistant fatty acid palmitic acid (16:0) and the radiosensitive fatty acid arachidonic acid (20:4). The effect of irradiation on the specific radioactivity of the phospholipids was studied. For

  15. Phospholipid Fatty Acids as Physiological Indicators of Paracoccus denitrificans Encapsulated in Silica Sol-Gel Hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josef Trögl

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA content was determined in samples of Paracoccus denitrificans encapsulated in silica hydrogel films prepared from prepolymerized tetramethoxysilane (TMOS. Immediately after encapsulation the total PLFA concentration was linearly proportional to the optical density (600 nm of the input microbial suspension (R2 = 0.99. After 7 days this relationship remained linear, but with significantly decreased slope, indicating a higher extinction of bacteria in suspensions of input concentration 108 cells/mL and higher. trans-Fatty acids, indicators of cytoplasmatic membrane disturbances, were below the detection limit. The cy/pre ratio (i.e., ratio of cyclopropylated fatty acids (cy17:0 + cy19:0 to their metabolic precursors (16:1ω7 + 18:1ω7, an indicator of the transition of the culture to a stationary growth-phase, decreased depending on co-immobilization of nutrients in the order phosphate buffer > mineral medium > Luria Broth rich medium. The ratio, too, was logarithmically proportional to cell concentration. These results confirm the applicability of total PLFA as an indicator for the determination of living biomass and cy/pre ratio for determination of nutrient limitation of microorganisms encapsulated in sol-gel matrices. This may be of interest for monitoring of sol-gel encapsulated bacteria proposed as optical recognition elements in biosensor construction, as well as other biotechnological applications.

  16. Phospholipid-derived fatty acids as chemotaxonomic markers for phytoplankton: application for inferring phytoplankton composition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dijkman, N.A.; Kromkamp, J.C.

    2006-01-01

    Phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFA) are widely used as chemotaxonomic markers in microbial ecology. In this paper we explore the use of PLFA as chemotaxonomic markers for phytoplankton species. The PLFA composition was determined for 23 species relevant to estuarine phytoplankton. The taxonomic

  17. Plasma phospholipid fatty acid profiles in Korean adults with and without acute coronary syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Background and Objectives: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS), a clinical manifestation of coronary artery disease presenting as unstable angina and/or myocardial infarction, is the third-leading cause of death in South Korea. Plasma phospholipid (PL) fatty acid profiles are considered objective biomarke...

  18. Insulin stimulation of phospholipid methylation in isolated rat adipocyte plasma membranes.

    OpenAIRE

    Kelly, K L; Kiechle, F L; Jarett, L

    1984-01-01

    Partially purified plasma membranes prepared from rat adipocytes contain N-methyltransferase(s) that utilize(s) S-adenosyl-L-methionine to synthesize phosphatidylcholine from phosphatidylethanolamine. The incorporation of [3H]methyl from S-adenosyl-L-[methyl-3H]methionine into plasma membrane phospholipids was linear with incubation time and plasma membrane protein concentration and was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by both S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine and 3-deazadenosine. The addition of...

  19. Drosophila TRF2 and TAF9 regulate lipid droplet size and phospholipid fatty acid composition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Wei; Lam, Sin Man; Xin, Jingxue; Yang, Xiao; Liu, Zhonghua; Liu, Yuan; Wang, Yong; Shui, Guanghou; Huang, Xun

    2017-03-01

    The general transcription factor TBP (TATA-box binding protein) and its associated factors (TAFs) together form the TFIID complex, which directs transcription initiation. Through RNAi and mutant analysis, we identified a specific TBP family protein, TRF2, and a set of TAFs that regulate lipid droplet (LD) size in the Drosophila larval fat body. Among the three Drosophila TBP genes, trf2, tbp and trf1, only loss of function of trf2 results in increased LD size. Moreover, TRF2 and TAF9 regulate fatty acid composition of several classes of phospholipids. Through RNA profiling, we found that TRF2 and TAF9 affects the transcription of a common set of genes, including peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation-related genes that affect phospholipid fatty acid composition. We also found that knockdown of several TRF2 and TAF9 target genes results in large LDs, a phenotype which is similar to that of trf2 mutants. Together, these findings provide new insights into the specific role of the general transcription machinery in lipid homeostasis.

  20. Supercritical CO2 induces marked changes in membrane phospholipids composition in Escherichia coli K12.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamburini, Sabrina; Anesi, Andrea; Ferrentino, Giovanna; Spilimbergo, Sara; Guella, Graziano; Jousson, Olivier

    2014-06-01

    Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) treatment is one of the most promising alternative techniques for pasteurization of both liquid and solid food products. The inhibitory effect of SC-CO2 on bacterial growth has been investigated in different species, but the precise mechanism of action remains unknown. Membrane permeabilization has been proposed to be the first event in SC-CO2-mediated inactivation. Flow cytometry, high performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry and NMR analyses were performed to investigate the effect of SC-CO2 treatment on membrane lipid profile and membrane permeability in Escherichia coli K12. After 15 min of SC-CO2 treatment at 120 bar and 35 °C, the majority of bacterial cells dissipated their membrane potential (95 %) and lost membrane integrity, as 81 % become partially permeabilized and 18 % fully permeabilized. Membrane permeabilization was associated with a 20 % decrease in bacterial biovolume and to a strong (>50 %) reduction in phosphatidylglycerol (PG) membrane lipids, without altering the fatty acid composition and the degree of unsaturation of acyl chains. PGs are thought to play an important role in membrane stability, by reducing motion of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) along the membrane bilayer, therefore promoting the formation of inter-lipid hydrogen bonds. In addition, the decrease in intracellular pH induced by SC-CO2 likely alters the chemical properties of phospholipids and the PE/PG ratio. Biophysical effects of SC-CO2 thus cause a strong perturbation of membrane architecture in E. coli, and such alterations are likely associated with its strong inactivation effect.

  1. Efficacy of bacterial bioremediation: Demonstration of complete incorporation of hydrocarbons into membrane phospholipids from Rhodococcus hydrocarbon degrading bacteria by electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodgers, R.P.; Blumer, E.N.; Emmett, M.R.; Marshall, A.G.

    2000-02-01

    The authors present a method and example to establish complete incorporation of hydrocarbons into membrane phospholipids of putatively bioremediative bacteria. Bacteria are grown on minimal media containing a specified carbon source, either natural abundance or enriched. After extraction (but no other prior separation) of the membrane lipids, electrospray ionization yields a negative-ion FT-ICR mass spectrum containing prominent phospholipid parent ions. If {sup 13}C-enriched hydrocarbon incorporation is complete, then the mass of the parent ion will increase by n Da, in which n is the number of its constituent carbon atoms; moreover, the {sup 13}C isotopic distribution pattern will be reversed. The identities of the constituent fatty acids and polar headgroup are obtained by collisional dissociation (MS/MS), and their extent of {sup 13}C incorporation determined individually. The method is demonstrated for Rhodococcus rhodochrous (ATCC No. 53968), for which all 44 carbons of a representative phosphatidylinositol are shown to derive from the hydrocarbon source. Interestingly, although only C{sub 16} and C{sub 18} alkanes are provided in the growth medium, the bacteria synthesize uniformly enriched C16:0 and C19:0 fatty acids.

  2. Risk of secondary lymphedema in breast cancer survivors is related to serum phospholipid fatty acid desaturation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryu, Eunjung; Yim, Seung Yun; Do, Hyun Ju; Lim, Jae-Young; Yang, Eun Joo; Shin, Min-Jeong; Lee, Seung-Min

    2016-09-01

    Secondary lymphedema is a common irreversible side effect of breast cancer surgery. We investigated if risk of secondary lymphedema in breast cancer survivors was related to changes in serum phospholipid fatty acid composition. Study subjects were voluntarily recruited into the following three groups: breast cancer survivors who had sentinel lymph node biopsy without lymphedema (SLNB), those who had auxillary lymph node dissection without lymphedema (ALND), and those who had ALND with lymphedema (ALND + LE). Body mass index (BMI), serum lipid profiles, bioimpedance data with single-frequency bioimpedance analysis (SFBIA), and serum phospholipid compositions were analyzed and compared among the groups. BMI, serum total cholesterol (total-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and SFBIA ratios increased only in the ALND + LE. High polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and high C20:4 to C18:2 n-6 PUFAs (arachidonic acid [AA]/linoleic acid [LA]) was detected in the ALND and ALND + LE groups compared to SLNB. The ALND + LE group showed increased activity indices for delta 6 desaturase (D6D) and D5D and increased ratio of AA to eicosapentaenoic acid (AA/EPA) compared to the ALND and SLNB groups. Correlation and regression analysis indicated that D6D, D5D, and AA/EPA were associated with SFBIA ratios. We demonstrated that breast cancer survivors with lymphedema had elevated total PUFAs, fatty acid desaturase activity indices, and AA/EPA in serum phospholipids. Our findings suggested that desaturation extent of fatty acid composition might be related to the risk of secondary lymphedema in breast cancer survivors.

  3. Checks and balances in membrane phospholipid class and acyl chain homeostasis, the yeast perspective

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Kroon, A.I.P.M.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/084765283; Rijken, P.J.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/32716297X; De Smet, C.H.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/304824224

    2013-01-01

    Glycerophospholipids are the most abundant membrane lipid constituents in most eukaryotic cells. As a consequence, phospholipid class and acyl chain homeostasis are crucial for maintaining optimal physical properties of membranes that in turn are crucial for membrane function. The topic of this

  4. Dietary fatty acids and membrane protein function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, M G

    1990-02-01

    In recent years, there has been growing public awareness of the potential health benefits of dietary fatty acids, and of the distinction between the effects of the omega6 and omega3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that are concentrated in vegetable and fish oils, respectively. A part of the biologic effectiveness of the two families of polyunsaturated fatty acids resides in their relative roles as precursors of the eicosanoids. However, we are also beginning to appreciate that as the major components of the hydrophobic core of the membrane bilayer, they can interact with and directly influence the functioning of select integral membrane proteins. Among the most important of these are the enzymes, receptors, and ion channels that are situated in the plasma membrane of the cell, since they carry out the communication and homeostatic processes that are necessary for normal cell function. This review examines current information regarding the effects of diet-induced changes in plasma membrane fatty acid composition on several specific enzymes (adenylate cyclase, 5'-nucleotidase, Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase) and cell-surface receptors (opiate, adrenergic, insulin). Dietary manipulation studies have demonstrated a sensitivity of each to a fatty acid environment that is variably dependent on the nature of the fatty acid(s) and/or source of the membrane. The molecular mechanisms appear to involve fatty acid-dependent effects on protein conformation, on the "fluidity" and/or thickness of the membrane, or on protein synthesis. Together, the results of these studies reinforce the concept that dietary fats have the potential to regulate physiologic function and to further our understanding of how this occurs at a membrane level.

  5. Significant decrease of saturation index in erythrocytes membrane from subjects with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Notarnicola, Maria; Caruso, Maria Gabriella; Tutino, Valeria; Bonfiglio, Caterina; Cozzolongo, Raffaele; Giannuzzi, Vito; De Nunzio, Valentina; De Leonardis, Giampiero; Abbrescia, Daniela I; Franco, Isabella; Intini, Vincenza; Mirizzi, Antonella; Osella, Alberto R

    2017-08-23

    The lipidomic profiling of erythrocyte membranes is expected to provide a peculiar scenario at molecular level of metabolic and nutritional pathways which may influence the lipid balance and the adaptation and homeostasis of the organism. Considering that lipid accumulation in the cell is important in promoting tissue inflammation, the purpose of this study is to analyze the fatty acid profile in red blood cell membranes of patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), in order to identify and validate membrane profiles possibly associated with the degree of hepatic damage. This work presents data obtained at baseline from 101 subjects that participated to a nutritional trial (registration number: NCT02347696) enrolling consecutive subjects with NAFLD. Diagnosis of liver steatosis was performed by using vibration-controlled elastography implemented on FibroScan. Fatty acids, extracted from phospholipids of erythrocyte membranes, were quantified by gas chromatography method. The subjects with severe NAFLD showed a significant decrease of the ratio of stearic acid to oleic acid (saturation index, SI) compared to controls, 1.281 ± 0.31 vs 1.5 ± 0.29, respectively. Low levels of SI in red blood cell membranes, inversely associated with degree of liver damage, suggest that an impairment of circulating cell membrane structure can reflect modifications that take place in the liver. Subjects with severe NAFLDalso showed higher levels of elongase 5 enzymatic activity, evaluated as vaccenic acid to palmitoleic acid ratio. Starting from these evidences, our findings show the importance of lipidomic approach in the diagnosis and the staging of NAFLD.

  6. Phospholipid fatty acid composition of microorganisms in pine forest soils of Central Siberia

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Evgrafova, S.Yu.; Šantrůčková, H.; Shibistova, O.B.; Elhottová, Dana; Černá, B.; Zrazhevskaya, G.K.; Lloyd, D.

    2008-01-01

    Roč. 35, č. 5 (2008), s. 452-458 ISSN 1062-3590 Grant - others:Evropská unie(XE) 03-55-1344; Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation(RU) RUX0-002-KR-06 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60660521 Keywords : phospholipid fatty acid * microorganisms * pine forest soils Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 0.082, year: 2008

  7. Biophysical properties of membrane lipids of anammox bacteria : I. Ladderane phospholipids form highly organized fluid membranes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boumann, Henry A.; Longo, Marjorie L.; Stroeve, Pieter; Poolman, Bert; Hopmans, Ellen C.; Stuart, Marc C. A.; Damste, Jaap S. Sinninghe; Schouten, Stefan

    Anammox bacteria that are capable of anaerobically oxidizing ammonium (anammox) with nitrite to nitrogen gas produce unique membrane phospholipids that comprise hydrocarbon chains with three or five linearly condensed cyclobutane rings. To gain insight into the biophysical properties of these

  8. Effect of environmental conditions on the fatty acid fingerprint of microbial communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biryukov, Mikhail; Dippold, Michaela; Kuzyakov, Yakov

    2014-05-01

    Lipid biomarkers, especially phospholipids, are routinely used to characterize microbial community structure in environmental samples. Interpretations of these fingerprints mainly depend on rare results of pure cultures which were cultivated under standardized batch conditions. However, membrane lipids (e.g. phopholipid biomarker) build up the interface between microorganisms and their environment and consequently are prone to be adapted according to the environmental conditions. We cultivated several bacteria, isolated from soil (gram-positive and gram-negative) under various conditions e.g. C supply and temperature regimes. Effect of growth conditions on phospholipids fatty acid (PLFA) as well as neutral lipid fatty acids (NLFA) and glycolipid fatty acids (GLFA) was investigated by conventional method of extraction and derivatization, followed by assessments with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In addition, phospholipids were measured as intact molecules by ultra high performance liquid chromatography - quadrupole - time of flight mass spectrometer (UHPLC-Q-ToF) to further assess the composition of headgroups with fatty acids residues and their response on changing environmental conditions. PLFA fingerprints revealed a strong effect of growth stage, C supply and temperature e.g. decrease of temperature increased the amount of branched and/or unsaturated fatty acids to maintain the membrane fluidity. This strongly changes the ratio of specific to unspecific fatty acids depending on environmental conditions. Therefore, amounts of specific fatty acids cannot be used to assess biomass of a functional microbial group in soil. Intracellular neutral lipids depended less on environmental conditions reflecting a more stable biomarker group but also showed less specific fatty acids then PLFA. Therefore, combination of several lipid classes is suggested as more powerful tool to assess amounts and functionality of environmental microbial communities. Further

  9. Rooster sperm plasma membrane protein and phospholipid organization and reorganization attributed to cooling and cryopreservation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cholesterol to phospholipid ratio is used as a representation for membrane fluidity, and predictor of cryopreservation success but results are not consistent across species and ignore the impact of membrane proteins. Therefore, this research explored the modulation of membrane fluidity and protein ...

  10. Dietary lipids differentially affect membranes from different areas of rooster sperm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bongalhardo, D C; Leeson, S; Buhr, M M

    2009-05-01

    The present work aimed to compare the effect of dietary flax with other oil sources on rooster sperm membranes and on semen characteristics. White Leghorn roosters (16 per diet) were fed 1 of 4 treatments: control diet (CON), or a diet containing corn oil (CORN), fish oil (FISH), or flax seed (FLAX) as the lipid source. Semen from 4 birds (30 wk old) of each treatment was pooled, the sperm head (HM) and body membranes (BM) were isolated, and lipids were extracted and analyzed. Aspects of lipid composition tested were as follows: percentage of individual fatty acids (C14:0 to C24:1) in total fatty acids, percentage of fatty acid categories [saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated (PUFA), n-3 and n-6 PUFA, and n-6:n-3 ratio] within total fatty acids, and percentage of phospholipids [phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin] in total phospholipids. Sperm characteristics evaluated were as follows: volume, concentration, viability, percentage of motile cells, average path velocity, track speed, progressive velocity, lateral head displacement, straightness, and linearity. Diet did not affect membrane phospholipid ratios in either membrane but modified major fatty acids within certain phospholipids. Birds fed FISH and CORN showed, respectively, the highest and the lowest n-3 in sperm, causing reciprocal significant changes in n-6:n-3 ratio. Feeding FLAX caused intermediate effects in n-3, with values significantly lower than FISH but higher than CORN in HM (PC, PE, and phosphatidylinositol) and PC in BM (P < 0.05). In the PE phospholipids, FISH, followed by FLAX, increased n-3 in BM and decreased n-6 PUFA in HM. Sperm concentration was specifically correlated with the amount of 20:4n-6 in FLAX and 22:4n-6 in CON. In FLAX diets, straightness correlated with C18:0, n-3, and n-6:n-3 ratio. Diets containing distinct lipid sources differentially modify the lipid contents of HM and BM, with minor

  11. Employment of Voltammetry in Studies of Transport Processes across Artificial Phospholipid Membranes

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šestáková, Ivana; Navrátil, Tomáš; Josypčuk, Bohdan

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 28, č. 11 (2016), s. 2754-2759 ISSN 1040-0397 Institutional support: RVO:61388955 Keywords : phospholipid membrane * cadmium * calcium ionophore (calcimycin) Subject RIV: CG - Electrochemistry Impact factor: 2.851, year: 2016

  12. Kinase Associated-1 Domains Drive MARK/PAR1 Kinases to Membrane Targets by Binding Acidic Phospholipids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moravcevic, Katarina; Mendrola, Jeannine M.; Schmitz, Karl R.; Wang, Yu-Hsiu; Slochower, David; Janmey, Paul A.; Lemmon, Mark A. (UPENN-MED)

    2011-09-28

    Phospholipid-binding modules such as PH, C1, and C2 domains play crucial roles in location-dependent regulation of many protein kinases. Here, we identify the KA1 domain (kinase associated-1 domain), found at the C terminus of yeast septin-associated kinases (Kcc4p, Gin4p, and Hsl1p) and human MARK/PAR1 kinases, as a membrane association domain that binds acidic phospholipids. Membrane localization of isolated KA1 domains depends on phosphatidylserine. Using X-ray crystallography, we identified a structurally conserved binding site for anionic phospholipids in KA1 domains from Kcc4p and MARK1. Mutating this site impairs membrane association of both KA1 domains and intact proteins and reveals the importance of phosphatidylserine for bud neck localization of yeast Kcc4p. Our data suggest that KA1 domains contribute to coincidence detection, allowing kinases to bind other regulators (such as septins) only at the membrane surface. These findings have important implications for understanding MARK/PAR1 kinases, which are implicated in Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and autism.

  13. Correlated volume-energy fluctuations of phospholipid membranes: A simulation study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Ulf. R.; Peters, Günther H.J.; Schröder, Thomas B.

    2010-01-01

    This paper reports all-atom computer simulations of five phospholipid membranes (DMPC, DPPC, DMPG, DMPS, and DMPSH) with focus on the thermal equilibrium fluctuations of volume, energy, area, thickness, and chain order. At constant temperature and pressure, volume and energy exhibit strong...... membranes, showing a similar picture. The cause of the observed strong correlations is identified by splitting volume and energy into contributions from tails, heads, and water, and showing that the slow volume−energy fluctuations derive from van der Waals interactions of the tail region; they are thus...

  14. Growth on octane alters the membrane lipid fatty acids of Pseudomonas oleovorans due to the induction of alkB and synthesis of octanol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Q; Janssen, D B; Witholt, B

    1995-01-01

    Growth of Pseudomonas oleovorans GPo1, which contains the OCT plasmid, on octane results in changes in the membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition. These changes were not found for GPo12, an OCT-plasmid-cured variant of GPo1, during growth in the presence or absence of octane, implying the involvement of OCT-plasmid-encoded functions. When recombinant strain GPo12(pGEc47) carrying the alk genes from the OCT plasmid was grown on octane, the cells showed the same changes in fatty acid composition as those found for GPo1, indicating that such changes result from induction and expression of the alk genes. This finding was corroborated by inducing GPo12(pGEc47) with dicyclopropylketone (DCPK), a gratuitous inducer of the alk genes. Further experiments showed that the increase of the mean acyl chain length of fatty acids is related to the expression of alkB, which encodes a major integral membrane protein, while the formation of trans unsaturated fatty acids mainly results from the effects of 1-octanol, an octane oxidation product. PMID:7592483

  15. Understanding Detergent Effects on Lipid Membranes: A Model Study of Lysolipids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henriksen, Jonas Rosager; Andresen, Thomas Lars; Feldborg, Lise Nørkjær

    2010-01-01

    Lysolipids and fatty acids are the natural products formed by the hydrolysis of phospholipids. Lysolipids and fatty acids form micelles in solution and acts as detergents in the presence of lipid membranes. In this study, we investigate the detergent strength of a homologous series of lyso......-chain mismatch between LPC and POPC determines the magnitude of the membrane mechanical perturbation per LPC molecule in the membrane. Finally, the three-stage model describing detergent membrane interaction has been extended by a parameter D-MCI, which governs the membrane curvature stability in the detergent...

  16. iPLA2β deficiency attenuates obesity and hepatic steatosis in ob/ob mice through hepatic fatty-acyl phospholipid remodeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Xiuling; Wang, Jiliang; Jiao, Li; Utaipan, Tanyarath; Tuma-Kellner, Sabine; Schmitz, Gerd; Liebisch, Gerhard; Stremmel, Wolfgang; Chamulitrat, Walee

    2016-05-01

    PLA2G6 or GVIA calcium-independent PLA2 (iPLA2β) is identified as one of the NAFLD modifier genes in humans, and thought to be a target for NAFLD therapy. iPLA2β is known to play a house-keeping role in phospholipid metabolism and remodeling. However, its role in NAFLD pathogenesis has not been supported by results obtained from high-fat feeding of iPLA2β-null (PKO) mice. Unlike livers of human NAFLD and genetically obese rodents, fatty liver induced by high-fat diet is not associated with depletion of hepatic phospholipids. We therefore tested whether iPLA2β could regulate obesity and hepatic steatosis in leptin-deficient mice by cross-breeding PKO with ob/ob mice to generate ob/ob-PKO mice. Here we observed an improvement in ob/ob-PKO mice with significant reduction in serum enzymes, lipids, glucose, insulin as well as improved glucose tolerance, and reduction in islet hyperplasia. The improvement in hepatic steatosis measured by liver triglycerides, fatty acids and cholesterol esters was associated with decreased expression of PPARγ and de novo lipogenesis genes, and the reversal of β-oxidation gene expression. Notably, ob/ob livers contained depleted levels of lysophospholipids and phospholipids, and iPLA2β deficiency in ob/ob-PKO livers lowers the former, but replenished the latter particularly phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) that contained arachidonic (AA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids. Compared with WT livers, PKO livers also contained increased PE and PC containing AA and DHA. Thus, iPLA2β deficiency protected against obesity and ob/ob fatty liver which was associated with hepatic fatty-acyl phospholipid remodeling. Our results support the deleterious role of iPLA2β in severe obesity associated NAFLD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Lipid chain saturation and the cholesterol in the phospholipid membrane affect the spectroscopic properties of lipophilic dye nile red

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halder, Animesh; Saha, Baishakhi; Maity, Pabitra; Kumar, Gopinatha Suresh; Sinha, Deepak Kumar; Karmakar, Sanat

    2018-02-01

    We have studied the effect of composition and the phase state of phospholipid membranes on the emission spectrum, anisotropy and lifetime of a lipophilic fluorescence probe nile red. Fluorescence spectrum of nile red in membranes containing cholesterol has also been investigated in order to get insights into the influence of cholesterol on the phospholipid membranes. Maximum emission wavelength (λem) of nile red in the fluid phase of saturated and unsaturated phospholipids was found to differ by 10 nm. The λem was also found to be independent of chain length and charge of the membrane. However, the λem is strongly dependent on the temperature in the gel phase. The λem and rotational diffusion rate decrease, whereas the anisotropy and lifetime increase markedly with increasing cholesterol concentration for saturated phosoholipids, such as, dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) in the liquid ordered phase. However, these spectroscopic properties do not alter significantly in case of unsaturated phospholipids, such as, dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine (DOPC) in liquid disordered phase. Interestingly, red edge excitation shift (REES) in the presence of lipid-cholesterol membranes is the direct consequences of change in rotational diffusion due to motional restriction of lipids in the presence of cholesterol. This study provides correlations between the membrane compositions and fluorescence spectral features which can be utilized in a wide range of biophysical fields as well the cell biology.

  18. Liver phospholipids fatty acids composition in response to different types of diets in rats of both sexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranković, Slavica; Popović, Tamara; Martačić, Jasmina Debeljak; Petrović, Snježana; Tomić, Mirko; Ignjatović, Đurđica; Tovilović-Kovačević, Gordana; Glibetić, Maria

    2017-05-19

    Dietary intake influence changes in fatty acids (FA) profiles in liver which plays a central role in fatty acid metabolism, triacylglycerol synthesis and energy homeostasis. We investigated the effects of 4-weeks treatment with milk- and fish-based diet, on plasma biochemical parameters and FA composition of liver phospholipids (PL) in rats of both sexes. Adult, 4 months old, Wistar rats of both sexes, were fed with different types of diets: standard, milk-based and fish-based, during 4 weeks. Analytical characterization of different foods was done. Biochemical parameters in plasma were determined. Fatty acid composition was analyzed by gas-chromatography. Statistical significance of FA levels was tested with two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the sex of animals and treatment (type of diet) as factors on logarithmic or trigonometric transformed data. Our results showed that both, milk- and fish-based diet, changed the composition and ratio of rat liver phospholipids FA, in gender-specific manner. Initially present sex differences appear to be dietary modulated. Although, applied diets changed the ratio of total saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and effects were gender specific. Milk-based diet lowered SFA and elevated MUFA in males and increased PUFA in females vs. standard diet. The same diet decreased n-3, increased n-6 and n-6/n-3 ratio in males. Fish-based diet increased n-3, decreased n-6 and n-6/n-3 ratio vs. standard and milk-based diet in females. However, the ratio of individual FA in liver PL was also dietary-influenced, but with gender specific manner. While in females fish-based diet decreased AA (arachidonic acid) increased level of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), DPA (docosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), the same diet elevated only DHA levels in males. Gender related variations in FA composition of rat liver PL were observed, and results have shown that

  19. Phospholipid composition and longevity: lessons from Ames dwarf mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valencak, Teresa G; Ruf, Thomas

    2013-12-01

    Membrane fatty acid (FA) composition is correlated with longevity in mammals. The "membrane pacemaker hypothesis of ageing" proposes that animals which cellular membranes contain high amounts of polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) have shorter life spans because their membranes are more susceptible to peroxidation and further oxidative damage. It remains to be shown, however, that long-lived phenotypes such as the Ames dwarf mouse have membranes containing fewer PUFAs and thus being less prone to peroxidation, as would be predicted from the membrane pacemaker hypothesis of ageing. Here, we show that across four different tissues, i.e., muscle, heart, liver and brain as well as in liver mitochondria, Ames dwarf mice possess membrane phospholipids containing between 30 and 60 % PUFAs (depending on the tissue), which is similar to PUFA contents of their normal-sized, short-lived siblings. However, we found that that Ames dwarf mice membrane phospholipids were significantly poorer in n-3 PUFAs. While lack of a difference in PUFA contents is contradicting the membrane pacemaker hypothesis, the lower n-3 PUFAs content in the long-lived mice provides some support for the membrane pacemaker hypothesis of ageing, as n-3 PUFAs comprise those FAs being blamed most for causing oxidative damage. By comparing tissue composition between 1-, 2- and 6-month-old mice in both phenotypes, we found that membranes differed both in quantity of PUFAs and in the prevalence of certain PUFAs. In sum, membrane composition in the Ames dwarf mouse supports the concept that tissue FA composition is related to longevity.

  20. Distribution of fatty acids from dietary oils into phospholipid classes of triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins in healthy subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abia, Rocio; Pacheco, Yolanda M; Montero, Emilio; Ruiz-Gutierrez, Valentina; Muriana, Francisco J G

    2003-02-21

    Several studies have suggested that lipoprotein metabolism can be affected by lipoprotein phospholipid composition. We investigated the effect of virgin olive oil (VOO) and high-oleic sunflower oil (HOSO) intake on the distribution of fatty acids in triacylglycerols (TG), cholesteryl esters (CE) and phospholipid (PL) classes of triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins (TRL) from normolipidemic males throughout a 7 h postprandial metabolism. Particularly, changes in oleic acid (18:1n-9) concentration of PL were used as a marker of in vivo hydrolysis of TRL external monolayer. Both oils equally promoted the incorporation of oleic acid into the TG and CE of postprandial TRL. However, PL was enriched in oleic acid (18:1n-9) and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) after VOO meal, whereas in stearic (18:0) and linoleic (18:2n-6) acids after HOSO meal. We also found that VOO produced TRL which PL 18:1n-9 content was dramatically reduced along the postprandial period. We conclude that the fatty acid composition of PL can be a crucial determinant for the clearance of TRL during the postprandial metabolism of fats.

  1. Differential alterations of phospholipid metabolism in cultured cells of neural origin by phorbol esters, fatty acids, diacylglycerols and related compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cook, H.W.; Spence, M.W.

    1986-01-01

    The uptake and metabolism of [ 3 H]methylcholine, [1,2- 14 C]-ethanolamine, [1- 14 C]fatty acids and [ 32 P] were studied in glioma (C6), neuroblastoma (N1E-115) and neuroblastoma-glioma hybrid (NG108-15) cells in culture in the presence of tetradecanoylphorbolacetate (TPA) and related analogues, fatty acids and diacylglycerol (DAG) to assess mechanisms of stimulation of phospholipid synthesis. Choline incorporation into phosphatidylcholine (PC) was stimulated 1.5-3 fold by phorbol esters and 3-10 fold by 18:1(n-9) in C6 cultures; these agents were without effect on N1E-115 and had intermediate effects on NG108-15 cells. Stimulation of [ 32 P] incorporation was predominantly into PC, ethanolamine incorporation into phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) was less stimulated ( 3 H]choline and its incorporation via intracellular phosphocholine into PC whereas exogenous 18:1(n-9) stimulated only utilization of intracellular P-choline in C6 cells. Choline incorporation into PC and relative stimulation by TPA or 18:1 was influenced by medium glucose and choline. Thus, metabolism of phospholipids and their precursors in neural cells can be markedly influenced by phorbol esters and fatty acids but this stimulation is dependent on cell type, growth medium, phospholipid class and nature of the stimulator

  2. Phospholipid fatty acids in mitochondria and microsomes of wheat and rice seedling roots during aeration and anaerobiosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chirkova, T.V.; Sinyutina, N.F.; Blyudzin, Yu.A.; Barskii, I.E.; Smetannikova, S.V.

    1989-01-01

    Mitochondrial and microsomal fractions were isolated from the roots after residence of wheat and rice seedlings under conditions of aeration or anaerobiosis and used to determine the percentage ratio of phospholipid fatty acids (PFA), their content, and the rate of incorporation of [2- 14 C]-acetate into them. In rice mitochondria under anaerobic influence, the ratio of unsaturated to saturated PFA was higher than the level that occurred in the control plants and PFA content remained close to the control level throughout the entire course of exposure. On the other hand, these indices declined in wheat mitochondria and microsomes of both plants. Anoxia also powerfully inhibited incorporation of labelled acetate into PFA of both membrane fractions in wheat and rice seedlings alike. Probably indicating adaptive reorganizations in composition of the main groups of PFA and inhibition of their decomposition in rice mitochondria, the obtained data are discussed in relation to greater resistance to temporary anaerobiosis in rice as compared with wheat

  3. Fatty acid desaturase (FADS gene polymorphisms and insulin resistance in association with serum phospholipid polyunsaturated fatty acid composition in healthy Korean men: cross-sectional study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yang Long In

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background We investigated the relationship between fatty acid desaturase (FADS gene polymorphisms and insulin resistance (IR in association with serum phospholipid polyunsaturated fatty acid (FA composition in healthy Korean men. Methods Healthy men (n = 576, 30 ~ 79 years old were genotyped for rs174537 near FADS1 (FEN1-10154G>T, FADS2 (rs174575C>G, rs2727270C>T, and FADS3 (rs1000778C>T SNPs. Dietary intake, serum phospholipid FA composition and HOMA-IR were measured. Results Fasting insulin and HOMA-IR were significantly higher in the rs174575G allele carriers than the CC homozygotes, but lower in the rs2727270T allele carriers than the CC homozygotes. The proportion of linoleic acid (18:2ω-6, LA was higher in the minor allele carriers of FEN1-10154G>T, rs174575C>G and rs2727270C>T than the major homozygotes, respectively. On the other hand, the proportions of dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (20:3ω-6, DGLA and arachidonic acid (20:4ω-6, AA in serum phospholipids were significantly lower in the minor allele carriers of FEN1-10154 G>T carriers and rs2727270C>T than the major homozygotes respectively. AA was also significantly lower in the rs1000778T allele carriers than the CC homozygotes. HOMA-IR positively correlated with LA and DGLA and negatively with AA/DGLA in total subjects. Interestingly, rs174575G allele carriers showed remarkably higher HOMA-IR than the CC homozygotes when subjects had higher proportions of DLGA (≥1.412% in total serum phospholipid FA composition (P for interaction = 0.009 or of AA (≥4.573% (P for interaction = 0.047. Conclusion HOMA-IR is associated with FADS gene cluster as well as with FA composition in serum phospholipids. Additionally, HOMA-IR may be modulated by the interaction between rs174575C>G and the proportion of DGLA or AA in serum phospholipids.

  4. PHOSPHOLIPIDS FROM PUMPKIN (Cucurbita moschata (Duch. Poir SEED KERNEL OIL AND THEIR FATTY ACID COMPOSITION

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    Tri Joko Raharjo

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available The phospholipids (PL of pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata (Duch Poir seed kernel and their fatty acid composition were investigated. The crude oil was obtained by maceration with isopropanol followed by steps of extraction yielded polar lipids. The quantitative determination of PLs content of the dried pumpkin seed kernel and their polar lipids were calculated based on the elemental phosphorus (P contents which was determined by means of spectrophotometric methods. PL classes were separated from polar lipids via column chromatography. The fatty acid composition of individual PL was identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS. The total of PL in the pumpkin seed kernels was 1.27% which consisted of phosphatidylcholine (PC, phosphatidylserine (PS and phosphatidyletanolamine (PE. The predominant fatty acids of PL were oleic and palmitic acid in PC and PE while PS's fatty acid were dominantly consisted of oleic acid and linoleic acid.

  5. Free fatty acids and esters can be immobilized by receptor rich membranes from torpedo marmorata but not phospholipid acyl chains

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rousselet, A.; Devaux, P.F.; Wirtz, K.W.A.

    1979-01-01

    A long chain spin labeled fatty acid and the corresponding ester have been introduced into receptor rich membranes from Torpedo Marmorata. Superimposed to a mobile component, typical of the lipid phase, a strongly immobilized component is seen on the ESR spectra, both at low temperature (−4°C) and

  6. Phospholipid composition and a polybasic motif determine D6 PROTEIN KINASE polar association with the plasma membrane and tropic responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barbosa, Inês C R; Shikata, Hiromasa; Zourelidou, Melina; Heilmann, Mareike; Heilmann, Ingo; Schwechheimer, Claus

    2016-12-15

    Polar transport of the phytohormone auxin through PIN-FORMED (PIN) auxin efflux carriers is essential for the spatiotemporal control of plant development. The Arabidopsis thaliana serine/threonine kinase D6 PROTEIN KINASE (D6PK) is polarly localized at the plasma membrane of many cells where it colocalizes with PINs and activates PIN-mediated auxin efflux. Here, we show that the association of D6PK with the basal plasma membrane and PINs is dependent on the phospholipid composition of the plasma membrane as well as on the phosphatidylinositol phosphate 5-kinases PIP5K1 and PIP5K2 in epidermis cells of the primary root. We further show that D6PK directly binds polyacidic phospholipids through a polybasic lysine-rich motif in the middle domain of the kinase. The lysine-rich motif is required for proper PIN3 phosphorylation and for auxin transport-dependent tropic growth. Polybasic motifs are also present at a conserved position in other D6PK-related kinases and required for membrane and phospholipid binding. Thus, phospholipid-dependent recruitment to membranes through polybasic motifs might not only be required for D6PK-mediated auxin transport but also other processes regulated by these, as yet, functionally uncharacterized kinases. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  7. Binding of Diphtheria Toxin to Phospholipids in Liposomes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alving, Carl R.; Iglewski, Barbara H.; Urban, Katharine A.; Moss, Joel; Richards, Roberta L.; Sadoff, Jerald C.

    1980-04-01

    Diphtheria toxin bound to the phosphate portion of some, but not all, phospholipids in liposomes. Liposomes consisting of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol did not bind toxin. Addition of 20 mol% (compared to dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine) of dipalmitoyl phosphatidic acid, dicetyl phosphate, phosphatidylinositol phosphate, cardiolipin, or phosphatidylserine in the liposomes resulted in substantial binding of toxin. Inclusion of phosphatidylinositol in dimyristol phosphatidylcholine / cholesterol liposomes did not result in toxin binding. The calcium salt of dipalmitoyl phosphatidic acid was more effective than the sodium salt, and the highest level of binding occurred with liposomes consisting only of dipalmitoyl phosphatidic acid (calcium salt) and cholesterol. Binding of toxin to liposomes was dependent on pH, and the pattern of pH dependence varied with liposomes having different compositions. Incubation of diphtheria toxin with liposomes containing dicetyl phosphate resulted in maximal binding at pH 3.6, whereas binding to liposomes containing phosphatidylinositol phosphate was maximal above pH 7. Toxin did not bind to liposomes containing 20 mol% of a free fatty acid (palmitic acid) or a sulfated lipid (3-sulfogalactosylceramide). Toxin binding to dicetyl phosphate or phosphatidylinositol phosphate was inhibited by UTP, ATP, phosphocholine, or p-nitrophenyl phosphate, but not by uracil. We conclude that (a) diphtheria toxin binds specifically to the phosphate portion of certain phospholipids, (b) binding to phospholipids in liposomes is dependent on pH, but is not due only to electrostatic interaction, and (c) binding may be strongly influenced by the composition of adjacent phospholipids that do not bind toxin. We propose that a minor membrane phospholipid (such as phosphatidylinositol phosphate or phosphatidic acid), or that some other phosphorylated membrane molecule (such as a phosphoprotein) may be important in the initial binding of

  8. Plasma and erythrocyte phospholipid fatty acid profile in professional basketball and football players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tepsic, Jasna; Vucic, Vesna; Arsic, Aleksandra; Blazencic-Mladenovic, Vera; Mazic, Sanja; Glibetic, Marija

    2009-10-01

    The effect of intensive long-term physical activity on phospholipid fatty acid (FA) composition has not been studied thoroughly. We determined plasma and erythrocyte phospholipid FA status of professional basketball and football players. Our results showed differences in plasma FA profile not only between sportsmen and sedentary subjects, but also between two groups of sportsmen. Plasma FA profile in basketball players showed significantly higher proportion of n-6 FA (20:3, 20:4, and 22:4) and total polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) than controls, while football players had higher palmitoleic acid (16:1) than basketball players and controls. Total PUFA and 22:4 were also higher in basketball than in football players. Erythrocyte FA profile showed no differences between football players and controls. However, basketball players had higher proportion of 18:0 than controls, higher saturated FA and lower 18:2 than two other groups, and higher 22:4 than football players. These findings suggest that long-term intensive exercise and type of sport influence FA profile.

  9. Role of phospholipids in destabilization of lysosomal membranes in chronic alcohol poisoning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tadevosyan, Y.V.; Batikyan, T.B.; Gevorkyan, G.A.; Karagezyan, K.G.

    1986-01-01

    The aim of this investigation was to study changes in the phospholipids (PL) spectrum and possible activity of membrane-bound phospholipase A 2 in lysosomal membranes from albino rat liver under conditions of the normally metabolizing tissue and during long-term alcohol poisoning. Changes in stability of the lysosomal membranes were determined by measuring nonsedimented acid phosphatase (AP) activity. The substance 1-acyl-2-(1- 14 C)-oleoyl-phosphatidyl-choline ( 14 C-PCh) was synthesized by an enzymic method. Phospholipase A 2 activity was determined in an incubation medium of Tris-Maleate buffer containing 20 nanomoles ( 14 C)-PCH, 8 mM CaC1 2 , and about 100 micrograms protein

  10. Medium-chain fatty acid binding to albumin and transfer to phospholipid bilayers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamilton, J.A.

    1989-01-01

    Temperature-dependent (5-42 degree C) 13 C NMR spectra of albumin complexes with 90% isotopically substituted [1- 13 C]octanoic or [1- 13 C]decanoic acids showed a single peak at >30 degree C but three peaks at lower temperatures. The chemical-shift differences result from different ionic and/or hydrogen-bonding interactions between amino acid side chains and the fatty acid carboxyl carbon. Rapid exchange of fatty acid among binding sites obscures these sites at temperatures >30 degree C. Rate constants for exchange at 33 degree C were 350 sec -1 for octanoate and 20 sec -1 for decanoate. Temperature-dependent data for octanoate showed an activation energy of 2 kcal/mol for exchange. Spectra of albumin complexes with the 12-carbon saturated fatty acid, lauric acid, had several narrow laurate carboxyl peaks at 35 degree C, indicating longer lifetimes in the different binding sites. Fatty acid exchange between albumin and model membranes (phosphatidylcholine bilayers) occurred on a time scale comparable to that for exchange among albumin binding sites, following the order octanoate > decanoate > laurate. The equilibrium distribution of fatty acid between lipid bilayers and protein was measured directly from NMR spectra. Decreasing pH increased the relative affinity of fatty acid for the lipid bilayer. The results predict that the relative affinity of octanoic acid for albumin and membranes will be similar to that of long-chain fatty acids, but the rate of equilibration will be ∼ 10 4 faster for octanoic acid

  11. Efficient and specific analysis of red blood cell glycerophospholipid fatty acid composition.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabrina Klem

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Red blood cell (RBC n-3 fatty acid status is related to various health outcomes. Accepted biological markers for the fatty acid status determination are RBC phospholipids, phosphatidylcholine, and phosphatidyletholamine. The analysis of these lipid fractions is demanding and time consuming and total phospholipid n-3 fatty acid levels might be affected by changes of sphingomyelin contents in the RBC membrane during n-3 supplementation. AIM: We developed a method for the specific analysis of RBC glycerophospholipids. The application of the new method in a DHA supplementation trial and the comparison to established markers will determine the relevance of RBC GPL as a valid fatty acid status marker in humans. METHODS: Methyl esters of glycerophospholipid fatty acids are selectively generated by a two step procedure involving methanolic protein precipitation and base-catalysed methyl ester synthesis. RBC GPL solubilisation is facilitated by ultrasound treatment. Fatty acid status in RBC glycerophospholipids and other established markers were evaluated in thirteen subjects participating in a 30 days supplementation trial (510 mg DHA/d. OUTCOME: The intra-assay CV for GPL fatty acids ranged from 1.0 to 10.5% and the inter-assay CV from 1.3 to 10.9%. Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation significantly increased the docosahexaenoic acid contents in all analysed lipid fractions. High correlations were observed for most of the mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and for the omega-3 index (r = 0.924 between RBC phospholipids and glycerophospholipids. The analysis of RBC glycerophospholipid fatty acids yields faster, easier and less costly results equivalent to the conventional analysis of RBC total phospholipids.

  12. Improving effect of dietary soybean phospholipids supplement on hepatic and serum indexes relevant to fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome in laying hens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Fei; Ruan, Jiming; Wang, Tiancheng; Luo, Junrong; Cao, Huabin; Song, Yalu; Huang, Jianzhen; Hu, Guoliang

    2017-11-01

    In order to investigate the effect of dietary soybean phospholipid supplement on hepatic and serum indexes relevant to fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS) in layers, 135 300-day-old Hyline Brown layers were randomly divided into three groups (control, pathology and prevention), and each group had 45 layers with three replicates. Birds in the three groups were respectively fed the control diet, high-energy low-protein diet and high-energy high-protein diet affixed with 3% soybean phospholipid instead of maize. Results showed in the 30th day, birds' livers in the pathology group became yellowish, enlarged in size and had hemorrhagic spots, while the prevention and control groups' layers did not have such pathological changes. Contents of triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein - cholesterol, non-esterified fatty acid and malondialdehyde in serum or liver homogenate in prevention and control groups were remarkably lower than those in the pathology group (P fatty liver disease. © 2017 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

  13. Relation between various phospholipase actions on human red cell membranes and the interfacial phospholipid pressure in monolayers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Demel, R.A.; Geurts van Kessel, W.S.M.; Zwaal, R.F.A.; Roelofsen, B.; Deenen, L.L.M. van

    1975-01-01

    The action of purified phospholipases on monomolecular films of various interfacial pressures is compared with the action on erythrocyte membranes. The phospholipases which cannot hydrolyse phospholipids of the intact erythrocyte membrane, phospholipase C from Bacillus cereus, phospholipase A2 from

  14. The implication of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in retinal physiology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Acar Niyazi

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available Neuronal tissues such as the retina and the brain are characterized by their high content in phospholipids. In the retina, phospholipids can account for until 80% of total lipids and are mainly composed by species belonging to phosphatidyl-choline and phosphatidyl-ethanolamine sub-classes. Within fatty acids esterified on retinal phospholipids, omega-3 PUFAs are major components since docosahexaenoic acid (DHA can represent until 50% of total fatty acids in the photoreceptor outer segments. For long time, DHA is known to play a major role in membrane function and subsequently in visual processes by affecting permeability, fluidity, thickness and the activation of membrane-bound proteins. Today, more and more studies show that PUFAs from the omega-3 series may also operate as protective factors in retinal vascular and immuno-regulatory processes, in maintaining the physiologic redox balance and in cell survival. They may operate within complex systems involving eicosanoids, angiogenic factors, inflammatory factors and matrix metalloproteinases. This new and emerging concept based on the interrelationship of omega-3 PUFAs with neural and vascular structure and function appears to be essential when considering retinal diseases of public health significance such as age-related macular degeneration.

  15. Changes in relative and absolute concentrations of plasma phospholipid fatty acids observed in a randomized trial of Omega-3 fatty acids supplementation in Uganda.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Xiaoling; Diep, Pho; Schenk, Jeannette M; Casper, Corey; Orem, Jackson; Makhoul, Zeina; Lampe, Johanna W; Neuhouser, Marian L

    2016-11-01

    Expressing circulating phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) in relative concentrations has some limitations: the total of all fatty acids are summed to 100%; therefore, the values of individual fatty acid are not independent. In this study we examined if both relative and absolute metrics could effectively measure changes in circulating PLFA concentrations in an intervention trial. 66 HIV and HHV8 infected patients in Uganda were randomized to take 3g/d of either long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (1856mg EPA and 1232mg DHA) or high-oleic safflower oil in a 12-week double-blind trial. Plasma samples were collected at baseline and end of trial. Relative weight percentage and absolute concentrations of 41 plasma PLFAs were measured using gas chromatography. Total cholesterol was also measured. Intervention-effect changes in concentrations were calculated as differences between end of 12-week trial and baseline. Pearson correlations of relative and absolute concentration changes in individual PLFAs were high (>0.6) for 37 of the 41 PLFAs analyzed. In the intervention arm, 17 PLFAs changed significantly in relative concentration and 16 in absolute concentration, 15 of which were identical. Absolute concentration of total PLFAs decreased 95.1mg/L (95% CI: 26.0, 164.2; P=0.0085), but total cholesterol did not change significantly in the intervention arm. No significant change was observed in any of the measurements in the placebo arm. Both relative weight percentage and absolute concentrations could effectively measure changes in plasma PLFA concentrations. EPA and DHA supplementation changes the concentrations of multiple plasma PLFAs besides EPA and DHA.Both relative weight percentage and absolute concentrations could effectively measure changes in plasma phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) concentrations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. (CryoTransmission Electron Microscopy of Phospholipid Model Membranes Interacting with Amphiphilic and Polyphilic Molecules

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annette Meister

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Lipid membranes can incorporate amphiphilic or polyphilic molecules leading to specific functionalities and to adaptable properties of the lipid bilayer host. The insertion of guest molecules into membranes frequently induces changes in the shape of the lipid matrix that can be visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM techniques. Here, we review the use of stained and vitrified specimens in (cryoTEM to characterize the morphology of amphiphilic and polyphilic molecules upon insertion into phospholipid model membranes. Special emphasis is placed on the impact of novel synthetic amphiphilic and polyphilic bolalipids and polymers on membrane integrity and shape stability.

  17. Characterization of methanotrophic bacteria on the basis of intact phospholipid profiles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, J; Barcelona, M J; Semrau, J D

    2000-08-01

    The intact phospholipid profiles (IPPs) of seven species of methanotrophs from all three physiological groups, type I, II and X, were determined using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry. In these methanotrophs, two major classes of phospholipids were found, phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) as well as its derivatives phosphatidylmethylethanolamine (PME) and phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine (PDME). Specifically, the type I methanotrophs, Methylomonas methanica, Methylomonas rubra and Methylomicrobium album BG8 were characterized by PE and PG phospholipids with predominantly C16:1 fatty acids. The type II methanotrophs, Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b and CSC1 were characterized by phospholipids of PG, PME and PDME with predominantly C18:1 fatty acids. Methylococcus capsulatus Bath, a representative of type X methanotrophs, contained mostly PE (89% of the total phospholipids). Finally, the IPPs of a recently isolated acidophilic methanotroph, Methylocella palustris, showed it had a preponderance of PME phospholipids with 18:1 fatty acids (94% of total). Principal component analysis showed these methanotrophs could be clearly distinguished based on phospholipid profiles. Results from this study suggest that IPP can be very useful in bacterial chemotaxonomy.

  18. Tropical to sub-polar gradient in phospholipid composition suggests adaptive tuning of biological membrane function in drosophilds

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Slotsbo, S.; Sorensen, J. G.; Holmstrup, M.; Košťál, Vladimír; Kellermann, V.; Overgaard, J.

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 30, č. 5 (2016), s. 759-768 ISSN 0269-8463 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : cold tolerance * Drosophila * phospholipid fatty acid composition Subject RIV: ED - Physiology Impact factor: 5.630, year: 2016 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.12568/abstract

  19. A prospective evaluation of plasma phospholipid fatty acids and breast cancer risk in the EPIC study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chajès, V; Assi, N; Biessy, C; Ferrari, P; Rinaldi, S; Slimani, N; Lenoir, G M; Baglietto, L; His, M; Boutron-Ruault, M C; Trichopoulou, A; Lagiou, P; Katsoulis, M; Kaaks, R; Kühn, T; Panico, S; Pala, V; Masala, G; Bueno-de-Mesquita, H B; Peeters, P H; van Gils, C; Hjartåker, A; Standahl Olsen, K; Borgund Barnung, R; Barricarte, A; Redondo-Sanchez, D; Menéndez, V; Amiano, P; Wennberg, M; Key, T; Khaw, K T; Merritt, M A; Riboli, E; Gunter, M J; Romieu, I

    2017-11-01

    Intakes of specific fatty acids have been postulated to impact breast cancer risk but epidemiological data based on dietary questionnaires remain conflicting. We assessed the association between plasma phospholipid fatty acids and breast cancer risk in a case-control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. Sixty fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography in pre-diagnostic plasma phospholipids from 2982 incident breast cancer cases matched to 2982 controls. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate relative risk of breast cancer by fatty acid level. The false discovery rate (q values) was computed to control for multiple comparisons. Subgroup analyses were carried out by estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor expression in the tumours. A high level of palmitoleic acid [odds ratio (OR) for the highest quartile compared with the lowest OR (Q4-Q1) 1.37; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.14-1.64; P for trend = 0.0001, q value = 0.004] as well as a high desaturation index (DI16) (16:1n-7/16:0) [OR (Q4-Q1), 1.28; 95% C, 1.07-1.54; P for trend = 0.002, q value = 0.037], as biomarkers of de novo lipogenesis, were significantly associated with increased risk of breast cancer. Levels of industrial trans-fatty acids were positively associated with ER-negative tumours [OR for the highest tertile compared with the lowest (T3-T1)=2.01; 95% CI, 1.03-3.90; P for trend = 0.047], whereas no association was found for ER-positive tumours (P-heterogeneity =0.01). No significant association was found between n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and breast cancer risk, overall or by hormonal receptor. These findings suggest that increased de novo lipogenesis, acting through increased synthesis of palmitoleic acid, could be a relevant metabolic pathway for breast tumourigenesis. Dietary trans-fatty acids derived from industrial processes may specifically increase ER-negative breast cancer

  20. Herpes simplex virus 1 induces de novo phospholipid synthesis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sutter, Esther [Electron Microscopy, Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Zuerich (Switzerland); Oliveira, Anna Paula de; Tobler, Kurt [Electron microscopy, Institute of Virology, University of Zuerich (Switzerland); Schraner, Elisabeth M. [Electron Microscopy, Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Zuerich (Switzerland); Sonda, Sabrina [Institute of Parasitology, University of Zuerich (Switzerland); Kaech, Andres [Center for Microscopy and Image Analysis, University of Zuerich (Switzerland); Lucas, Miriam S. [Electron Microscopy ETH Zuerich (EMEZ), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zuerich (Switzerland); Ackermann, Mathias [Electron microscopy, Institute of Virology, University of Zuerich (Switzerland); Wild, Peter, E-mail: pewild@access.uzh.ch [Electron Microscopy, Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Zuerich (Switzerland)

    2012-08-01

    Herpes simplex virus type 1 capsids bud at nuclear membranes and Golgi membranes acquiring an envelope composed of phospholipids. Hence, we measured incorporation of phospholipid precursors into these membranes, and quantified changes in size of cellular compartments by morphometric analysis. Incorporation of [{sup 3}H]-choline into both nuclear and cytoplasmic membranes was significantly enhanced upon infection. [{sup 3}H]-choline was also part of isolated virions even grown in the presence of brefeldin A. Nuclei expanded early in infection. The Golgi complex and vacuoles increased substantially whereas the endoplasmic reticulum enlarged only temporarily. The data suggest that HSV-1 stimulates phospholipid synthesis, and that de novo synthesized phospholipids are inserted into nuclear and cytoplasmic membranes to i) maintain membrane integrity in the course of nuclear and cellular expansion, ii) to supply membrane constituents for envelopment of capsids by budding at nuclear membranes and Golgi membranes, and iii) to provide membranes for formation of transport vacuoles.

  1. Towards Co-evolution of Membranes and Metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Chenyu; Wilson, Michael A.; Pohorille, Andrew

    2014-01-01

    Conceptually, the most robust way to explain how primitive cell-like structures acquired and increased their capabilities is on the basis of Darwinian evolution. A population of protocells containing material that produced more environmentally fit progeny would increase in time at the expense of other protocells. In this scenario, protocellular boundaries were inextricably connected to the metabolism they encapsulated: to be inheritable, early metabolism must have led to an increased rate of growth and division of vesicles and, similarly, transport through vesicle boundaries must have supported the evolution of metabolism. Everything that could not be delivered from the environment had to be produced and retained inside protocells. Despite their importance to the understanding of the origin of life, only a few cases of coupling between metabolism and membrane-related processes have been identified so far. For example, reactions inside fatty-acid vesicles have been linked to their competitive growth and division, and mechanisms by which membrane permeability might have coupled to information polymers have been proposed and explained. Most recently, it has been shown that a dipeptide inside fatty-acid vesicles catalyzes the formation of another dipeptide that binds to vesicle walls and, by doing so, promotes their growth at the expense of other vesicles, thus demonstrating evolutionary advantage of small, membrane-bound peptides. It has been shown that the appearance of phospholipids imparted selective advantage to protocells bound by phospholipid-containing membranes, eventually driving fatty-acid vesicles to extinction. Phospholipid membranes, however, are nearly impermeable to charged species. Yet, the ability to transport ions across membranes was vital for regulating cellular volume, pH homeostasis, generating energy and sensing the environment. To account for this, evolutionary scenarios for the emergence of simple ion channels, protein structures surrounding

  2. Effect of heavy water on phospholipid membranes: experimental confirmation of molecular dynamics simulations

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Beranová, Lenka; Humpolíčková, Jana; Sýkora, Jan; Benda, Aleš; Cwiklik, Lukasz; Jurkiewicz, Piotr; Gröbner, G.; Hof, Martin

    Roč. 14, č. 42 ( 2012 ), s. 14516-14522 ISSN 1463-9076 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR GEMEM/09/E006; GA ČR GBP208/12/G016 Institutional support: RVO:61388955 Keywords : phospholipid membranes * biophysics * physical chemistry Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 3.829, year: 2012

  3. Parallel artificial liquid membrane extraction as an efficient tool for removal of phospholipids from human plasma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ask, Kristine Skoglund; Bardakci, Turgay; Parmer, Marthe Petrine; Halvorsen, Trine Grønhaug; Øiestad, Elisabeth Leere; Pedersen-Bjergaard, Stig; Gjelstad, Astrid

    2016-09-10

    Generic Parallel Artificial Liquid Membrane Extraction (PALME) methods for non-polar basic and non-polar acidic drugs from human plasma were investigated with respect to phospholipid removal. In both cases, extractions in 96-well format were performed from plasma (125μL), through 4μL organic solvent used as supported liquid membranes (SLMs), and into 50μL aqueous acceptor solutions. The acceptor solutions were subsequently analysed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) using in-source fragmentation and monitoring the m/z 184→184 transition for investigation of phosphatidylcholines (PC), sphingomyelins (SM), and lysophosphatidylcholines (Lyso-PC). In both generic methods, no phospholipids were detected in the acceptor solutions. Thus, PALME appeared to be highly efficient for phospholipid removal. To further support this, qualitative (post-column infusion) and quantitative matrix effects were investigated with fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, and quetiapine as model analytes. No signs of matrix effects were observed. Finally, PALME was evaluated for the aforementioned drug substances, and data were in accordance with European Medicines Agency (EMA) guidelines. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Fatty acid synthase inhibition triggers apoptosis during S phase in human cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Weibo; Simpson, P Jeanette; McFadden, Jill M; Townsend, Craig A; Medghalchi, Susan M; Vadlamudi, Aravinda; Pinn, Michael L; Ronnett, Gabriele V; Kuhajda, Francis P

    2003-11-01

    C75, an inhibitor of fatty acid synthase (FAS), induces apoptosis in cultured human cancer cells. Its proposed mechanism of action linked high levels of malonyl-CoA after FAS inhibition to potential downstream effects including inhibition of carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT-1) with resultant inhibition of fatty acid oxidation. Recent data has shown that C75 directly stimulates CPT-1 increasing fatty acid oxidation in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells despite inhibitory concentrations of malonyl-CoA. In light of these findings, we have studied fatty acid metabolism in MCF7 human breast cancer cells to elucidate the mechanism of action of C75. We now report that: (a) in the setting of increased fatty acid oxidation, C75 inhibits fatty acid synthesis; (b) C273, a reduced form of C75, is unable to inhibit fatty acid synthesis and is nontoxic to MCF7 cells; (c) C75 and 5-(tetradecyloxy)-2-furoic acid (TOFA), an inhibitor of acetyl-CoA carboxylase, both cause a significant reduction of fatty acid incorporation into phosphatidylcholine, the major membrane phospholipid, within 2 h; (d) pulse chase studies with [(14)C]acetate labeling of membrane lipids show that both C75 and TOFA accelerate the decay of (14)C-labeled lipid from membranes within 2 h; (e) C75 also promotes a 2-3-fold increase in oxidation of membrane lipids within 2 h; and (f) because interference with phospholipid synthesis during S phase is known to trigger apoptosis in cycling cells, we performed double-labeled terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated nick end labeling and BrdUrd analysis with both TOFA and C75. C75 triggered apoptosis during S phase, whereas TOFA did not. Moreover, application of TOFA 2 h before C75 blocked the C75 induced apoptosis, whereas etomoxir did not. Taken together these data indicate that FAS inhibition and its downstream inhibition of phospholipid production is a necessary part of the mechanism of action of C75. CPT-1 stimulation does not likely play a role in the

  5. Plant cell plasma membrane structure and properties under clinostatting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polulakh, Yu. A.; Zhadko, S. I.; Klimchuk, D. A.; Baraboy, V. A.; Alpatov, A. N.; Sytnik, K. M.

    Structural-functional organization of plasma membrane of pea roots seedling was investigated by methods of chemiluminescence, fluorescence probes, chromatography and freeze-fracture studies under normal conditions and clinostatting. Phase character of lipid peroxidation intensity was fixed. The initial phase of this process is characterized by lipid peroxidation decreasing with its next induction. The primary changes depending on free-radical mechanisms of lipid peroxidation were excellently revealed by chemiluminescence. Plasmalemma microviscosity increased on the average of 15-20 % under microgravity at the initial stages of its phenomenon. There were major changes of phosphatidilcholine and phosphatidilethanolamine contents. The total quantity of phospholipids remained rather stable. Changes of phosphatide acid concentration point to degradation and phospholipids biosynthesis. There were increases of unsaturated fatty acids mainly at the expense of linoleic and linolenic acids and also a decrease of saturated fatty acid content at the expense of palmitic and stearic acids. Unsaturation index of fatty acids increased as well. On the whole fatty acid composition was variable in comparison with phospholipids. Probably it is one of mechanisms of maintaining of microviscosity within definite limits. Considerable structural changes in organization of plasmalemma protein-lipid complex were not revealed by the freeze-fracture studies.

  6. [Change in the lipid composition of the inner mitochondrial membranes in rat organs during adaptation to heat].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zubareva, E V; Seferova, R I; Denisova, N A

    1991-01-01

    Under conditions of adaptation to heating lipid composition in mitochondrial membranes of rat inner tissues was altered as follows: an increase in relative concentration of plasmalogenous forms of phospholipids (kidney, heart) and in content of saturated fatty acids (liver tissue), a decrease in the index of fatty acids unsaturation and in the ratio of fatty acids omega-3/omega-6. The alterations observed enabled the membranes to keep sufficient amount of liquidity essential for functional activity of mitochondria in heating.

  7. Phospholipids and protein adaptation of Pseudomonas sp. to the xenoestrogen tributyltin chloride (TBT).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernat, Przemysław; Siewiera, Paulina; Soboń, Adrian; Długoński, Jerzy

    2014-09-01

    A tributyltin (TBT)-resistant strain of Pseudomonas sp. isolated from an overworked car filter was tested for its adaptation to TBT. The isolate was checked for organotin degradation ability, as well as membrane lipid and cellular protein composition in the presence of TBT. The phospholipid profiles of bacteria, grown with and without increased amounts of TBT, were characterized using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry. The strain reacted to the biocide by changing the composition of its phospholipids. TBT induced a twofold decline in the amounts of many molecular species of phosphatidylglycerol and an increase in the levels of phosphatidic acid (by 58%) and phosphatidylethanolamine (by 70%). An increase in the degree of saturation of phospholipid fatty acids of TBT exposed Pseudomonas sp. was observed. These changes in the phospholipid composition and concentration reflect the mechanisms which support optimal lipid ordering in the presence of toxic xenobiotic. In the presence of TBT the abundances of 16 proteins, including TonB-dependent receptors, porins and peroxidases were modified, which could indicate a contribution of some enzymes to TBT resistance.

  8. Penetrating cation/fatty acid anion pair as a mitochondria-targeted protonophore

    Science.gov (United States)

    Severin, Fedor F.; Severina, Inna I.; Antonenko, Yury N.; Rokitskaya, Tatiana I.; Cherepanov, Dmitry A.; Mokhova, Elena N.; Vyssokikh, Mikhail Yu.; Pustovidko, Antonina V.; Markova, Olga V.; Yaguzhinsky, Lev S.; Korshunova, Galina A.; Sumbatyan, Nataliya V.; Skulachev, Maxim V.; Skulachev, Vladimir P.

    2010-01-01

    A unique phenomenon of mitochondria-targeted protonophores is described. It consists in a transmembrane H+-conducting fatty acid cycling mediated by penetrating cations such as 10-(6’-plastoquinonyl)decyltriphenylphosphonium (SkQ1) or dodecyltriphenylphosphonium (C12TPP). The phenomenon has been modeled by molecular dynamics and directly proved by experiments on bilayer planar phospholipid membrane, liposomes, isolated mitochondria, and yeast cells. In bilayer planar phospholipid membrane, the concerted action of penetrating cations and fatty acids is found to result in conversion of a pH gradient (ΔpH) to a membrane potential (Δψ) of the Nernstian value (about 60 mV Δψ at ΔpH = 1). A hydrophobic cation with localized charge (cetyltrimethylammonium) failed to substitute for hydrophobic cations with delocalized charge. In isolated mitochondria, SkQ1 and C12TPP, but not cetyltrimethylammonium, potentiated fatty acid-induced (i) uncoupling of respiration and phosphorylation, and (ii) inhibition of H2O2 formation. In intact yeast cells, C12TPP stimulated respiration regardless of the extracellular pH value, whereas a nontargeted protonophorous uncoupler (trifluoromethoxycarbonylcyanide phenylhydrazone) stimulated respiration at pH 5 but not at pH 3. Hydrophobic penetrating cations might be promising to treat obesity, senescence, and some kinds of cancer that require mitochondrial hyperpolarization. PMID:20080732

  9. Improved fatty acid analysis of conjugated linoleic acid rich egg yolk triacylglycerols and phospholipid species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shinn, Sara; Liyanage, Rohana; Lay, Jack; Proctor, Andrew

    2014-07-16

    Reports from chicken conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) feeding trials are limited to yolk total fatty acid composition, which consistently described increased saturated fatty acids and decreased monounsaturated fatty acids. However, information on CLA triacylglycerol (TAG) and phospholipid (PL) species is limited. This study determined the fatty acid composition of total lipids in CLA-rich egg yolk produced with CLA-rich soy oil, relative to control yolks using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID), determined TAG and PL fatty acid compositions by thin-layer chromatography-GC-FID (TLC-GC-FID), identified intact PL and TAG species by TLC-matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (TLC-MALDI-MS), and determined the composition of TAG and PL species in CLA and control yolks by direct flow infusion electrospray ionization MS (DFI ESI-MS). In total, 2 lyso-phosphatidyl choline (LPC) species, 1 sphingomyelin species, 17 phosphatidyl choline species, 19 TAG species, and 9 phosphatidyl ethanolamine species were identified. Fifty percent of CLA was found in TAG, occurring predominantly in C52:5 and C52:4 TAG species. CLA-rich yolks contained significantly more LPC than did control eggs. Comprehensive lipid profiling may provide insight on relationships between lipid composition and the functional properties of CLA-rich eggs.

  10. Dicarboxylic phospholipids and irradiated biomembranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dousset, Nicole.

    1977-01-01

    It was decided to study the effects of ionizing radiations on biomembranes, with special reference to erythrocytes and liver microsomes representing two kinds of membrane very common in nature. Diacid phospholipids were observed at these membranes and the results are reported in part one of this work. It appeared essential to examine as far as possible the metabolism, in vitro and in animals, of these diacids and to find out whether certain harmful effects of radiations on the proteins (membrane permeability changes and enzyme inactivation) could be due to the action of these newly formed compounds. The study of acid compounds formed under irradiation was limited to nonanal-9-oic acid and azelaic acid. Part two deals with the incorporation of acid and diacid compounds into lipids and the effects of diacid phospholipids on the membrane permeability. A chapter is devoted to the changes in certain enzyme activities brought about by diacid phospholipids [fr

  11. Transfer of fatty acids from the 1-position of phosphatidyl-ethanolamine to the major outer membrane lipoprotein of E coli

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jackowski, S.; Rock, C.O.

    1986-01-01

    The fatty acids esterified to Braun's lipoprotein are derived from the phospholipid pool in E. coli. Mutants lacking acyl-CoA synthetase activity (fadD) incorporated extracellular fatty acids specifically into the 1-position of phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn). This pathway was blocked by chloramphenicol and was depressed by preventing the acylation of the amino terminus of the lipoprotein with globomycin. Transfer of fatty acids to lipoprotein was investigated in fadD mutants harboring hybrid plasmids containing either the lipoprotein gene or a lipoprotein-β-lactamase gene fusion under control of the lactose promoter. Labeling of the 1-position of the PtdEtn pool prior to induction of lipoprotein biosynthesis resulted in the transfer of fatty acids from PtdEtn to the lipoproteins. Induction of lipoprotein synthesis in the presence of exogenous [1- 14 C]palmitate increased the amount of radioactivity entering the PtdEtn pool and efficiently labeled lipoprotein acyl moieties. Lipoprotein fatty acids derived from the 1-position of PtdEtn were resistant to hydroxylamine hydrolysis, and globomycin reduced the incorporation of exogenous [1- 14 C]palmitic acid into lipoproteins by 80% suggesting that the fatty acid is attached to the amino terminus. These data illustrate the metabolic relationship between turnover of fatty acids in the 1-position of PtdEtn and the maturation of the major outer membrane lipoprotein

  12. Transfer of oleic acid between albumin and phospholipid vesicles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamilton, J.A.; Cistola, D.P.

    1986-01-01

    The net transfer of oleic acid between egg phosphatidylcholine unilamellar vesicles and bovine serum albumin has been monitored by 13 C NMR spectroscopy and 90% isotopically substituted [1- 13 C]oleic acid. The carboxyl chemical shifts of oleic acid bound to albumin were different from those for oleic acid in phospholipid vesicles. Therefore, in mixtures of donor particles, the equilibrium distribution of oleic acid was determined from chemical shift and peak intensity data without separation of donor and acceptor particles. In a system containing equal masses of albumin and phospholipid and a stoichiometry of 4-5 mol of oleic acid per mol of albumin, the oleic acid distribution was pH dependent, with ≥80% of the oleic acid associated with albumin at pH 7.4; association was ≥90% at pH 8.0. Decreasing the pH below 7.4 markedly decreased the proportion of fatty acid bound to albumin. The distribution was reversible with pH and was independent of whether vesicles or albumin acted as a donor. These data suggest that pH may strongly influence the partitioning of fatty acid between cellular membranes and albumin. The 13 C NMR method is also advantageous because it provides information about the structural environments of oleic acid bound to albumin or phospholipid, the ionization state of oleic acid in each environment, and the structural integrity of the vesicles. In addition, minimum and maximum limits for the exchange rates of oleic acid among different environments were obtained from the NMR data

  13. Confocal Raman Microscopy for in Situ Measurement of Phospholipid-Water Partitioning into Model Phospholipid Bilayers within Individual Chromatographic Particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitt, Jay P; Bryce, David A; Minteer, Shelley D; Harris, Joel M

    2018-06-05

    The phospholipid-water partition coefficient is a commonly measured parameter that correlates with drug efficacy, small-molecule toxicity, and accumulation of molecules in biological systems in the environment. Despite the utility of this parameter, methods for measuring phospholipid-water partition coefficients are limited. This is due to the difficulty of making quantitative measurements in vesicle membranes or supported phospholipid bilayers, both of which are small-volume phases that challenge the sensitivity of many analytical techniques. In this work, we employ in situ confocal Raman microscopy to probe the partitioning of a model membrane-active compound, 2-(4-isobutylphenyl) propionic acid or ibuprofen, into both hybrid- and supported-phospholipid bilayers deposited on the pore walls of individual chromatographic particles. The large surface-area-to-volume ratio of chromatographic silica allows interrogation of a significant lipid bilayer area within a very small volume. The local phospholipid concentration within a confocal probe volume inside the particle can be as high as 0.5 M, which overcomes the sensitivity limitations of making measurements in the limited membrane areas of single vesicles or planar supported bilayers. Quantitative determination of ibuprofen partitioning is achieved by using the phospholipid acyl-chains of the within-particle bilayer as an internal standard. This approach is tested for measurements of pH-dependent partitioning of ibuprofen into both hybrid-lipid and supported-lipid bilayers within silica particles, and the results are compared with octanol-water partitioning and with partitioning into individual optically trapped phospholipid vesicle membranes. Additionally, the impact of ibuprofen partitioning on bilayer structure is evaluated for both within-particle model membranes and compared with the structural impacts of partitioning into vesicle lipid bilayers.

  14. Lipophilic organic pollutants induce changes in phospholipid and membrane protein composition leading to Vero cell morphological change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Ting T; Wang, Lei; Jia, Ru W; Fu, Xiao H; Chua, Hong

    2014-01-01

    Membrane damage related to morphological change in Vero cells is a sensitive index of the composite biotoxicity of trace lipophilic chemicals. However, judging whether the morphological change in Vero cells happens and its ratio are difficult because it is not a quantitative characteristic. To find biomarkers of cell morphological change for quantitatively representing the ratio of morphological changed cell, the mechanism of cell membrane damage driven by typical lipophilic chemicals, such as trichlorophenol (TCP) and perfluorooctanesulphonate (PFOS), was explored. The ratio of morphologically changed cells generally increased with increased TCP or PFOS concentrations, and the level of four major components of phospholipids varied with concentrations of TCP or PFOS, but only the ratio of phosphatidylcholine (PC)/phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) decreased regularly as TCP or PFOS concentrations increased. Analysis of membrane proteins showed that the level of vimentin in normal cell membranes is high, while it decreases or vanishes after TCP exposure. These variations in phospholipid and membrane protein components may result in membrane leakage and variation in rigid structure, which leads to changes in cell morphology. Therefore, the ratio of PC/PE and amount of vimentin may be potential biomarkers for representing the ratio of morphological changed Vero cell introduced by trace lipophilic compounds, thus their composite bio-toxicity.

  15. Erythrocyte membrane fatty acids in multiple sclerosis patients and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with increased dietary intake of saturated fatty acids. For many years it has been suspected that this disease might be associated with an imbalance between unsaturated and saturated fatty acids. We determined erythrocyte membrane fatty acids levels in Hot ...

  16. ER phospholipid composition modulates lipogenesis during feeding and in obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rong, Xin; Wang, Bo; Palladino, Elisa Nd; de Aguiar Vallim, Thomas Q; Ford, David A; Tontonoz, Peter

    2017-10-02

    Sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c) is a central regulator of lipogenesis whose activity is controlled by proteolytic cleavage. The metabolic factors that affect its processing are incompletely understood. Here, we show that dynamic changes in the acyl chain composition of ER phospholipids affect SREBP-1c maturation in physiology and disease. The abundance of polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine in liver ER is selectively increased in response to feeding and in the setting of obesity-linked insulin resistance. Exogenous delivery of polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine to ER accelerated SREBP-1c processing through a mechanism that required an intact SREBP cleavage-activating protein (SCAP) pathway. Furthermore, induction of the phospholipid-remodeling enzyme LPCAT3 in response to liver X receptor (LXR) activation promoted SREBP-1c processing by driving the incorporation of polyunsaturated fatty acids into ER. Conversely, LPCAT3 deficiency increased membrane saturation, reduced nuclear SREBP-1c abundance, and blunted the lipogenic response to feeding, LXR agonist treatment, or obesity-linked insulin resistance. Desaturation of the ER membrane may serve as an auxiliary signal of the fed state that promotes lipid synthesis in response to nutrient availability.

  17. Phospholipids fatty acids of drinking water reservoir sedimentary microbial community: Structure and function responses to hydrostatic pressure and other physico-chemical properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chai, Bei-Bei; Huang, Ting-Lin; Zhao, Xiao-Guang; Li, Ya-Jiao

    2015-07-01

    Microbial communities in three drinking water reservoirs, with different depth in Xi'an city, were quantified by phospholipids fatty acids analysis and multivariate statistical analysis was employed to interpret their response to different hydrostatic pressure and other physico-chemical properties of sediment and overlying water. Principle component analyses of sediment characteristics parameters showed that hydrostatic pressure was the most important effect factor to differentiate the overlying water quality from three drinking water reservoirs from each other. NH4+ content in overlying water was positive by related to hydrostatic pressure, while DO in water-sediment interface and sediment OC in sediment were negative by related with it. Three drinking water reservoir sediments were characterized by microbial communities dominated by common and facultative anaerobic Gram-positive bacteria, as well as, by sulfur oxidizing bacteria. Hydrostatic pressure and physico-chemical properties of sediments (such as sediment OC, sediment TN and sediment TP) were important effect factors to microbial community structure, especially hydrostatic pressure. It is also suggested that high hydrostatic pressure and low dissolved oxygen concentration stimulated Gram-positive and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) bacterial population in drinking water reservoir sediment. This research supplied a successful application of phospholipids fatty acids and multivariate analysis to investigate microbial community composition response to different environmental factors. Thus, few physico-chemical factors can be used to estimate composition microbial of community as reflected by phospholipids fatty acids, which is difficult to detect.

  18. Physiological levels of diacylglycerols in phospholipid membranes induce membrane fusion and stabilize inverted phases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siegel, D.P.; Banschbach, J.; Alford, D.; Ellens, H.; Lis, L.J.; Quinn, P.J.; Yeagle, P.L.; Bentz, J.

    1989-01-01

    In a previous paper, it was shown that liposome fusion rates are substantially enhanced under the same conditions which induce isotropic 31 P NMR resonances in multilamellar dispersions of the same lipid. Both of these phenomena occur within the same temperature interval, ΔT I , below the L α /H II phase transition temperature, T H . T H and ΔT I can be extremely sensitive to the lipid composition. The present work shows that 2 mol % of diacylglycerols like those produced by the phosphatidylinositol cycle in vivo can lower T H , ΔT I , and the temperature for fast membrane fusion by 15-20 degree C. N-Monomethylated dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine is used as a model system. These results show that physiological levels of diacylglycerols can substantially increase the susceptibility of phospholipid membranes to fusion. This suggests that, in addition to their role in protein kinase C activation, diacylglycerols could play a more direct role in the fusion event during stimulus-exocytosis coupling in vivo

  19. Phosphorus effects on the mycelium and storage structures of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus as studied in the soil and roots by analysis of fatty acid signatures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsson, P.A.; Bååth, E.; Jakobsen, I.

    1997-01-01

    The distribution of an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus between soil and roots, and between mycelial and storage structures, was studied by use of the fatty acid signature 16:1 omega 5. Increasing the soil phosphorus level resulted in a decrease in the level of the fatty acid 16:1 omega 5...... in the soil and roots. A similar decrease was detected by microscopic measurements of root colonization and of the length of AM fungal hyphae in the soil. The fatty acid 16:1 omega 5 was estimated from two types of lipids, phospholipids and neutral lipids, which mainly represent membrane lipids and storage...... lipids, respectively. The numbers of spores of the AM fungus formed in the soil correlated most closely, with neutral lipid fatty acid 16:1 omega 5, whereas the hyphal length in the soil correlated most closely with phospholipid fatty acid 16:1 omega 5. The fungal neutral lipid/phospholipid ratio...

  20. Serum phospholipid omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lou, Da-Jun; Zhu, Qi-Qian; Si, Xu-Wei; Guan, Li-Li; You, Qiao-Ying; Yu, Zhong-Ming; Zhang, Ai-Zhen

    2014-01-01

    To investigate the relationship between serum phospholipid omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) and insulin resistance (IR) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). 51 patients with T2DM and NAFLD (T2DM+NAFLD group), 50 with T2DM alone (T2DM group), 45 with NAFLD alone (NAFLD group), and 42 healthy control subjects (NC group) were studied. Serum ω-3 PUFA profiles were analyzed by gas chromatography, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), and serum lipid concentrations were measured. Insulin resistance was assessed by the homeostasis model assessment method (HOMA-IR). HOMA-IR levels were higher in the T2DM+NAFLD group than in the T2DM, NAFLD and NC groups (p<0.05), as were ALT, AST, GGT, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) concentrations (p<0.05). Conversely, serum ω-3 PUFA levels were significantly lower in the T2DM+NAFLD group than in the other groups (p<0.05). The ω-3 PUFA level was negatively correlated with HOMA-IR, TC, LDL-C and TG. Serum phospholipid ω-3 PUFA levels were significantly decreased in patients with T2DM and NAFLD, and were negatively related with insulin resistance. Thus, reduced ω-3 PUFAs may play an important role in the development of T2DM and NAFLD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Proceedings of the users meeting on structure and phase transition of phospholipid membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hatta, Ichiro; Amemiya, Yoshiyuki

    1994-06-01

    On the occasion that the persons of three groups that have carried out the research on the structure and the phase transition of phospholipid membranes have carried out the experiment successively, the users meeting was held on November 1, 1993 at National Laboratory for High Energy Physics. Lectures were given on the L βI structure of DPPC/alcohol system, the self gathering and intermolecular cooperation phenomenon of glycero phospholipid, the phase transition of DEPE/water system, the structure of DMPA/polylysine, the development of X-ray television, the ripple structure of DMPC/cholesterol system and the simultaneous measurement of X-ray diffraction/DSC. To have the chance like this is very meaningful because sufficient discussion can be done among usually busy researchers at the synchrotron radiation experiment facility. (K.I.)

  2. Proceedings of the users meeting on structure and phase transition of phospholipid membrane

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hatta, Ichiro [Nagoya Univ. (Japan). School of Engineering; Amemiya, Yoshiyuki [eds.

    1994-06-01

    On the occasion that the persons of three groups that have carried out the research on the structure and the phase transition of phospholipid membranes have carried out the experiment successively, the users meeting was held on November 1, 1993 at National Laboratory for High Energy Physics. Lectures were given on the L{sub {beta}I} structure of DPPC/alcohol system, the self gathering and intermolecular cooperation phenomenon of glycero phospholipid, the phase transition of DEPE/water system, the structure of DMPA/polylysine, the development of X-ray television, the ripple structure of DMPC/cholesterol system and the simultaneous measurement of X-ray diffraction/DSC. To have the chance like this is very meaningful because sufficient discussion can be done among usually busy researchers at the synchrotron radiation experiment facility. (K.I.).

  3. Curcumin liposomes prepared with milk fat globule membrane phospholipids and soybean lecithin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Hong-Hao; Lu, Qun; Jiang, Jian-Guo

    2016-03-01

    Using thin film ultrasonic dispersion method, the curcumin liposomes were prepared with milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) phospholipids and soybean lecithins, respectively, to compare the characteristics and stability of the 2 curcumin liposomes. The processing parameters of curcumin liposomes were investigated to evaluate their effects on the encapsulation efficiency. Curcumin liposomes were characterized in terms of size distribution, ζ-potential, and in vitro release behavior, and then their storage stability under various conditions was evaluated. The curcumin liposomes prepared with MFGM phospholipids had an encapsulation efficiency of about 74%, an average particle size of 212.3 nm, and a ζ-potential of -48.60 mV. The MFGM liposomes showed higher encapsulation efficiency, smaller particle size, higher absolute value of ζ-potential, and slower in vitro release than soybean liposomes. The retention rate of liposomal curcumin was significantly higher than that of free curcumin. The stability of the 2 liposomes under different pH was almost the same, but MFGM liposomes displayed a slightly higher stability than soybean liposomes under the conditions of Fe(3+), light, temperature, oxygen, and relative humidity. In conclusion, MFGM phospholipids have potential advantages in the manufacture of curcumin liposomes used in food systems. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. The Physical Properties of Ceramides in Membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alonso, Alicia; Goñi, Félix M

    2018-05-20

    Ceramides are sphingolipids containing a sphingosine or a related base, to which a fatty acid is linked through an amide bond. When incorporated into a lipid bilayer, ceramides exhibit a number of properties not shared by almost any other membrane lipid: Ceramides ( a) are extremely hydrophobic and thus cannot exist in suspension in aqueous media; ( b) increase the molecular order (rigidity) of phospholipids in membranes; ( c) give rise to lateral phase separation and domain formation in phospholipid bilayers; ( d) possess a marked intrinsic negative curvature that facilitates formation of inverted hexagonal phases; ( e) make bilayers and cell membranes permeable to small and large (i.e., protein-size) solutes; and ( f) promote transmembrane (flip-flop) lipid motion. Unfortunately, there is hardly any link between the physical studies reviewed here and the mass of biological and clinical studies on the effects of ceramides in health and disease.

  5. Phospholipid fatty acid analysis as part of the Yucca Mountain Project. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ringelberg, D.B.; White, D.C.

    1996-01-01

    In support of the Yucca Mountain subsurface microbial characterization project phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analyses for viable microbial biomass, community composition and nutritional status were performed. Results showed a positive correlation between a decrease in viable biomass and increase in depth with the lowest biomass values being obtained from the Topopah Spring geologic horizon. A plot of the ratio of non-viable (diglyceride fatty acids) to viable (PLFA) cells also showed the lowest values to derive from the Topopah Spring horizon. Estimations of microbial community composition, made from the patterns of PLFA recovered from the sediment samples, revealed similarities between samples collected within the same geologic horizons: Tiva Canyon, Pre-Pah Canyon and Topopah Spring. Results indicated the presence of mixed communities composed of gram positive, gram negative, actinomycete and obligate anaerobic bacteria. Culturable organisms, recovered from similar sediments, were representative of the same bacterial classifications although gram positive bacterial isolates typically outnumbered gram negative isolates. Within the gram negative bacterial community, corroborative indicators of physiological stress were apparent in the Topopah Spring horizon

  6. Fatty acid synthase plays a role in cancer metabolism beyond providing fatty acids for phospholipid synthesis or sustaining elevations in glycolytic activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hopperton, Kathryn E; Duncan, Robin E; Bazinet, Richard P; Archer, Michael C

    2014-01-15

    Fatty acid synthase is over-expressed in many cancers and its activity is required for cancer cell survival, but the role of endogenously synthesized fatty acids in cancer is unknown. It has been suggested that endogenous fatty acid synthesis is either needed to support the growth of rapidly dividing cells, or to maintain elevated glycolysis (the Warburg effect) that is characteristic of cancer cells. Here, we investigate both hypotheses. First, we compared utilization of fatty acids synthesized endogenously from (14)C-labeled acetate to those supplied exogenously as (14)C-labeled palmitate in the culture medium in human breast cancer (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and untransformed breast epithelial cells (MCF-10A). We found that cancer cells do not produce fatty acids that are different from those derived from exogenous palmitate, that these fatty acids are esterified to the same lipid and phospholipid classes in the same proportions, and that their distribution within neutral lipids is not different from untransformed cells. These results suggest that endogenously synthesized fatty acids do not fulfill a specific function in cancer cells. Furthermore, we observed that cancer cells excrete endogenously synthesized fatty acids, suggesting that they are produced in excess of requirements. We next investigated whether lipogenic activity is involved in the maintenance of high glycolytic activity by culturing both cancer and non-transformed cells under anoxic conditions. Although anoxia increased glycolysis 2-3 fold, we observed no concomitant increase in lipogenesis. Our results indicate that breast cancer cells do not have a specific qualitative or quantitative requirement for endogenously synthesized fatty acids and that increased de novo lipogenesis is not required to sustain elevations in glycolytic activity induced by anoxia in these cells. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Polyunsaturated fatty acids and their metabolites in brain function and disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bazinet, Richard P; Layé, Sophie

    2014-12-01

    The brain is highly enriched with fatty acids. These include the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, which are largely esterified to the phospholipid cell membrane. Once PUFAs are released from the membrane, they can participate in signal transduction, either directly or after enzymatic conversion to a variety of bioactive derivatives ('mediators'). PUFAs and their mediators regulate several processes within the brain, such as neurotransmission, cell survival and neuroinflammation, and thereby mood and cognition. PUFA levels and the signalling pathways that they regulate are altered in various neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and major depression. Diet and drugs targeting PUFAs may lead to novel therapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment of brain disorders.

  8. Uptake, turnover and distribution of chlorinated fatty acids in aquatic biota

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bjoern, Helena

    1999-09-01

    Chlorinated fatty acids (CIFAs) are the major contributors of extractable, organically bound chlorine in fish lipids. A known anthropogenic source of CIFAs is chlorine bleached pulp production. Additional anthropogenic sources may exist, e.g., chlorine-containing discharge from industrial and household waste and they may also occur naturally. CIFAs have a wide geographic distribution. They have, for instance, been identified in fish both from Alaskan and Scandinavian waters. In toxicological studies of CIFAs, the most pronounced effects have been found in reproductive related processes. CIFAs have also been shown to disrupt cell membrane functions. The present study was carried out to further characterise the ecotoxicological properties of CIFAs and their presence in biota. To investigate the biological stability of CIFAs, two experiments were carried out using radiolabelled chlorinated and non-chlorinated fatty acids. In both experiments, CIFAs were taken up from food by fish and assimilated to lipids. From the first experiment it was concluded that the chlorinated fatty acid investigated was turned over in the fish to a lower degree than the non-chlorinated analogue. In the second experiment, the transfer of a chlorinated fatty acid was followed over several trophic levels and the chlorinated fatty acid was transferred to the highest trophic level. In samples with differing loads of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from both fish and marine mammals, high concentrations and diversity of CIFAs were detected. This was also observed in samples with low POP concentration. Chlorohydroxy fatty acids made up a considerable portion of the CIFAs in certain samples, both from limnic fish and marine mammals. CIFAs in fish were found to be bound in complex lipids such as triacylglycerols (storage lipids) and phospholipids, as well as in acyl sterols (membrane lipids). In the marine mammals investigated, high concentrations of CIFAs were mainly bound in phospholipids. If

  9. Determination of the separate lipid and protein profile structures derived from the total membrane profile structure or isolated sarcoplasmic reticulum via x-ray and neutron diffraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herbette, L.; Blasie, J.K.

    1984-01-01

    Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membranes were prepared to contain biosynthetically deuterated SR phospholipids utilizing specific and general phospholipid exchange proteins (PLEP). Functional measurements and freeze fracture on SR dispersions and x-ray diffraction of hydrated oriented membrane multilayers revealed that the exchanged SR membranes were very similar to unexchanged SR membranes. Low resolution (28-A) neutron diffraction studies utilizing SR membranes exchanged with either protonated or perdeuterated SR phospholipids allowed direct determination of the lipid profile within the isolated SR membrane at two different unit cell repeat distances. These lipid profile structures were found to be highly asymmetric regarding the conformation of the fatty acid chain extents and compositional distribution of phospholipid molecules in the inner vs. outer monolayer of the SR membrane bilayer. The relatively high resolution (11-A) electron-density profile from x-ray diffraction was decomposed by utilizing the asymmetry in the number of phospholipid molecules residing in the inner vs. outer monolayer of the SR lipid bilayer as obtained from the neutron diffraction study. To our knowledge, this represents the first direct determination of a lipid bilayer profile structure within an isolated membrane system

  10. N-3 fatty acids and membrane microdomains: from model membranes to lymphocyte function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaikh, Saame Raza; Teague, Heather

    2012-12-01

    This article summarizes the author's research on fish oil derived n-3 fatty acids, plasma membrane organization and B cell function. We first cover basic model membrane studies that investigated how docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) targeted the organization of sphingolipid-cholesterol enriched lipid microdomains. A key finding here was that DHA had a relatively poor affinity for cholesterol. This work led to a model that predicted DHA acyl chains in cells would manipulate lipid-protein microdomain organization and thereby function. We then review how the predictions of the model were tested with B cells in vitro followed by experiments using mice fed fish oil. These studies reveal a highly complex picture on how n-3 fatty acids target lipid-protein organization and B cell function. Key findings are as follows: (1) n-3 fatty acids target not just the plasma membrane but also endomembrane organization; (2) DHA, but not eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), disrupts microdomain spatial distribution (i.e. clustering), (3) DHA alters protein lateral organization and (4) changes in membrane organization are accompanied by functional effects on both innate and adaptive B cell function. Altogether, the research over the past 10 years has led to an evolution of the original model on how DHA reorganizes membrane microdomains. The work raises the intriguing possibility of testing the model at the human level to target health and disease. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Control of phospholipid flip-flop by transmembrane peptides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaihara, Masanori; Nakao, Hiroyuki; Yokoyama, Hirokazu; Endo, Hitoshi; Ishihama, Yasushi; Handa, Tetsurou; Nakano, Minoru

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Phospholipid flip-flop in transmembrane peptide-containing vesicles was investigated. ► Peptides that contained polar residues in the center of the transmembrane region promoted phospholipid flip-flop. ► A bioinformatics approach revealed the presence of polar residues in the transmembrane region of ER membrane proteins. ► Polar residues in ER membrane proteins possibly provide flippase-like activity. - Abstract: We designed three types of transmembrane model peptides whose sequence originates from a frequently used model peptide KALP23, and we investigated their effects on phospholipid flip-flop. Time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering and a dithionite fluorescent quenching assay demonstrated that TMP-L, which has a fully hydrophobic transmembrane region, did not enhance phospholipid flip-flop, whereas TMP-K and TMP-E, which have Lys and Glu, respectively, in the center of their transmembrane regions, enhanced phospholipid flip-flop. Introduction of polar residues in the membrane-spanning helices is considered to produce a locally polar region and enable the lipid head group to interact with the polar side-chain inside the bilayers, thereby reducing the activation energy for the flip-flop. A bioinformatics approach revealed that acidic and basic residues account for 4.5% of the central region of the transmembrane domain in human ER membrane proteins. Therefore, polar residues in ER membrane proteins are considered to provide flippase-like activity

  12. Parallel artificial liquid membrane extraction as an efficient tool for removal of phospholipids from human plasma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ask, Kristine Skoglund; Bardakci, Turgay; Parmer, Marthe Petrine

    2016-01-01

    Generic Parallel Artificial Liquid Membrane Extraction (PALME) methods for non-polar basic and non-polar acidic drugs from human plasma were investigated with respect to phospholipid removal. In both cases, extractions in 96-well format were performed from plasma (125μL), through 4μL organic...

  13. Genetic loci associated with plasma phospholipid N-3 fatty acids: A Meta-Analysis of Genome-Wide association studies from the charge consortium

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    R.N. Lemaitre (Rozenn); T. Tanaka (Toshiko); W. Tang (Weihong); A. Manichaikul (Ani); M. Foy (Millennia); E.K. Kabagambe (Edmond); J.A. Nettleton (Jennifer ); I.B. King (Irena); L.-C. Weng; S. Bhattacharya (Sayanti); S. Bandinelli (Stefania); J.C. Bis (Joshua); S.S. Rich (Stephen); D.R. Jacobs (David); A. Cherubini (Antonio); B. McKnight (Barbara); S. Liang (Shuang); X. Gu (Xiangjun); K.M. Rice (Kenneth); C.C. Laurie (Cathy); T. Lumley (Thomas); B.L. Browning (Brian); B.M. Psaty (Bruce); Y.D.I. Chen (Yii-Der Ida); Y. Friedlander (Yechiel); L. Djousse (Luc); J.H.Y. Wu (Jason); D.S. Siscovick (David); A.G. Uitterlinden (André); L. Ferrucci (Luigi); M. Fornage (Myriam); M.Y. Tsai (Michael); D. Mozaffarian (Dariush); L.M. Steffen (Lyn); D.K. Arnett (Donna)

    2011-01-01

    textabstractLong-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can derive from diet or from α-linolenic acid (ALA) by elongation and desaturation. We investigated the association of common genetic variation with plasma phospholipid levels of the four major n-3 PUFAs by performing genome-wide

  14. Seasonal changes in minor membrane phospholipid classes, sterols and tocopherols in overwintering insect, Pyrrhocoris apterus

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Košťál, Vladimír; Urban, T.; Řimnáčová, Lucie; Berková, Petra; Šimek, Petr

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 59, č. 9 (2013), s. 934-941 ISSN 0022-1910 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LH12103; GA MZd(CZ) NT11513 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : seasonal membrane restructuring * phospholipids * lysophospholipids Subject RIV: ED - Physiology Impact factor: 2.500, year: 2013 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022191013001406#

  15. Fatty acid synthase plays a role in cancer metabolism beyond providing fatty acids for phospholipid synthesis or sustaining elevations in glycolytic activity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hopperton, Kathryn E., E-mail: kathryn.hopperton@mail.utoronto.ca [Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 3E2 (Canada); Duncan, Robin E., E-mail: robin.duncan@uwaterloo.ca [Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 3E2 (Canada); Bazinet, Richard P., E-mail: richard.bazinet@utoronto.ca [Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 3E2 (Canada); Archer, Michael C., E-mail: m.archer@utoronto.ca [Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 3E2 (Canada); Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 3E2 (Canada)

    2014-01-15

    Fatty acid synthase is over-expressed in many cancers and its activity is required for cancer cell survival, but the role of endogenously synthesized fatty acids in cancer is unknown. It has been suggested that endogenous fatty acid synthesis is either needed to support the growth of rapidly dividing cells, or to maintain elevated glycolysis (the Warburg effect) that is characteristic of cancer cells. Here, we investigate both hypotheses. First, we compared utilization of fatty acids synthesized endogenously from {sup 14}C-labeled acetate to those supplied exogenously as {sup 14}C-labeled palmitate in the culture medium in human breast cancer (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and untransformed breast epithelial cells (MCF-10A). We found that cancer cells do not produce fatty acids that are different from those derived from exogenous palmitate, that these fatty acids are esterified to the same lipid and phospholipid classes in the same proportions, and that their distribution within neutral lipids is not different from untransformed cells. These results suggest that endogenously synthesized fatty acids do not fulfill a specific function in cancer cells. Furthermore, we observed that cancer cells excrete endogenously synthesized fatty acids, suggesting that they are produced in excess of requirements. We next investigated whether lipogenic activity is involved in the maintenance of high glycolytic activity by culturing both cancer and non-transformed cells under anoxic conditions. Although anoxia increased glycolysis 2–3 fold, we observed no concomitant increase in lipogenesis. Our results indicate that breast cancer cells do not have a specific qualitative or quantitative requirement for endogenously synthesized fatty acids and that increased de novo lipogenesis is not required to sustain elevations in glycolytic activity induced by anoxia in these cells. - Highlights: • Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is over-expressed in cancer but its function is unknown. • We compare

  16. Fatty acid synthase plays a role in cancer metabolism beyond providing fatty acids for phospholipid synthesis or sustaining elevations in glycolytic activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hopperton, Kathryn E.; Duncan, Robin E.; Bazinet, Richard P.; Archer, Michael C.

    2014-01-01

    Fatty acid synthase is over-expressed in many cancers and its activity is required for cancer cell survival, but the role of endogenously synthesized fatty acids in cancer is unknown. It has been suggested that endogenous fatty acid synthesis is either needed to support the growth of rapidly dividing cells, or to maintain elevated glycolysis (the Warburg effect) that is characteristic of cancer cells. Here, we investigate both hypotheses. First, we compared utilization of fatty acids synthesized endogenously from 14 C-labeled acetate to those supplied exogenously as 14 C-labeled palmitate in the culture medium in human breast cancer (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and untransformed breast epithelial cells (MCF-10A). We found that cancer cells do not produce fatty acids that are different from those derived from exogenous palmitate, that these fatty acids are esterified to the same lipid and phospholipid classes in the same proportions, and that their distribution within neutral lipids is not different from untransformed cells. These results suggest that endogenously synthesized fatty acids do not fulfill a specific function in cancer cells. Furthermore, we observed that cancer cells excrete endogenously synthesized fatty acids, suggesting that they are produced in excess of requirements. We next investigated whether lipogenic activity is involved in the maintenance of high glycolytic activity by culturing both cancer and non-transformed cells under anoxic conditions. Although anoxia increased glycolysis 2–3 fold, we observed no concomitant increase in lipogenesis. Our results indicate that breast cancer cells do not have a specific qualitative or quantitative requirement for endogenously synthesized fatty acids and that increased de novo lipogenesis is not required to sustain elevations in glycolytic activity induced by anoxia in these cells. - Highlights: • Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is over-expressed in cancer but its function is unknown. • We compare utilization of

  17. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Granules Have no Phospholipids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bresan, Stephanie; Sznajder, Anna; Hauf, Waldemar; Forchhammer, Karl; Pfeiffer, Daniel; Jendrossek, Dieter

    2016-01-01

    Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) granules, also designated as carbonosomes, are supra-molecular complexes in prokaryotes consisting of a PHB polymer core and a surface layer of structural and functional proteins. The presence of suspected phospholipids in the surface layer is based on in vitro data of isolated PHB granules and is often shown in cartoons of the PHB granule structure in reviews on PHB metabolism. However, the in vivo presence of a phospholipid layer has never been demonstrated. We addressed this topic by the expression of fusion proteins of DsRed2EC and other fluorescent proteins with the phospholipid-binding domain (LactC2) of lactadherin in three model organisms. The fusion proteins specifically localized at the cell membrane of Ralstonia eutropha but did not co-localize with PHB granules. The same result was obtained for Pseudomonas putida, a species that accumulates another type of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) granules related to PHB. Notably, DsRed2EC-LactC2 expressed in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense was detected at the position of membrane-enclosed magnetosome chains and at the cytoplasmic membrane but not at PHB granules. In conclusion, the carbonosomes of representatives of α-proteobacteria, β-proteobacteria and γ-proteobacteria have no phospholipids in vivo and we postulate that the PHB/PHA granule surface layers in natural producers generally are free of phospholipids and consist of proteins only. PMID:27222167

  18. Milk phospholipids: Organic milk and milk rich in conjugated linoleic acid compared with conventional milk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferreiro, T; Gayoso, L; Rodríguez-Otero, J L

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this study was to compare the phospholipid content of conventional milk with that of organic milk and milk rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). The membrane enclosing the fat globules of milk is composed, in part, of phospholipids, which have properties of interest for the development of so-called functional foods and technologically novel ingredients. They include phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylserine (PS), and the sphingophospholipid sphingomyelin (SM). Milk from organically managed cows contains higher levels of vitamins, antioxidants, and unsaturated fatty acids than conventionally produced milk, but we know of no study with analogous comparisons of major phospholipid contents. In addition, the use of polyunsaturated-lipid-rich feed supplement (extruded linseed) has been reported to increase the phospholipid content of milk. Because supplementation with linseed and increased unsaturated fatty acid content are the main dietary modifications used for production of CLA-rich milk, we investigated whether these modifications would lead to this milk having higher phospholipid content. We used HPLC with evaporative light scattering detection to determine PE, PI, PC, PS, and SM contents in 16 samples of organic milk and 8 samples of CLA-rich milk, in each case together with matching reference samples of conventionally produced milk taken on the same days and in the same geographical areas as the organic and CLA-rich samples. Compared with conventional milk and milk fat, organic milk and milk fat had significantly higher levels of all the phospholipids studied. This is attributable to the differences between the 2 systems of milk production, among which the most influential are probably differences in diet and physical exercise. The CLA-rich milk fat had significantly higher levels of PI, PS, and PC than conventional milk fat, which is also attributed to dietary differences: rations for

  19. Model mass spectrometric study of competitive interactions of antimicrobial bisquaternary ammonium drugs and aspirin with membrane phospholipids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vekey K.

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study is to reveal molecular mechanisms of possible activity modulation of antimicrobial bis-quaternary ammonium compounds (BQAC and aspirin (ASP through noncovalent competitive complexation under their combined introduction into the model systems with membrane phospholipids. Methods. Binary and triple systems containing either decamethoxinum or ethonium, or thionium and aspirin, as well as dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC have been investigated by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Results. Basing on the analysis of associates recorded in the mass spectra, the types of nonocovalent complexes formed in the systems studied were determined and the supposed role of the complexation in the BQAC and ASP activity modulation was discussed. The formation of associates of BQAC dications with ASP anion is considered as one of the possible ways of deactivation of ionic forms of the medications. The formation of stable complexes of BQAC with DPPC and ASP with DPPC in binary systems as well as the complexes distribution in triple-components systems BQAC:ASP:DPPC point to the existence of competition between drugs of these two types for the binding to DPPC. Conclusions. The results obtained point to the competitive complexation in the model molecular systems containing the BQAC, aspirin and membrane phospholipids. The observed phenomenon testifies to the possibility of modulating the activity of bisquaternary antimicrobial agents and aspirin under their combined usage, due to the competition between the drugs for binding to the target membrane phospholipid molecules and also due to the formation of stable noncovalent complexes between BQAC and ASP.

  20. Different in the prospective association between individual plasma phospholipid saturated fatty acids and incident type 2 diabetes: the EPIC-InterAct case-cohort study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Forouhi, N.G.; Koulman, A.; Sharp, S.J.; Groenendijk-van Woudenbergh, G.J.; Feskens, E.J.M.

    2014-01-01

    Background Conflicting evidence exists regarding the association between saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and type 2 diabetes. In this longitudinal case-cohort study, we aimed to investigate the prospective associations between objectively measured individual plasma phospholipid SFAs and incident type 2

  1. Molecular phospholipid films on solid supports

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Czolkos, Ilja; Jesorka, Aldo; Orwar, Owe

    2011-01-01

    Phospholipid membranes are versatile structures for mimicking biological surfaces. Bilayer and monolayer membranes can be formed on solid supports, leading to enhanced stability and accessibility of the biomimetic molecular film. This has facilitated functional studies of membrane proteins and ai...

  2. Protein kinase C interaction with calcium: a phospholipid-dependent process.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Bazzi, M D

    1990-08-21

    The calcium-binding properties of calcium- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C (PKC) were investigated by equilibrium dialysis in the presence and the absence of phospholipids. Calcium binding to PKC displayed striking and unexpected behavior; the free proteins bound virtually no calcium at intracellular calcium concentrations and bound limited calcium (about 1 mol\\/mol of PKC) at 200 microM calcium. However, in the presence of membranes containing acidic phospholipids, PKC bound at least eight calcium ions per protein. The presence of 1 microM phorbol dibutyrate (PDBu) in the dialysis buffer had little effect on these calcium-binding properties. Analysis of PKC-calcium binding by gel filtration under equilibrium conditions gave similar results; only membrane-associated PKC bound significant amounts of calcium. Consequently, PKC is a member of what may be a large group of proteins that bind calcium in a phospholipid-dependent manner. The calcium concentrations needed to induce PKC-membrane binding were similar to those needed for calcium binding (about 40 microM calcium at the midpoint). However, the calcium concentration required for PKC-membrane binding was strongly influenced by the phosphatidylserine composition of the membranes. Membranes with higher percentages of phosphatidylserine required lower concentrations of calcium. These properties suggested that the calcium sites may be generated at the interface between PKC and the membrane. Calcium may function as a bridge between PKC and phospholipids. These studies also suggested that calcium-dependent PKC-membrane binding and PKC function could be regulated by a number of factors in addition to calcium levels and diacylglycerol content of the membrane.

  3. Recent Advances in Phospholipids from Colostrum, Milk and Dairy By-Products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vito Verardo

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Milk is one of the most important foods for mammals, because it is the first form of feed providing energy, nutrients and immunological factors. In the last few years, milk lipids have attracted the attention of researchers due to the presence of several bioactive components in the lipid fraction. The lipid fraction of milk and dairy products contains several components of nutritional significance, such as ω-3 and ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, CLA, short chain fatty acids, gangliosides and phospholipids. Prospective cohort evidence has shown that phospholipids play an important role in the human diet and reinforce the possible relationship between their consumption and prevention of several chronic diseases. Because of these potential benefits of phospholipids in the human diet, this review is focused on the recent advances in phospholipids from colostrum, milk and dairy by-products. Phospholipid composition, its main determination methods and the health activities of these compounds will be addressed.

  4. Evaluation of in-situ fatty acid extraction protocols for the analysis of staphylococcal cell membrane associated fatty acids by gas chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crompton, Marcus J; Dunstan, R Hugh

    2018-05-01

    The composition and integrity of the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane is critical to the survival of staphylococci in dynamic environments and it is important to investigate how the cell membrane responds to changes in the environmental conditions. The staphylococcal membrane differs from eukaryotic and many other bacterial cell membranes by having a high abundance of branch fatty acids and relatively few unsaturated fatty acids. The range of available methods for extraction and efficient analyses of staphylococcal fatty acids was initially appraised to identify the best potential procedures for appraisal. Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus Rosenbach (ATCC® 29213) was grown under optimal conditions to generate a cell biomass to compare the efficiencies of three approaches to extract and prepare methyl esters of the membrane fatty acids: (1) acidic direct transesterification of lipids, (2) modified basic direct transesterification of membrane lipids with adjusted reaction times and temperatures, and (3) base catalysed hydrolysis followed by acid catalysed esterification in two separate chemical reactions (MIDI process). All methods were able to extract fatty acids from the cell mass effectively where these lipids represented approximately 5% of the cellular dry mass. The acidic transesterification method had the least number of steps, the lowest coefficient of variation at 6.7% and good resistance to tolerating water. Basic transesterification was the least accurate method showing the highest coefficient of variation (26%). The MIDI method showed good recoveries, but had twice the number of steps and a coefficient of variation of 16%. It was also found that there was no need to use an anti-oxidant such as BHT for the protection of polyunsaturated fatty acids when the GC-MS injection liner was clean. It was concluded that the acidic transesterification procedures formed the most efficient and reproducible method for the analyses of staphylococcal membrane fatty acids

  5. Nature of the elements transporting long-chain fatty acids through the red cell membrane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bojesen, Inge Norby; Bojesen, Eigil

    1998-01-01

    Docosahexaenoic acid, linoleic acid, red cell membrane, transporting elements, transport kinetics, fatty acid transport......Docosahexaenoic acid, linoleic acid, red cell membrane, transporting elements, transport kinetics, fatty acid transport...

  6. Involvement of triacylglycerol in the metabolism of fatty acids by cultured neuroblastoma and glioma cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cook, H.W.; Clarke, J.T.; Spence, M.W.

    1982-01-01

    The metabolism (chain elongation, desaturation, and incorporation into complex lipids) of thirteen different radiolabeled fatty acids and acetate was examined in N1E-115 neuroblastoma and C-6 glioma cell lines in culture. During 6-hr incubations, all fatty acids were extensively (14-80%) esterified to complex lipids, mainly choline phosphoglycerides and triacylglycerol. With trienoic and tetraenoic substrates, inositol and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides also contained up to 30% of the labeled fatty acids; plasmalogen contained up to half of the label in the ethanolamine phosphoglyceride fraction of neuroblastoma cells. Chain elongation and delta 9, delta 6, and delta 5 desaturation occurred in both cell lines; delta 4 desaturation was not observed. Seemingly anomalous utilization of arachidic acid and some selectivity based on the geometric configuration of double bonds was observed. These studies indicate that these cell lines are capable of modulating cellular membrane composition by a combination of selective exclusion and removal of inappropriate acyl chains and of modification of other acyl chains by desaturation and chain elongation. The time courses and patterns of modification and incorporation of exogenous substrates into phospholipids and triacylglycerol suggest that exogenous unsaturated fatty acid may be incorporated into triacylglycerol and later released for further metabolism and incorporation into phospholipids. This supports a role for triacylglycerol in the synthesis of membrane complex lipids in cell lines derived from neural tissue

  7. Effects of acclimation temperature on thermal tolerance and membrane phospholipid composition in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Overgaard, J.; Tomčala, Aleš; Sorensen, J. G.; Holmstrup, M.; Krogh, P. H.; Šimek, Petr; Košťál, Vladimír

    2008-01-01

    Roč. 54, č. 3 (2008), s. 619-629 ISSN 0022-1910 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/07/0269 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50070508 Keywords : homeoviscous adaptation * membrane phospholipid * PE Subject RIV: ED - Physiology Impact factor: 2.155, year: 2008

  8. Membrane fatty acid composition and radiation response of Bp8 sarcoma ascites tumour cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harms-Ringdahl, M.

    1987-01-01

    Radiation responses of Bp8 sarcoma ascites tumour cells with differences in membrane fatty acid composition was studied. The cells were grown i.p. in NMRI mice and their membrane composition was changed in response to different dietary regimes provided to the hosts. Cell survival, varied insignificantly between the four dietary groups, while repair capacity differed significantly. Increased repair capacity was observed for ascites cells grown in animals on diets enriched in sunflower seed oil and coconut oil, compared with cells from mice fed the hydrogenated lard diet or from cells from the control animals. The membrane fatty acid composition of the cells from the two dietary groups with increased levels of repair capacity differed extensively, and in general there was no correlation between radiation response and the membrane fatty acid composition of the four groups. For coconut oil and control groups with marked differences in membrane fatty acid composition, the effects of irradiation on ascites tumour growth rate and cell cycle distribution were followed in vivo. For none of the parameters was an effect on membrane fatty acid composition on radiation response observed. (author)

  9. Cholesterol autoxidation in phospholipid membrane bilayers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sevanian, A.; McLeod, L.L.

    1987-01-01

    Lipid peroxidation in unilamellar liposomes of known cholesterol-phospholipid composition was monitored under conditions of autoxidation or as induced by a superoxide radical generating system, gamma-irradiation or cumene hydroperoxide. Formation of cholesterol oxidation products was indexed to the level of lipid peroxidation. The major cholesterol oxidation products identified were 7-keto-cholesterol, isomeric cholesterol 5,6-epoxides, isomeric 7-hydroperoxides and isomeric 3,7-cholestane diols. Other commonly encountered products included 3,5-cholestadiene-7-one and cholestane-3 beta, 5 alpha, 6 beta-triol. Superoxide-dependent peroxidation required iron and produced a gradual increase in 7-keto-cholesterol and cholesterol epoxides. Cholesterol oxidation was greatest in liposomes containing high proportions of unsaturated phospholipid to cholesterol (4:1 molar ratio), intermediate with low phospholipid to cholesterol ratios (2:1) and least in liposomes prepared with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and cholesterol. This relationship held regardless of the oxidizing conditions used. Cumene hydroperoxide-dependent lipid peroxidation and/or more prolonged oxidations with other oxidizing systems yielded a variety of products where cholesterol-5 beta,6 beta-epoxide, 7-ketocholesterol and the 7-hydroperoxides were most consistently elevated. Oxyradical initiation of lipid peroxidation produced a pattern of cholesterol oxidation products distinguishable from the pattern derived by cumene hydroperoxide-dependent peroxidation

  10. Phospholipid classes and fatty acid composition of ewe’s and goat’s milk

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zancada, L.

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The content, distribution of individual species, and the fatty acid composition of phospholipids (PL from ewe’s and goat’s milk were analyzed. The binding of enterotoxigenic and uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains to PL and the inhibition of bacterial hemagglutination by PL were addressed using high performance thin-layer chromatography-overlay assays and microtiter plates, respectively. Ovine and caprine milk contained more PL than bovine milk but less than human milk. The profile of individual PL was similar, including sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol in both ovine and caprine milk. Regarding the fatty acid composition, a high content of long-chain fatty acids (more than C16 and unsaturated fatty acids, with C18:1 as the most abundant was found in ovine and caprine milk PL. Ovine milk has longer and less saturated fatty acids while caprine milk has shorter and more saturated ones. Neither the adhesion of any bacterial strains assayed to the individual PL from ovine or caprine milk nor the inhibition of bacterial hemagglutination by PL were observed. These are important constituents of the milk fat globule membrane, but it seems that they do not play a role in the defence of new-borns against bacteria if the results obtained are taken into account.Se ha analizado el contenido, distribución de las especies individuales y la composición en ácidos grasos de los fosfolípidos (FL de la leche de oveja y de cabra. Se ha estudiado también la unión de cepas enterotoxigénicas y uropatogénicas de Escherichia coli a estos compuestos y el efecto de los FL sobre la hemaglutinación provocada por estas bacterias mediante inmunodetección en placa y ensayos en placas multipocillo, respectivamente. La leche de oveja y de cabra contiene más FL que la de vaca, pero menos que la leche humana. El perfil de FL individuales es similar en la leche de oveja y de cabra e incluye

  11. Association of Plasma Phospholipid n-3 and n-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids with Type 2 Diabetes: The EPIC-InterAct Case-Cohort Study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Forouhi, N.G.; Imamura, Fumiaki; Sharp, S.J.; Koulman, A.; Schulze, M.B.; Feskens, E.J.M.

    2016-01-01

    Background
    Whether and how n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are related to type 2 diabetes (T2D) is debated. Objectively measured plasma PUFAs can help to clarify these associations.

    Methods and Findings
    Plasma phospholipid PUFAs were measured by gas chromatography

  12. Association of Plasma Phospholipid n-3 and n-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids with Type 2 Diabetes : The EPIC-InterAct Case-Cohort Study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Forouhi, Nita G.; Imamura, Fumiaki; Sharp, Stephen J.; Koulman, Albert; Schulze, Matthias B.; Zheng, Jusheng; Ye, Zheng; Sluijs, Ivonne; Guevara, Marcela; Huerta, José María; Kröger, Janine; Wang, Laura Yun; Summerhill, Keith; Griffin, Julian L.; Feskens, Edith J M; Affret, Aurélie; Amiano, Pilar; Boeing, Heiner; Dow, Courtney; Fagherazzi, Guy; Franks, Paul W.; Gonzalez, Carlos; Kaaks, Rudolf; Key, Timothy J.; Khaw, Kay Tee; Kühn, Tilman; Mortensen, Lotte Maxild; Nilsson, Peter M.; Overvad, Kim; Pala, Valeria; Palli, Domenico; Panico, Salvatore; Quirós, J. Ramón; Rodriguez-Barranco, Miguel; Rolandsson, Olov; Sacerdote, Carlotta; Scalbert, Augustin; Slimani, Nadia; Spijkerman, Annemieke M W; Tjonneland, Anne; Tormo, Maria Jose; Tumino, Rosario; van der A, Daphne L.; van der Schouw, Yvonne T.; Langenberg, Claudia; Riboli, Elio; Wareham, Nicholas J.

    2016-01-01

    Background: Whether and how n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are related to type 2 diabetes (T2D) is debated. Objectively measured plasma PUFAs can help to clarify these associations. Methods and Findings: Plasma phospholipid PUFAs were measured by gas chromatography among 12,132

  13. Environmental pollution changes in membrane lipids, antioxidants and vitality of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L. pollen

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paweł M. Pukacki

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Investigations were carried out on pollen grains of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L. collected from trees at 1.5, 3, 4 km and control, 20 km from the Luboń factory producing mineral fertilisers. The percentage of germination of pollen formed close to the pollution source was ca 20% lower compared to the control pollen. Lowered vitality of the pollen was effected in changes of the structure of cytoplasmic membranes. Pollen from the polluted area contained ca 15% less total phospholipids, mainly phosphatidylcholine and phosphatytidylinositol and had a lower content of soluble proteins and less of low molecular antioxidants, such as thiols and ascorbic acid. Composition of total fatty acid in phospholipids fractions showed a significant reduction in the degree of unsaturation of fatty acids. Pollen originating from the polluted area and stored at -30°C showed considerably stronger degradation of cytoplasmic membranes than control.

  14. Cortical actin networks induce spatio-temporal confinement of phospholipids in the plasma membrane--a minimally invasive investigation by STED-FCS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrade, Débora M; Clausen, Mathias P; Keller, Jan; Mueller, Veronika; Wu, Congying; Bear, James E; Hell, Stefan W; Lagerholm, B Christoffer; Eggeling, Christian

    2015-06-29

    Important discoveries in the last decades have changed our view of the plasma membrane organisation. Specifically, the cortical cytoskeleton has emerged as a key modulator of the lateral diffusion of membrane proteins. Cytoskeleton-dependent compartmentalised lipid diffusion has been proposed, but this concept remains controversial because this phenomenon has thus far only been observed with artefact-prone probes in combination with a single technique: single particle tracking. In this paper, we report the first direct observation of compartmentalised phospholipid diffusion in the plasma membrane of living cells using a minimally invasive, fluorescent dye labelled lipid analogue. These observations were made using optical STED nanoscopy in combination with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (STED-FCS), a technique which allows the study of membrane dynamics on a sub-millisecond time-scale and with a spatial resolution of down to 40 nm. Specifically, we find that compartmentalised phospholipid diffusion depends on the cortical actin cytoskeleton, and that this constrained diffusion is directly dependent on the F-actin branching nucleator Arp2/3. These findings provide solid evidence that the Arp2/3-dependent cortical actin cytoskeleton plays a pivotal role in the dynamic organisation of the plasma membrane, potentially regulating fundamental cellular processes.

  15. Yeast PAH1-encoded phosphatidate phosphatase controls the expression of CHO1-encoded phosphatidylserine synthase for membrane phospholipid synthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Gil-Soo; Carman, George M

    2017-08-11

    The PAH1 -encoded phosphatidate phosphatase (PAP), which catalyzes the committed step for the synthesis of triacylglycerol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae , exerts a negative regulatory effect on the level of phosphatidate used for the de novo synthesis of membrane phospholipids. This raises the question whether PAP thereby affects the expression and activity of enzymes involved in phospholipid synthesis. Here, we examined the PAP-mediated regulation of CHO1 -encoded phosphatidylserine synthase (PSS), which catalyzes the committed step for the synthesis of major phospholipids via the CDP-diacylglycerol pathway. The lack of PAP in the pah1 Δ mutant highly elevated PSS activity, exhibiting a growth-dependent up-regulation from the exponential to the stationary phase of growth. Immunoblot analysis showed that the elevation of PSS activity results from an increase in the level of the enzyme encoded by CHO1 Truncation analysis and site-directed mutagenesis of the CHO1 promoter indicated that Cho1 expression in the pah1 Δ mutant is induced through the inositol-sensitive upstream activation sequence (UAS INO ), a cis -acting element for the phosphatidate-controlled Henry (Ino2-Ino4/Opi1) regulatory circuit. The abrogation of Cho1 induction and PSS activity by a CHO1 UAS INO mutation suppressed pah1 Δ effects on lipid synthesis, nuclear/endoplasmic reticulum membrane morphology, and lipid droplet formation, but not on growth at elevated temperature. Loss of the DGK1 -encoded diacylglycerol kinase, which converts diacylglycerol to phosphatidate, partially suppressed the pah1 Δ-mediated induction of Cho1 and PSS activity. Collectively, these data showed that PAP activity controls the expression of PSS for membrane phospholipid synthesis. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  16. Effect of docosahexaenoic acid and ascorbate on peroxidation of retinal membranes of ODS rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jin-Ye; Sekine, Seiji; Saito, Morio

    2003-04-01

    Mutant male osteogenic disorder Shionogi (ODS) rats, unable to synthesize ascorbic acid, were fed diets containing a high content of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and different amounts of ascorbic acid, to study the effect of DHA on peroxidative susceptibility of the retina and possible antioxidant action of ascorbic acid. ODS rats were fed from 7 weeks of age with diets containing high DHA (6.4% of total energy). A control group received a diet high in linoleic acid. The diets also contained varying amounts of ascorbic acid. Fatty acid compositions and phospholipid hydroperoxides in rod outer segment (ROS) membranes, and retinal ascorbic acid were analyzed. DHA in ROS membranes was significantly increased in rats fed high DHA, compared with the linoleic acid diet. Levels of phospholipid hydroperoxides in the DHA-fed rats were significantly higher than the linoleic acid-fed rats. Ascorbic acid supplementation did not suppress the phospholipid hydroperoxide levels after a high DHA diet, even when the supplement increased the content of retinal ascorbic acid. In conclusion, high DHA feeding induced a marked increase of phospholipid hydroperoxides in ROS membranes of ODS rats. Supplementation of ascorbic acid did not reverse this increase.

  17. Efficient replacement of plasma membrane outer leaflet phospholipids and sphingolipids in cells with exogenous lipids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Guangtao; Kim, JiHyun; Huang, Zhen; St Clair, Johnna R; Brown, Deborah A; London, Erwin

    2016-12-06

    Our understanding of membranes and membrane lipid function has lagged far behind that of nucleic acids and proteins, largely because it is difficult to manipulate cellular membrane lipid composition. To help solve this problem, we show that methyl-α-cyclodextrin (MαCD)-catalyzed lipid exchange can be used to maximally replace the sphingolipids and phospholipids in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane of living mammalian cells with exogenous lipids, including unnatural lipids. In addition, lipid exchange experiments revealed that 70-80% of cell sphingomyelin resided in the plasma membrane outer leaflet; the asymmetry of metabolically active cells was similar to that previously defined for erythrocytes, as judged by outer leaflet lipid composition; and plasma membrane outer leaflet phosphatidylcholine had a significantly lower level of unsaturation than phosphatidylcholine in the remainder of the cell. The data also provided a rough estimate for the total cellular lipids residing in the plasma membrane (about half). In addition to such lipidomics applications, the exchange method should have wide potential for investigations of lipid function and modification of cellular behavior by modification of lipids.

  18. Mitochondrial cardiolipin/phospholipid trafficking: the role of membrane contact site complexes and lipid transfer proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlattner, Uwe; Tokarska-Schlattner, Malgorzata; Rousseau, Denis; Boissan, Mathieu; Mannella, Carmen; Epand, Richard; Lacombe, Marie-Lise

    2014-04-01

    Historically, cellular trafficking of lipids has received much less attention than protein trafficking, mostly because its biological importance was underestimated, involved sorting and translocation mechanisms were not known, and analytical tools were limiting. This has changed during the last decade, and we discuss here some progress made in respect to mitochondria and the trafficking of phospholipids, in particular cardiolipin. Different membrane contact site or junction complexes and putative lipid transfer proteins for intra- and intermembrane lipid translocation have been described, involving mitochondrial inner and outer membrane, and the adjacent membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum. An image emerges how cardiolipin precursors, remodeling intermediates, mature cardiolipin and its oxidation products could migrate between membranes, and how this trafficking is involved in cardiolipin biosynthesis and cell signaling events. Particular emphasis in this review is given to mitochondrial nucleoside diphosphate kinase D and mitochondrial creatine kinases, which emerge to have roles in both, membrane junction formation and lipid transfer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Lateral interactions in the photoreceptor membrane: a NMR study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mollevanger, L.C.P.J.

    1987-01-01

    The photoreceptor membrane has an exceptionally high content of polyunsaturated fatty acyl chains combined with a high amount of phosphatidyl ethanolamine. It is situated in a cell organelle, the rod outer segment, with a high biological activity in which controlable trans-membrane currents of different ions play an important role. These characteristics make it a very interesting biological membrane to search for the existence of non-bilayer structures. Therefore in this thesis a detailed study of the polymorphic phase behaviour of the rod outer segment photoreceptor lipids was undertaken, concerning modulation of the polymorphic phase behaviour of photoreceptor membrane lipids by divalent cations and temperature, polymorphism of the individual phospholipid classes phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine and effects of cholesterol, bilayer stabilization by (rhod)opsin. Morphologically intact rod outer segment possesses a large magnetic anisotropy. This property is used to obtain 31 P-NMR of oriented photoreceptor membranes which allows spectral analysis and identification of individual phospholipid classes, and allows to study lateral lipid diffusion in intact disk membranes. The power of high resolution solid state 13 C-NMR to study the conformation of the chromophore in rhodopsin is demonstrated. (Auth.)

  20. An Increase in the Omega-6/Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio Increases the Risk for Obesity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simopoulos, Artemis P.

    2016-01-01

    In the past three decades, total fat and saturated fat intake as a percentage of total calories has continuously decreased in Western diets, while the intake of omega-6 fatty acid increased and the omega-3 fatty acid decreased, resulting in a large increase in the omega-6/omega-3 ratio from 1:1 during evolution to 20:1 today or even higher. This change in the composition of fatty acids parallels a significant increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Experimental studies have suggested that omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids elicit divergent effects on body fat gain through mechanisms of adipogenesis, browning of adipose tissue, lipid homeostasis, brain-gut-adipose tissue axis, and most importantly systemic inflammation. Prospective studies clearly show an increase in the risk of obesity as the level of omega-6 fatty acids and the omega-6/omega-3 ratio increase in red blood cell (RBC) membrane phospholipids, whereas high omega-3 RBC membrane phospholipids decrease the risk of obesity. Recent studies in humans show that in addition to absolute amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid intake, the omega-6/omega-3 ratio plays an important role in increasing the development of obesity via both AA eicosanoid metabolites and hyperactivity of the cannabinoid system, which can be reversed with increased intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). A balanced omega-6/omega-3 ratio is important for health and in the prevention and management of obesity. PMID:26950145

  1. An Increase in the Omega-6/Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio Increases the Risk for Obesity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Artemis P. Simopoulos

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available In the past three decades, total fat and saturated fat intake as a percentage of total calories has continuously decreased in Western diets, while the intake of omega-6 fatty acid increased and the omega-3 fatty acid decreased, resulting in a large increase in the omega-6/omega-3 ratio from 1:1 during evolution to 20:1 today or even higher. This change in the composition of fatty acids parallels a significant increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Experimental studies have suggested that omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids elicit divergent effects on body fat gain through mechanisms of adipogenesis, browning of adipose tissue, lipid homeostasis, brain-gut-adipose tissue axis, and most importantly systemic inflammation. Prospective studies clearly show an increase in the risk of obesity as the level of omega-6 fatty acids and the omega-6/omega-3 ratio increase in red blood cell (RBC membrane phospholipids, whereas high omega-3 RBC membrane phospholipids decrease the risk of obesity. Recent studies in humans show that in addition to absolute amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid intake, the omega-6/omega-3 ratio plays an important role in increasing the development of obesity via both AA eicosanoid metabolites and hyperactivity of the cannabinoid system, which can be reversed with increased intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA. A balanced omega-6/omega-3 ratio is important for health and in the prevention and management of obesity.

  2. Exogenous fatty acid metabolism in bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Jiangwei; Rock, Charles O

    2017-10-01

    Bacterial type II fatty acid synthesis (FASII) is a target for novel antibiotic development. All bacteria encode for mechanisms to incorporate exogenous fatty acids, and some bacteria can use exogenous fatty acids to bypass FASII inhibition. Bacteria encode three different mechanisms for activating exogenous fatty acids for incorporation into phospholipid synthesis. Exogenous fatty acids are converted into acyl-CoA in Gammaproteobacteria such as E. coli. Acyl-CoA molecules constitute a separate pool from endogenously synthesized acyl-ACP. Acyl-CoA can be used for phospholipid synthesis or broken down by β-oxidation, but cannot be used for lipopolysaccharide synthesis. Exogenous fatty acids are converted into acyl-ACP in some Gram-negative bacteria. The resulting acyl-ACP undergoes the same fates as endogenously synthesized acyl-ACP. Exogenous fatty acids are converted into acyl-phosphates in Gram-positive bacteria, and can be used for phospholipid synthesis or become acyl-ACP. Only the order Lactobacillales can use exogenous fatty acids to bypass FASII inhibition. FASII shuts down completely in presence of exogenous fatty acids in Lactobacillales, allowing Lactobacillales to synthesize phospholipids entirely from exogenous fatty acids. Inhibition of FASII cannot be bypassed in other bacteria because FASII is only partially down-regulated in presence of exogenous fatty acid or FASII is required to synthesize essential metabolites such as β-hydroxyacyl-ACP. Certain selective pressures such as FASII inhibition or growth in biofilms can select for naturally occurring one step mutations that attenuate endogenous fatty acid synthesis. Although attempts have been made to estimate the natural prevalence of these mutants, culture-independent metagenomic methods would provide a better estimate. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. and Société Française de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.

  3. Emulsifying triglycerides with dairy phospholipids instead of soy lecithin modulates gut lipase activity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mathiassen, Jakob Hovalt; Nejrup, Rikke Guldhammer; Frøkiær, Hanne

    2015-01-01

    in particular to limit fatty acid absorption in babies given infant formulas. Since interaction between the lipid droplet and the gastric and duodenal lipases occur through the hydrophobic/hydrophilic interface, the composition of the emulsifier may be crucial for efficient hydrolysis. We therefore determined...... hydrolytic rate of gastric lipase and pancreatic lipase, on their own or pancreatic lipase after gastric lipase on TAG droplets of similar size emulsified in either soy lecithin (SL) or in bovine milk phospholipids (MPL), more similar to human milk globule membrane lipids than soy lecithin. Gastric lipase...... for formulas for term-born infants....

  4. Deformation of phospholipid vesicles in an optical stretcher

    OpenAIRE

    Delabre , Ulysse; Feld , Kasper; Crespo , Eleonore; Whyte , Graeme; Sykes , Cecile; Seifert , Udo; Guck , Jochen

    2015-01-01

    International audience; Phospholipid vesicles are common model systems for cell membranes. Important aspects of the membrane function relate to its mechanical properties. Here we have investigated the deformation behaviour of phospholipid vesicles in a dual-beam laser trap, also called an optical stretcher. This study explicitly makes use of the inherent heating present in such traps to investigate the dependence of vesicle deformation on temperature. By using lasers with different wavelength...

  5. Unusual fatty acid substitution in lipids and lipopolysaccharides of Helicobacter pylori.

    OpenAIRE

    Geis, G; Leying, H; Suerbaum, S; Opferkuch, W

    1990-01-01

    Cellular fatty acids, phospholipid fatty acids, and lipopolysaccharide fatty acids of four strains of Helicobacter pylori were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography. The presence of myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, 19-carbon cyclopropane fatty acid, beta-hydroxypalmitic acid, and beta-hydroxystearic acid was confirmed. In phospholipids, myristic acid and 19-carbon cyclopropane fatty acid were the major fatty acids. Hydroxy fatty acids and unsaturated fatt...

  6. Evaluation of Ultrafiltration Performance for Phospholipid Separation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aryanti, N.; Wardhani, D. H.; Maulana, Z. S.; Roberto, D.

    2017-11-01

    Ultrafiltration membrane for degumming of crude palm oil has been applied as an alternative method since the membrane process required less procedure than the conventional degumming. This research focused on the examination of ultrafiltration performance for phospholipid separation from model crude palm oil degumming. Specifically, profile flux and rejection, as well as blocking mechanism, were investigated. Feed consisting of Refined Crude Palm Oil - Isopropanol - Lecithin mixtures were represented as crude palm oil degumming. Lecithin was denoted a phospholipid component, and the concentrations of lecithin in feed were varied to 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3%. The concentration of phospholipid was determined as phosphor content. At the concentration of lecithin in feed representing phospholipid concentration of 8,45 mg/kg, 8,45 mg/kg, 24,87 mg/kg and 57,58 mg/kg, respectively. Flux profiles confirmed that there was a flux decline during filtration. In addition, the lecithin concentrations do not significantly effect on further flux decline. Rejection characteristic and phospholipid concentration in the permeate showed that the phospholipid rejections by ultrafiltration were in the range of 23-79,5% representing permeate’s phospholipid concentration of 1,73 - 44,25 mg/kg. Evaluation of fouling mechanism by Hermia’s blocking model confirmed that the standard blocking is the dominant mechanism in the ultrafiltration of lecithin mixture.

  7. Determination of Total Lipids as Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) by in situ Transesterification: Laboratory Analytical Procedure (LAP)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Van Wychen, Stefanie; Ramirez, Kelsey; Laurens, Lieve M. L.

    2016-01-13

    This procedure is based on a whole biomass transesterification of lipids to fatty acid methyl esters to represent an accurate reflection of the potential of microalgal biofuels. Lipids are present in many forms and play various roles within an algal cell, from cell membrane phospholipids to energy stored as triacylglycerols.

  8. Mathematical Models Suggest Facilitated Fatty Acids Crossing of the Luminal Membrane in the Cardiac Muscle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barta, Efrath

    2017-02-01

    Long-chain fatty acids cross a few membranes on their way from the capillary blood to the cardiomyocyte cytosol, where they are utilized as an essential source of energy. Details of the transport mechanism across those membranes remained elusive despite decades of laboratory and theoretical work. Here we inspect several optional scenarios for the crossing of the luminal membrane of the endothelial cell, the first barrier that should be crossed: a passive diffusion, facilitation by receptors for albumin and facilitation by fatty acids transporters. Related measured rate constants are incorporated in a theoretical simulation that is based on reaction-diffusion equations. Asymptotic analytical solutions for the resulting stiff boundary value problems are formulated based on singular perturbations theory. We conclude that a passive diffusion has to be supplemented with facilitation mechanisms in order to meet energy requirements. Binding sites for albumin, scattered on the membrane face, might enhance the flux provided that they internalize the captured fatty acids and speed up the dissociation of the albumin-fatty acids complex. As such enhancement is moderate, another mechanism seems to be essential for an adequate supply of fatty acids. Lack of experimental data prohibits us from computing the quantitative effect of membrane fatty acids transporters but their involvement in the membrane crossing is inferred.

  9. Interaction of (n-3) and (n-6) fatty acids in desaturation and chain elongation of essential fatty acids in cultured glioma cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cook, H.W.; Spence, M.W.

    1987-01-01

    Recent research in various biological systems has revived interest in interactions between the (n-6) and (n-3) essential fatty acids. We have utilized cultured glioma cells to show that linolenic acid, 18:3(n-3), is rapidly desaturated and chain elongated; 20:5(n-3) is the major product and accumulates almost exclusively in phospholipids. We examined effects of various (n-6), (n-3), (n-9) and (n-7) fatty acids at 40 microM concentration on desaturation and chain elongation processes using [1- 14 C]18:3(n-3) as substrate. In general, monoenoic fatty acids were without effect. The (n-6) fatty acids (18:2, 18:3, 20:3, 20:4 and 22:4) had little effect on total product formed. There was a shift of labeled product to triacylglycerol, and in phospholipids, slightly enhanced conversion of 20:5 to 22:5 was evident. In contrast, 22:6(n-3) was inhibitory, whereas 20:3(n-3) and 20:5(n-3) had much less effect. At concentrations less than 75 microM, all acids were inhibitory. Most products were esterified to phosphatidylcholine, but phosphatidylethanolamine also contained a major portion of 20:5 and 22:5. We provide a condensed overview of how the (n-6) and (n-3) fatty acids interact to modify relative rates of desaturation and chain elongation, depending on the essential fatty acid precursor. Thus, the balance between these dietary acids can markedly influence enzymes providing crucial membrane components and substrates for biologically active oxygenated derivatives

  10. Phospholipid fatty acid analysis to monitor the co-composting process of olive oil mill wastes and organic household refuse

    OpenAIRE

    Barje , F.; Amir , S.; Winterton , Peter; Pinelli , Eric; Merlina , Georges; Cegarra , J.; Revel , Jean-Claude; Hafidi , Mohamed

    2008-01-01

    International audience; The co-composting of olive oil mill wastes and household refuse was followed for 5 months. During the thermophilic phase of composting, the aerobic heterotrophic bacteria (AHB) count, showed a significant rise with a slight regression of fungal biomass. In the same way, phospholipid fatty acids PLFAs common in bacteria, showed a significant increase of hydroxyl and branched PLFAs. The evaluation of the ratio of octadecenoic PLFAs to stearic acid (C18:1/C18:0) revealed ...

  11. Docosahexaenoic (DHA modulates phospholipid-hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (Gpx4 gene expression to ensure self-protection from oxidative damage in hippocampal cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Veronica eCasañas-Sanchez

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3 is a unique polyunsaturated fatty acid particularly abundant in nerve cell membrane phospholipids. DHA is a pleiotropic molecule that, not only modulates the physicochemical properties and architecture of neuronal plasma membrane, but it is also involved in multiple facets of neuronal biology, from regulation of synaptic function to neuroprotection and modulation of gene expression. As a highly unsaturated fatty acid due to the presence of six double bonds, DHA is susceptible for oxidation, especially in the highly pro-oxidant environment of brain parenchyma. We have recently reported the ability of DHA to regulate the transcriptional program controlling neuronal antioxidant defenses in a hippocampal cell line, especially the glutathione/glutaredoxin system. Within this antioxidant system, DHA was particularly efficient in triggering the upregulation of Gpx4 gene, which encodes for the nuclear, cytosolic and mitochondrial isoforms of phospholipid-hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PH-GPx/GPx4, the main enzyme protecting cell membranes against lipid peroxidation and capable to reduce oxidized phospholipids in situ. We show here that this novel property of DHA is also significant in the hippocampus of wild-type mice and APP/PS1 transgenic mice, a familial model of Alzheimer’s disease. By doing this, DHA stimulates a mechanism to self-protect from oxidative damage even in the neuronal scenario of high aerobic metabolism and in the presence of elevated levels of transition metals, which inevitably favor the generation of reactive oxygen species. Noticeably, DHA also upregulated a novel Gpx4 splicing variant, harboring part of the first intronic region, which according to the ‘sentinel RNA hypothesis’ would expand the ability of Gpx4 (and DHA to provide neuronal antioxidant defense independently of conventional nuclear splicing in cellular compartments, like dendritic zones, located away from nuclear

  12. Packing properties 1-alkanols and alkanes in a phospholipid membrane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Westh, Peter

    2006-01-01

    We have used vibrating tube densitometry to investigate the packing properties of four alkanes and a homologous series of ten alcohols in fluid-phase membranes of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC). It was found that the volume change of transferring these compounds from their pure states int...... into the membrane core, which is loosely packed. In this region, they partially occupy interstitial (or free-) volume, which bring about a denser molecular packing and generate a negative contribution to Vm(puremem)....... into the membrane, Vm(puremem), was positive for small (C4-C6) 1-alkanols while it was negative for larger alcohols and all alkanes. The magnitude of Vm(puremem) ranged from about +4 cm3/mol for alcohols with an alkyl chain about half the length of the fatty acids of DMPC, to -10 to -15 cm3/mol for the alkanes...

  13. A diet high in α-linolenic acid and monounsaturated fatty acids attenuates hepatic steatosis and alters hepatic phospholipid fatty acid profile in diet-induced obese rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanke, Danielle; Zahradka, Peter; Mohankumar, Suresh K; Clark, Jaime L; Taylor, Carla G

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated the efficacy of the plant-based n-3 fatty acid, α-linolenic acid (ALA), a dietary precursor of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), for modulating hepatic steatosis. Rats were fed high fat (55% energy) diets containing high oleic canola oil, canola oil, a canola/flax oil blend (C/F, 3:1), safflower oil, soybean oil, or lard. After 12 weeks, C/F and weight-matched (WM) groups had 20% less liver lipid. Body mass, liver weight, glucose and lipid metabolism, inflammation and molecular markers of fatty acid oxidation, synthesis, desaturation and elongation did not account for this effect. The C/F group had the highest total n-3 and EPA in hepatic phospholipids (PL), as well as one of the highest DHA and lowest arachidonic acid (n-6) concentrations. In conclusion, the C/F diet with the highest content of the plant-based n-3 ALA attenuated hepatic steatosis and altered the hepatic PL fatty acid profile. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  14. Analysis of long-chain fatty acid binding activity in vesicles of the outer membrane generated from Escherchia coli

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Black, P.N.

    1987-01-01

    Escherichia coli transports long-chain fatty acids across the dual membrane by a high affinity, saturable, energy-dependent process. The fadL gene codes for an outer membrane protein which appears to act specifically as a long-chain fatty acid binding protein when fatty acid utilization is blocked by mutation. In an effort to understand the function of the fadL gene product, FLP, membranes have been isolated from fadL + and fadL - strains following osmotic lysis. Following isolation, total membranes were separated into inner and outer membrane fractions and assayed for long-chain fatty acid binding activity. Outer membrane vesicles were incubated 2-5 min at 37 0 C with 3 H oleate (C/sub 18:1/), cooled to 0 0 C, and centrifuged through a Lipidex 100 column for 3 min to remove the unbound fatty acid. The level of fatty acid binding was quantitated by scintillation counting of the eluate. Outer membrane vesicles generated from a fadL + strain bind 325 pmol fatty acid/mg protein whereas vesicles generated for a mutant strain bind 175 pmol fatty acid/mg protein. These data suggest that FLP acts at least as a long-chain fatty acid binding protein on the surface of the cell

  15. Changes in phosphatidylcholine fatty acid composition are associated with altered skeletal muscle insulin responsiveness in normal man.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clore, J N; Harris, P A; Li, J; Azzam, A; Gill, R; Zuelzer, W; Rizzo, W B; Blackard, W G

    2000-02-01

    The fatty acid composition of skeletal muscle cell membrane phospholipids (PLs) is known to influence insulin responsiveness in man. We have recently shown that the fatty acid composition of phosphatidylcholine (PC), and not phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), from skeletal muscle membranes is of particular importance in this relationship. Efforts to alter the PL fatty acid composition in animal models have demonstrated induction of insulin resistance. However, it has been more difficult to determine if changes in insulin sensitivity are associated with changes in the skeletal muscle membrane fatty acid composition of PL in man. Using nicotinic acid (NA), an agent known to induce insulin resistance in man, 9 normal subjects were studied before and after treatment for 1 month. Skeletal muscle membrane fatty acid composition of PC and PE from biopsies of vastus lateralis was correlated with insulin responsiveness using a 3-step hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Treatment with NA was associated with a 25% increase in the half-maximal insulin concentration ([ED50] 52.0 +/- 7.5 to 64.6 +/- 9.0 microU/mL, P insulin sensitivity. Significant changes in the fatty acid composition of PC, but not PE, were also observed after NA administration. An increase in the percentage of 16:0 (21% +/- 0.3% to 21.7% +/- 0.4%, P insulin resistance with NA is associated with changes in the fatty acid composition of PC in man.

  16. Determination of phospholipid regiochemistry by Ag(I) adduction and tandem mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoo, Hyun Ju; Håkansson, Kristina

    2011-02-15

    Collision-activated dissociation (CAD) and infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) of Ag-adducted phospholipids were investigated as structural tools. Previously, determination of the acyl chains at the two phospholipid esterification sites has been performed based on the R(1)COO(-)/R(2)COO(-) ratio in negative ion mode CAD tandem mass spectrometry. However, the observed product ion ratio is dependent on the extent of unsaturation of the fatty acyl group at sn-2 as well as on the total chain length. Similarly, in positive ion mode CAD with/without alkaline or alkaline earth metal adduction, the ratio of product ions resulting from either R(1)COOH or R(2)COOH neutral losses is dependent on the nature of the phospholipid polar headgroup. Ag(+) ion chromatography, in which silver ions are part of the stationary phase, can provide information on double bond number/distribution as well as double bond configuration (cis/trans) because of interaction between Ag(+) ions and olefinic π electrons of fatty acids and lipids. We hypothesized that interactions between double bonds and Ag(+) may be utilized to also reveal phospholipid esterification site information in tandem mass spectrometry. CAD and IRMPD of Ag-adducted phospholipids with unsaturated fatty acids (R(x)COOH, x = 1 or 2) provided characteristic product ions, [R(x)COOH + Ag](+), and their neutral losses. The characteristic product ions and their abundances do not depend on the type of polar headgroup or the number of double bonds of unsaturated acyl chains. Tandem mass spectrometry of Cu-adducted phospholipids was also performed for comparison based on the Lewis acid and base properties of Cu(+) and phospholipid double bonds, respectively.

  17. Chronic sucrose intake decreases concentrations of n6 fatty acids, but not docosahexaenoic acid in the rat brain phospholipids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mašek, Tomislav; Starčević, Kristina

    2017-07-13

    We investigated the influence of high sucrose intake, administered in drinking water, on the lipid profile of the brain and on the expression of SREBP1c and Δ-desaturase genes. Adult male rats received 30% sucrose solution for 20 weeks (Sucrose group), or plain water (Control group). After the 20th week of sucrose treatment, the Sucrose group showed permanent hyperglycemia. Sucrose treatment also increased the amount of total lipids and fatty acids in the brain. The brain fatty acid profile of total lipids as well as phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine and cardiolipin of the Sucrose group was extensively changed. The most interesting change was a significant decrease in n6 fatty acids, including the important arachidonic acid, whereas the content of oleic and docosahexaenoic acid remained unchanged. RT-qPCR revealed an increase in Δ-5-desaturase and SREBP1c gene expression. In conclusion, high sucrose intake via drinking water extensively changes rat brain fatty acid profile by decreasing n6 fatty acids, including arachidonic acid. In contrast, the content of docosahexaenoic acid remains constant in the brain total lipids as well as in phospholipids. Changes in the brain fatty acid profile reflect changes in the lipid metabolism of the rat lipogenic tissues and concentrations in the circulation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Keloids in rural black South Africans. Part 2: dietary fatty acid intake and total phospholipid fatty acid profile in the blood of keloid patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Louw, L; Dannhauser, A

    2000-11-01

    In the second part of this study, emphasis is placed on nutritional intakes (fatty acids and micronutrients) and fatty acid intake and metabolism in the blood, respectively, according to a combined 24 h recall and standardized food frequency questionnaire analyses of keloid prone patients (n=10), compared with normal black South Africans (n=80), and total phospholipid blood (plasma and red blood cell ) analyses of keloid patients (n=20), compared with normal individuals (n=20). Lipid extraction and fractionation by standard procedures, total phospholipid (TPL) separation with thin layer chromatography, and fatty acid methyl ester analyses with gas liquid chromatography techniques were used. Since nutrition may play a role in several disease disorders, the purpose of this study was to confirm or refute a role for essential fatty acids (EFAs) in the hypothesis of keloid formations stated in part 1 of this study. (1)According to the Canadian recommendation (1991), we observed that in keloid patients linoleic acid (LA) and arachidonic acid (AA) dietary intakes, as EFAs of the omega-6-series, are higher than the recommended 7-11 g/d. However, the a-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) dietary intakes, as EFAs of the omega-3 series, are lower than the recommendation of 1.1-1.5 g/d. This was also the case in the control group, where a higher dietary intake of the omega-6 fatty acids and a slightly lower dietary intake of the omega-3 fatty acids occurred. Thus, we confirm a high dietary intake of LA (as a product of organ meats, diary products and many vegetable oils) and AA (as a product of meats and egg yolks), as well as lower dietary intakes of ALA (as a product of grains, green leafy vegetables, soy oil, rapeseed oil and linseed), and EPA and DHA (as products of marine oils). Lower micronutrient intakes than the recommended dietary allowances were observed in the keloid group that may influence EFA metabolism and/or collagen

  19. Annexin-Phospholipid Interactions. Functional Implications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Javier Turnay

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Annexins constitute an evolutionary conserved multigene protein superfamily characterized by their ability to interact with biological membranes in a calcium dependent manner. They are expressed by all living organisms with the exception of certain unicellular organisms. The vertebrate annexin core is composed of four (eight in annexin A6 homologous domains of around 70 amino acids, with the overall shape of a slightly bent ring surrounding a central hydrophilic pore. Calcium- and phospholipid-binding sites are located on the convex side while the N-terminus links domains I and IV on the concave side. The N-terminus region shows great variability in length and amino acid sequence and it greatly influences protein stability and specific functions of annexins. These proteins interact mainly with acidic phospholipids, such as phosphatidylserine, but differences are found regarding their affinity for lipids and calcium requirements for the interaction. Annexins are involved in a wide range of intra- and extracellular biological processes in vitro, most of them directly related with the conserved ability to bind to phospholipid bilayers: membrane trafficking, membrane-cytoskeleton anchorage, ion channel activity and regulation, as well as antiinflammatory and anticoagulant activities. However, the in vivo physiological functions of annexins are just beginning to be established.

  20. Do fatty acids affect fetal programming?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kabaran, Seray; Besler, H Tanju

    2015-08-13

    In this study discussed the primary and regulatory roles of fatty acids, and investigated the affects of fatty acids on metabolic programming. Review of the literature was carried out on three electronic databases to assess the roles of fatty acids in metabolic programming. All abstracts and full-text articles were examined, and the most relevant articles were selected for screening and inclusion in this review. The mother's nutritional environment during fetal period has important effects on long term health. Fatty acids play a primary role in growth and development. Alterations in fatty acid intake in the fetal period may increase the risk of obesity and metabolic disorders in later life. Maternal fatty acid intakes during pregnancy and lactation are passed to the fetus and the newborn via the placenta and breast milk, respectively. Imbalances in fatty acid intake during the fetal period change the fatty acid composition of membrane phospholipids, which can cause structural and functional problems in cells. Additionally, the metabolic and neuroendocrine environments of the fetus and the newborn play key roles in the regulation of energy balance. Imbalances in fatty acid intake during pregnancy and lactation may result in permanent changes in appetite control, neuroendocrine function and energy metabolism in the fetus, leading to metabolic programming. Further studies are needed to determine the role of fatty acid intake in metabolic programming.

  1. Cell signalling and phospholipid metabolism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boss, W.F.

    1990-01-01

    These studies explored whether phosphoinositide (PI) has a role in plants analogous to its role in animal cells. Although no parallel activity of PI in signal transduction was found in plant cells, activity of inositol phospholipid kinase was found to be modulated by light and by cell wall degrading enzymes. These studies indicate a major role for inositol phospholipids in plant growth and development as membrane effectors but not as a source of second messengers.

  2. Co-existence of Gel and Fluid Lipid Domains in Single-component Phospholipid Membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Armstrong, Clare L [McMaster University; Barrett, M [McMaster University; Toppozini, L [McMaster University; Yamani, Zahra [Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, National Research Council, Chalk River Laboratorie; Kucerka, Norbert [Canadian Neutron Beam Centre and Comelius University (Slovakia); Katsaras, John [ORNL; Fragneto, Giovanna [Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL); Rheinstadter, Maikel C [McMaster University

    2012-01-01

    Lateral nanostructures in membranes, so-called rafts, are believed to strongly influence membrane properties and functions. The experimental observation of rafts has proven difficult as they are thought to be dynamic structures that likely fluctuate on nano- to microsecond time scales. Using neutron diffraction we present direct experimental evidence for the co-existence of gel and fluid lipid domains in a single-component phospholipid membrane made of DPPC as it undergoes its main phase transition. The coherence length of the neutron beam sets a lower limit for the size of structures that can be observed. Neutron coherence lengths between 30 and 242A used in this study were obtained by varying the incident neutron energy and the resolution of the neutron spectrometer. We observe Bragg peaks corresponding to co-existing nanometer sized structures, both in out-of-plane and in-plane scans, by tuning the neutron coherence length. During the main phase transition, instead of a continuous transition that shows a pseudo-critical behavior, we observe the co-existence of gel and fluid domains.

  3. Roles of unsaturated fatty acids (especially omega-3 fatty acids) in the brain at various ages and during ageing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bourre, J M

    2004-01-01

    Among various organs, in the brain, the fatty acids most extensively studied are omega-3 fatty acids. Alpha-linolenic acid (18:3omega3) deficiency alters the structure and function of membranes and induces minor cerebral dysfunctions, as demonstrated in animal models and subsequently in human infants. Even though the brain is materially an organ like any other, that is to say elaborated from substances present in the diet (sometimes exclusively), for long it was not accepted that food can have an influence on brain structure, and thus on its function. Lipids, and especially omega-3 fatty acids, provided the first coherent experimental demonstration of the effect of diet (nutrients) on the structure and function of the brain. In fact the brain, after adipose tissue, is the organ richest in lipids, whose only role is to participate in membrane structure. First it was shown that the differentiation and functioning of cultured brain cells requires not only alpha-linolenic acid (the major component of the omega-3, omega3 family), but also the very long omega-3 and omega-6 carbon chains (1). It was then demonstrated that alpha-linolenic acid deficiency alters the course of brain development, perturbs the composition and physicochemical properties of brain cell membranes, neurones, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes (2). This leads to physicochemical modifications, induces biochemical and physiological perturbations, and results in neurosensory and behavioural upset (3). Consequently, the nature of polyunsaturated fatty acids (in particular omega-3) present in formula milks for infants (premature and term) conditions the visual and cerebral abilities, including intellectual. Moreover, dietary omega-3 fatty acids are certainly involved in the prevention of some aspects of cardiovascular disease (including at the level of cerebral vascularization), and in some neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly depression, as well as in dementia, notably Alzheimer's disease. Recent

  4. Metformin Decouples Phospholipid Metabolism in Breast Cancer Cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tim A D Smith

    Full Text Available The antidiabetic drug metformin, currently undergoing trials for cancer treatment, modulates lipid and glucose metabolism both crucial in phospholipid synthesis. Here the effect of treatment of breast tumour cells with metformin on phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho metabolism which plays a key role in membrane synthesis and intracellular signalling has been examined.MDA-MB-468, BT474 and SKBr3 breast cancer cell lines were treated with metformin and [3H-methyl]choline and [14C(U]glucose incorporation and lipid accumulation determined in the presence and absence of lipase inhibitors. Activities of choline kinase (CK, CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyl transferase (CCT and PtdCho-phospholipase C (PLC were also measured. [3H] Radiolabelled metabolites were determined using thin layer chromatography.Metformin-treated cells exhibited decreased formation of [3H]phosphocholine but increased accumulation of [3H]choline by PtdCho. CK and PLC activities were decreased and CCT activity increased by metformin-treatment. [14C] incorporation into fatty acids was decreased and into glycerol was increased in breast cancer cells treated with metformin incubated with [14C(U]glucose.This is the first study to show that treatment of breast cancer cells with metformin induces profound changes in phospholipid metabolism.

  5. Storage stability of marine phospholipids emulsions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lu, Henna Fung Sieng; Nielsen, Nina Skall; Baron, Caroline Pascale

    Marine phospholipids (MPL) are believed to provide more advantages than fish oil from the same source. They are considered to have a better bioavailability, a better resistance towards oxidation and a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic...... acids (DHA) than oily triglycerides (fish oil). Therefore, the objective of this study is to explore the feasibility of using marine phospholipids emulsions as delivery system through investigation of the physical, oxidative and hydrolytic stability of MPL emulsions with or without addition of fish oil....... The effect of initial Peroxide Value, total lipids, phospholipids and antioxidants content on stability of MPL emulsions were studied. The physical stability was investigated through measurement of particle size distribution and creaming stability, which involve measurement of changes (%) in emulsion volume...

  6. Synthesis of sn-1 functionalized phospholipids as substrates for secretory phospholipase A2

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Linderoth, Lars; Peters, Günther H.J.; Jørgensen, K.

    2007-01-01

    Secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) represents a family of small water-soluble enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of phospholipids in the sn-2 position liberating free fatty acids and lysophospholipids. Herein we report the synthesis of two new phospholipids (1 and 2) with bulky allyl-substituen......Secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) represents a family of small water-soluble enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of phospholipids in the sn-2 position liberating free fatty acids and lysophospholipids. Herein we report the synthesis of two new phospholipids (1 and 2) with bulky allyl...... of the allyl-substituents by a zinc mediated allylation. Small unilamellar liposomes composed of phospholipids 1 and 2 were subjected to sPLA2 activity measurements. Our results show that only phospholipid 1 is hydrolyzed by the enzyme. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the lack of hydrolysis...

  7. Combined effects of temperature and metal exposure on the fatty acid composition of cell membranes, antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation in yellow perch (Perca flavescens)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fadhlaoui, Mariem; Couture, Patrice

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The fatty acid composition of yellow perch muscle at 9 °C was enhanced in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to fish maintained at 28 °C. • The thermal adjustment of muscle phospholipid fatty acid profiles is likely due to modifications of desaturase and elongase activities. • Exposure to Ni and Cd modified muscle phospholipid fatty acid composition in a temperature-dependent manner. • The higher fatty polyinsaturation in cold-acclimated fish did not increase their vulnerability to peroxidation. • Lower concentrations of malondialdehyde were measured in warm-acclimated, Ni-exposed fish, suggesting an overcompensation of antioxidant mechanisms that could explain their lower condition. - Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effects of temperature and metal contamination (cadmium and nickel) on phospholipid fatty acid composition, antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation in fish. Yellow perch were acclimated to two different temperatures (9 °C and 28 °C) and exposed either to Cd or Ni (respectively 4 μg/L and 600 μg/L) for seven weeks. Superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase activities and glutathione concentration were measured as indicators of antioxidant capacities, while malondialdehyde concentration was used as an indicator of lipid peroxidation. Poikilotherms including fish counteract the effects of temperature on phospholipid fatty acid ordering by remodelling their composition to maintain optimal fluidity. Accordingly, in our study, the fatty acid composition of yellow perch muscle at 9 °C was enhanced in monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) compared to fish maintained at 28 °C, in agreement with the theory of homeoviscous adaptation. Using ratios of various fatty acids as surrogates for desaturase and elongase activities, our data suggests that modification of the activity of these enzymes is

  8. Combined effects of temperature and metal exposure on the fatty acid composition of cell membranes, antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation in yellow perch (Perca flavescens)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fadhlaoui, Mariem; Couture, Patrice, E-mail: patrice.couture@ete.inrs.ca

    2016-11-15

    Highlights: • The fatty acid composition of yellow perch muscle at 9 °C was enhanced in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to fish maintained at 28 °C. • The thermal adjustment of muscle phospholipid fatty acid profiles is likely due to modifications of desaturase and elongase activities. • Exposure to Ni and Cd modified muscle phospholipid fatty acid composition in a temperature-dependent manner. • The higher fatty polyinsaturation in cold-acclimated fish did not increase their vulnerability to peroxidation. • Lower concentrations of malondialdehyde were measured in warm-acclimated, Ni-exposed fish, suggesting an overcompensation of antioxidant mechanisms that could explain their lower condition. - Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effects of temperature and metal contamination (cadmium and nickel) on phospholipid fatty acid composition, antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation in fish. Yellow perch were acclimated to two different temperatures (9 °C and 28 °C) and exposed either to Cd or Ni (respectively 4 μg/L and 600 μg/L) for seven weeks. Superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase activities and glutathione concentration were measured as indicators of antioxidant capacities, while malondialdehyde concentration was used as an indicator of lipid peroxidation. Poikilotherms including fish counteract the effects of temperature on phospholipid fatty acid ordering by remodelling their composition to maintain optimal fluidity. Accordingly, in our study, the fatty acid composition of yellow perch muscle at 9 °C was enhanced in monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) compared to fish maintained at 28 °C, in agreement with the theory of homeoviscous adaptation. Using ratios of various fatty acids as surrogates for desaturase and elongase activities, our data suggests that modification of the activity of these enzymes is

  9. Variations in fluid chemistry and membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition of the bacterial community in a cold storage groundwater system during clogging events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vetter, Alexandra; Mangelsdorf, Kai; Wolfgramm, Markus; Rauppach, Kerstin; Schettler, Georg; Vieth-Hillebrand, Andrea

    2012-01-01

    In order to monitor the operating mode of the cold storage of the German Parliament (North German Basin) the fluid chemistry and the phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) composition of the indigenous microbial community have been monitored from August 2006 to August 2009. During this time two periods of reduced injection (clogging events) characterized by Fe precipitates and microbial biofilms in filters occurred in the injection wells impairing the operating state of the investigated cold storage. The fluid monitoring revealed the presence of sufficient amounts of potential C and energy sources (e.g. DOC and SO 4 2- ) in the process water to sustain microbial life in the cold storage. In times of reduced injection the PLFA inventory of the microbial community differs significantly from times of normal operating phases indicating compositional changes in the indigenous microbial ecosystem. The most affected fatty acids (FAs) are 16:1ω7c (increase), 16:1ω7t (decrease) and 18:1ω7c (increase), interpreted to originate mainly from Fe and S oxidizers, as well as branched FA with 15, 16 and 17 C atoms (decrease) most likely representing sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Based on this variability, PLFA ratios have been created to reflect the increasing dominance of biofilm forming S and Fe oxidizers during the disturbance periods. These ratios are potential diagnostic tools to assess the microbiological contribution to the clogging events and to find appropriate counteractive measures (e.g. mechanical cleaning vs disinfection). The correlation between changes in the PLFA composition and the operational state suggests that microbially mediated processes play a significant role in the observed clogging events in the investigated cold storage.

  10. Cystic fibrosis bronchial epithelial cells are lipointoxicated by membrane palmitate accumulation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laurie-Anne Payet

    Full Text Available The F508del-CFTR mutation, responsible for Cystic Fibrosis (CF, leads to the retention of the protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER. The mistrafficking of this mutant form can be corrected by pharmacological chaperones, but these molecules showed limitations in clinical trials. We therefore hypothesized that important factors in CF patients may have not been considered in the in vitro assays. CF has also been associated with an altered lipid homeostasis, i. e. a decrease in polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in plasma and tissues. However, the precise fatty acyl content of membrane phospholipids from human CF bronchial epithelial cells had not been studied to date. Since the saturation level of phospholipids can modulate crucial membrane properties, with potential impacts on membrane protein folding/trafficking, we analyzed this parameter for freshly isolated bronchial epithelial cells from CF patients. Interestingly, we could show that Palmitate, a saturated fatty acid, accumulates within Phosphatidylcholine (PC in CF freshly isolated cells, in a process that could result from hypoxia. The observed PC pattern can be recapitulated in the CFBE41o(- cell line by incubation with 100 µM Palmitate. At this concentration, Palmitate induces an ER stress, impacts calcium homeostasis and leads to a decrease in the activity of the corrected F508del-CFTR. Overall, these data suggest that bronchial epithelial cells are lipointoxicated by hypoxia-related Palmitate accumulation in CF patients. We propose that this phenomenon could be an important bottleneck for F508del-CFTR trafficking correction by pharmacological agents in clinical trials.

  11. Characterization of Hydrophobic Interactions of Polymers with Water and Phospholipid Membranes Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drenscko, Mihaela

    small membranes using all atomistic and coarse-grained methods. The molecular interaction between common polymer chains used in biomedical applications and the cell membrane is unknown. This interaction may affect the biocompatibility of the polymer chains. Molecular dynamics simulations offer an emerging tool to characterize the interaction between common degradable polymer chains used in biomedical applications, such as polycaprolactone, and model cell membranes. We systematically characterize with long-time all-atomistic molecular dynamics simulations the interaction between single polycaprolactone chains of varying chain lengths with a model phospholipid membrane. We find that the length of polymer chain greatly affects the nature of interaction with the membrane, as well as the membrane properties. Furthermore, we next utilize advanced sampling techniques in molecular dynamics to characterize the two-dimensional free energy surface for the interaction of varying polymer chain lengths (short, intermediate, and long) with model cell membranes. We find that the free energy minimum shifts from the membrane-water interface to the hydrophobic core of the phospholipid membrane as a function of chain length. These results can be used to design polymer chain lengths and chemistries to optimize their interaction with cell membranes at the molecular level.

  12. Isolation and Analysis of Phospholipids in Dairy Foods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lígia Pimentel

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The lipid fraction of milk is one of the most complex matrixes in foodstuffs due to the presence of a high number of moieties with different physical and chemical properties. Glycerolipids include glycerol and two fatty acids esterified in positions sn-1 and sn-2 with higher concentration of unsaturated fatty acids than in the triglyceride fraction of milk. Sphingolipids consist of a sphingoid base linked to a fatty acid across an amide bond. Their amphiphilic nature makes them suitable to be added into a variety of foods and recent investigations show that phospholipids, mainly phosphatidylserine and sphingomyelin, can exert antimicrobial, antiviral, and anticancer activities as well as positive effects in Alzheimer’s disease, stress, and memory decline. Polar lipids can be found as natural constituents in the membranes of all living organisms with soybean and eggs as the principal industrial sources, yet they have low contents in phosphatidylserine and sphingomyelin. Animal products are rich sources of these compounds but since there are legal restrictions to avoid transmission of prions, milk and dairy products are gaining interest as alternative sources. This review summarizes the analysis of polar lipids in dairy products including sample preparation (extraction and fractionation/isolation and analysis by GC or HPLC and the latest research works using ELSD, CAD, and MS detectors.

  13. Covalent attachment of phospholipid analogous polymers to modify a polymeric membrane surface: a novel approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Zhi-Kang; Dai, Qing-Wen; Wu, Jian; Huang, Xiao-Jun; Yang, Qian

    2004-02-17

    A novel method for the surface modification of a microporous polypropylene membrane by tethering phospholipid analogous polymers (PAPs) is given, which includes the photoinduced graft polymerization of N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and the ring-opening reaction of grafted poly-(DMAEMA) with 2-alkyloxy-2-oxo-1,3,2-dioxaphospholanes. Five 2-alkyloxy-2-oxo-1,3,2-dioxaphospholanes, containing octyloxy, dodecyloxy, tetradecyloxy, hexadecyloxy, and octadecyloxy groups in the molecular structure, were used to fabricate the PAP-modified polypropylene membranes. The attenuated total reflectance FT-IR spectra of the original, poly(DMAEMA)-grafted, and PAP-modified membranes confirmed the chemical changes on the membrane surface. Scanning electron microscope pictures showed that, compared with the original membrane, the surface porosities ofpoly(DMAEMA)-grafted and PAP-modified membranes were somewhat reduced. Water contact angles measured by the sessile drop method on PAP-modified membranes were slightly lower than that on the original polypropylene membrane, but higher than those on poly(DMAEMA)-grafted membranes with the exception of octyloxy-containing PAP-modified membranes. However, BSA adsorption experiments indicated that the five PAP-modified membranes had a much better protein-resistant property than the original polypropylene membrane and the poly(DMAEMA)-grafted membranes. For hexadecyloxy- and octadecyloxy-containing PAP-modified membranes, almost no protein adsorption was observed when the grafting degree was above 6 wt %. It was also found that the platelet adhesion was remarkably suppressed on the PAP-modified membranes. All these results demonstrate that the described approach is an effective way to improve the surface biocompatibility for polymeric membranes.

  14. [The effect of N-stearoylethanolamine on liver phospholipid composition of rats with insulin resistance caused by alimentary obesity].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onopchenko, O V; Kosiakova, H V; Horid'ko, T M; Klimashevskyĭ, V M; Hula, N M

    2014-01-01

    We used alimentary obesity-induced insulin resistance (IR) model in rats to investigate the influence of N-stearoylethanolamine on the content of phospholipids and their fatty acid composition. Our results show that prolonged high-fat diet triggers considerable aberrations in the composition of main phospholipids in the liver and can be one of the causes of IR in rats. In particular, the increase of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and significant decrease of other phospholipids: lysophosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylethanolamine, sphingomyelin, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine and diphosphaglicerol were observed. The levels of monounsaturated (erucic, nervonic, oleic) and polyunsaturated (eicosatrienoic, docosatrienoic, arachidonic) fatty acids were increased; meanwhile the content of diunsaturated acids was decreased. The NSE administration (50 mg/kg of body weight) caused restoration of the phospholipids content in the liver of rats with diet-induced IR that highly correlated with the decrease in plasma insulin level and the improvement of insulin sensitivity. Moreover, the effect of NSE was accompanied by the normalization of fatty acids composition of phospholipids that could be related to modulating influence of NSE on the activity of the main fatty acid desaturases. It is known that the imbalance in phospholipid composition of the rat liver causes substantial metabolic alterations that are associated with the development of IR. Accordingly, the compensations of the imbalance by NSE can help to restore insulin sensitivity, inhibit the development of obesity, IR and type 2 diabetes.

  15. Effects of X-irradiation on membranes of tumor cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fonck, K.

    1982-01-01

    The aim of the investigation was to gain more insight into the effect of ionizing radiation on biomembranes, especially the membrane phospholipids. A general outline of the experimental approach is given in the first chapter. The influence of membrane-active agents and hyperthermia on cell survival after irradiation was studied. Phospholipid turnover was followed by measuring the incorporation of radioactive precursors. The second chapter is an introduction to general radiobiology and to phospholipid metabolism. After the presentation of some physico-chemical properties of ionizing radiation, the effects on cells and cellular components are described. In chapters 3 to 6 the experimental part is described. Chapter 3 starts with the determination of the cellular survival of L5178Y lymphoma cells after X-irradiation. In chapter 4 the lipid composition of lymphosarcoma cell nuclei is presented and in chapter 5 studies on the effect of X-irradiation on the incorporation of palmitate and arachidonate into the phospholipids of lymphosarcoma cells are described. Chapter 6 describes experiments in which lymphosarcoma cells isolated from the spleens of tumor-bearing mice were used to study the effect of a low dose of X-rays (5 Gy) on the incorporation of [ 3 H]palmitate and [ 14 C]arachidonate into the lipids of the tumor cells. These fatty acids were rapidly incorporated especially into the phospholipids of the cells. Chapter 7 contains a general discussion on the experimental results. (Auth.)

  16. Crop rotation and seasonal effects on fatty acid profiles of neutral and phospholipids extracted from no-till agricultural soils

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ferrari, Alejandro E.; Ravnskov, Sabine; Larsen, John

    2015-01-01

    practices while NLFA 20:0 appears to be a good marker of HRsoils despite season or location. The PLFA-based taxonomic biomarkers for total bacteria, Gramnegativebacteria and arbuscular mycorrhiza showed a significant trend NE>HR>LR in the wintersampling. HR management was also characterized by high levels......Analysis of phospholipids (PLFA) and neutral lipids fatty acids (NLFA) was used to characterizeno-till productive agricultural soils associated with different crop rotation levels, replicated across a400 km transect in the Argentinean pampas, during two sampling seasons, summer and winter...

  17. High Fat Diet-Induced Changes in Mouse Muscle Mitochondrial Phospholipids Do Not Impair Mitochondrial Respiration Despite Insulin Resistance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hulshof, Martijn F. M.; van den Berg, Sjoerd A. A.; Schaart, Gert; van Dijk, Ko Willems; Smit, Egbert; Mariman, Edwin C. M.

    2011-01-01

    Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus and muscle insulin resistance have been associated with reduced capacity of skeletal muscle mitochondria, possibly as a result of increased intake of dietary fat. Here, we examined the hypothesis that a prolonged high-fat diet consumption (HFD) increases the saturation of muscle mitochondrial membrane phospholipids causing impaired mitochondrial oxidative capacity and possibly insulin resistance. Methodology C57BL/6J mice were fed an 8-week or 20-week low fat diet (10 kcal%; LFD) or HFD (45 kcal%). Skeletal muscle mitochondria were isolated and fatty acid (FA) composition of skeletal muscle mitochondrial phospholipids was analyzed by thin-layer chromatography followed by GC. High-resolution respirometry was used to assess oxidation of pyruvate and fatty acids by mitochondria. Insulin sensitivity was estimated by HOMA-IR. Principal Findings At 8 weeks, mono-unsaturated FA (16∶1n7, 18∶1n7 and 18∶1n9) were decreased (−4.0%, p<0.001), whereas saturated FA (16∶0) were increased (+3.2%, p<0.001) in phospholipids of HFD vs. LFD mitochondria. Interestingly, 20 weeks of HFD descreased mono-unsaturated FA while n-6 poly-unsaturated FA (18∶2n6, 20∶4n6, 22∶5n6) showed a pronounced increase (+4.0%, p<0.001). Despite increased saturation of muscle mitochondrial phospholipids after the 8-week HFD, mitochondrial oxidation of both pyruvate and fatty acids were similar between LFD and HFD mice. After 20 weeks of HFD, the increase in n-6 poly-unsaturated FA was accompanied by enhanced maximal capacity of the electron transport chain (+49%, p = 0.002) and a tendency for increased ADP-stimulated respiration, but only when fuelled by a lipid-derived substrate. Insulin sensitivity in HFD mice was reduced at both 8 and 20 weeks. Conclusions/Interpretation Our findings do not support the concept that prolonged HF feeding leads to increased saturation of skeletal muscle mitochondrial phospholipids resulting in a decrease in

  18. High fat diet-induced changes in mouse muscle mitochondrial phospholipids do not impair mitochondrial respiration despite insulin resistance.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joris Hoeks

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus and muscle insulin resistance have been associated with reduced capacity of skeletal muscle mitochondria, possibly as a result of increased intake of dietary fat. Here, we examined the hypothesis that a prolonged high-fat diet consumption (HFD increases the saturation of muscle mitochondrial membrane phospholipids causing impaired mitochondrial oxidative capacity and possibly insulin resistance. METHODOLOGY: C57BL/6J mice were fed an 8-week or 20-week low fat diet (10 kcal%; LFD or HFD (45 kcal%. Skeletal muscle mitochondria were isolated and fatty acid (FA composition of skeletal muscle mitochondrial phospholipids was analyzed by thin-layer chromatography followed by GC. High-resolution respirometry was used to assess oxidation of pyruvate and fatty acids by mitochondria. Insulin sensitivity was estimated by HOMA-IR. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: At 8 weeks, mono-unsaturated FA (16∶1n7, 18∶1n7 and 18∶1n9 were decreased (-4.0%, p<0.001, whereas saturated FA (16∶0 were increased (+3.2%, p<0.001 in phospholipids of HFD vs. LFD mitochondria. Interestingly, 20 weeks of HFD descreased mono-unsaturated FA while n-6 poly-unsaturated FA (18∶2n6, 20∶4n6, 22∶5n6 showed a pronounced increase (+4.0%, p<0.001. Despite increased saturation of muscle mitochondrial phospholipids after the 8-week HFD, mitochondrial oxidation of both pyruvate and fatty acids were similar between LFD and HFD mice. After 20 weeks of HFD, the increase in n-6 poly-unsaturated FA was accompanied by enhanced maximal capacity of the electron transport chain (+49%, p = 0.002 and a tendency for increased ADP-stimulated respiration, but only when fuelled by a lipid-derived substrate. Insulin sensitivity in HFD mice was reduced at both 8 and 20 weeks. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Our findings do not support the concept that prolonged HF feeding leads to increased saturation of skeletal muscle mitochondrial phospholipids resulting in a decrease in

  19. Phospholipase A2 activity-dependent and -independent fusogenic activity of Naja nigricollis CMS-9 on zwitterionic and anionic phospholipid vesicles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiou, Yi-Ling; Chen, Ying-Jung; Lin, Shinne-Ren; Chang, Long-Sen

    2011-11-01

    CMS-9, a phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) from Naja nigricollis venom, induced the death of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells accompanied with the formation of cell clumps without clear boundaries between cells. Annexin V-FITC staining indicated that abundant phosphatidylserine appeared on the outer membrane of MCF-7 cell clumps, implying the possibility that CMS-9 may promote membrane fusion via anionic phospholipids. To validate this proposition, fusogenic activity of CMS-9 on vesicles composed of zwitterionic phospholipid alone or a combination of zwitterionic and anionic phospholipids was examined. Although CMS-9-induced fusion of zwitterionic phospholipid vesicles depended on PLA(2) activity, CMS-9-induced fusion of vesicles containing anionic phospholipids could occur without the involvement of PLA(2) activity. Membrane-damaging activity of CMS-9 was associated with its fusogenicity. Moreover, CMS-9 induced differently membrane leakage and membrane fusion of vesicles with different compositions. Membrane fluidity and binding capability with phospholipid vesicles were not related to the fusogenicity of CMS-9. However, membrane-bound conformation and mode of CMS-9 depended on phospholipid compositions. Collectively, our data suggest that PLA(2) activity-dependent and -independent fusogenicity of CMS-9 are closely related to its membrane-bound modes and targeted membrane compositions. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Promiscuous and specific phospholipid binding by domains in ZAC, a membrane-associated Arabidopsis protein with an ARF GAP zinc finger and a C2 domain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, R B; Lykke-Andersen, K; Frandsen, G I

    2000-01-01

    domain are separated by a region without homology to other known proteins. Zac promoter/beta-glucuronidase reporter assays revealed highest expression levels in flowering tissue, rosettes and roots. ZAC protein was immuno-detected mainly in association with membranes and fractionated with Golgi...... and plasma membrane marker proteins. ZAC membrane association was confirmed in assays by a fusion between ZAC and the green fluorescence protein and prompted an analysis of the in vitro phospholipid-binding ability of ZAC. Phospholipid dot-blot and liposome-binding assays indicated that fusion proteins...... zinc finger motif, but proteins containing only the zinc finger domain (residues 1-105) did not bind PI-3-P. Recombinant ZAC possessed GTPase-activating activity on Arabidopsis ARF proteins. These data identify a novel PI-3-P-binding protein region and thereby provide evidence...

  1. Tissue phospholipids (TPL) in avian tuberculosis (AT)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nandedkar, A.K.N.; Malhotra, H.C.

    1986-01-01

    AT constitutes one of the major problems in animal husbandry. Chickens (white, leg horn, male, 400-600 g) were infected with Mycobacterium avium maintained on I.U.T. medium to induce clinical AT which was confirmed by histopathological examinations of the affected tissues. Fatty infiltration and tissue enlargement was visible in infected birds. After 4 wks, incorporation of i.v. 32 P (50 uCi/100 g body wt.) in affected tissues was followed for 3,7,9,12 hr intervals. Lipids were extracted and fractionated by silicic acid (SA) column and SA impregnated paper chromatography. When compared with pair-fed controls, in AT slower turnover of TPL in liver, slightly higher in heart and significantly increased turnover of TPL in serum were observed. No appreciable change in total TPL content was noticed in brain, spleen and kidney. Further fractionation of TPL provided better understanding of the metabolism. Increase in lysophosphatidyl-choline (LPC) and -ethanolamine (LPE) content, powerful hemolytic agents, in liver may explain frequent occurrence of anemia in tuberculosis. Also, a concomitant marked increase in the ratio of total saturated/unsaturated fatty acids is observed in serum phosphatidyl choline fraction. This confirms the observation that the membrane phospholipid metabolism is significantly affected in tuberculosis infection

  2. Adsorption of phospholipids at oil/water interfaces during emulsification is controlled by stress relaxation and diffusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hildebrandt, Ellen; Nirschl, Hermann; Kok, Robbert Jan; Leneweit, Gero

    2018-05-16

    Adsorption of phosphatidylcholines at oil/water interfaces strongly deviates from spread monolayers at air/water surfaces. Understanding its nature and consequences could vastly improve applications in medical nanoemulsions and biotechnologies. Adsorption kinetics at interfaces of water with different oil phases were measured by profile analysis tensiometry. Adsorption kinetics for 2 different phospholipids, DPPC and POPC, as well as 2 organic phases, squalene and squalane, show that formation of interfacial monolayers is initially dominated by stress-relaxation in the first minutes. Diffusion only gradually contributes to a decrease in interfacial tension at later stages of time and higher film pressures. The results can be applied for the optimization of emulsification protocols using mechanical treatments. Emulsions using phospholipids with unsaturated fatty acids are dominated much more strongly by stress-relaxation and cover interfaces very fast compared to those with saturated fatty acids. In contrast, phospholipid layers consisting of saturated fatty acids converge faster towards the equilibrium than those with unsaturated fatty acids.

  3. A conserved endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein complex (EMC facilitates phospholipid transfer from the ER to mitochondria.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sujoy Lahiri

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Mitochondrial membrane biogenesis and lipid metabolism require phospholipid transfer from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER to mitochondria. Transfer is thought to occur at regions of close contact of these organelles and to be nonvesicular, but the mechanism is not known. Here we used a novel genetic screen in S. cerevisiae to identify mutants with defects in lipid exchange between the ER and mitochondria. We show that a strain missing multiple components of the conserved ER membrane protein complex (EMC has decreased phosphatidylserine (PS transfer from the ER to mitochondria. Mitochondria from this strain have significantly reduced levels of PS and its derivative phosphatidylethanolamine (PE. Cells lacking EMC proteins and the ER-mitochondria tethering complex called ERMES (the ER-mitochondria encounter structure are inviable, suggesting that the EMC also functions as a tether. These defects are corrected by expression of an engineered ER-mitochondrial tethering protein that artificially tethers the ER to mitochondria. EMC mutants have a significant reduction in the amount of ER tethered to mitochondria even though ERMES remained intact in these mutants, suggesting that the EMC performs an additional tethering function to ERMES. We find that all Emc proteins interact with the mitochondrial translocase of the outer membrane (TOM complex protein Tom5 and this interaction is important for PS transfer and cell growth, suggesting that the EMC forms a tether by associating with the TOM complex. Together, our findings support that the EMC tethers ER to mitochondria, which is required for phospholipid synthesis and cell growth.

  4. The role of antioxidant-protein interactions in biological membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McGillivray, Duncan J; Singh, Rachna; Melton, Laurence D.; Worcester, David L.; Gilbert, Elliot P.

    2009-01-01

    Full text: Oxidative damage of cellular membranes has been linked to a variety of disease pathologies, including cardiac disease, Alzheimer's and complications due to diabetes. The oxidation of unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid chains found in cellular membranes leads to significant alteration in membrane physical properties, including lipid orientation and membrane permeability, which ultimately affect biological function. Polyphenols are naturally occurring phytochemicals present in a number of fruit and vegetables that are of interest for their anti-oxidative powers. These polyphenols inhibit lipid oxidation in cellular membrane surfaces, although the mechanism of this inhibition is not entirely clear. Moreover, the polyphenols have significant binding affinity for proteins, which can lead to the formation of soluble and insoluble protein-polyphenol complexes Significantly, in the presence of casein proteins the oxidation inhibition the polyphenols in the membrane is significantly enhanced (as assessed by Lipid Peroxidation Inhibition Capacity assays). Thus the antioxidant pathway appears to involve these protein/polyphenol complexes, as well as direct antioxidant action by the polyphenol. Here we discuss neutron and x-ray scattering results from phospholipid membranes, looking at the positioning of two examples of polyphenolic antioxidants in phospholipid membranes, quercetin and phloretin, the antioxidants' impact on the membrane organisation, and the interaction between antioxidant and extra-membranous protein. This information sheds light on the mechanism of antioxidant protection in these systems, which may be used to understand biological responses to oxidative stress.

  5. HAMLET interacts with lipid membranes and perturbs their structure and integrity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mossberg, Ann-Kristin; Puchades, Maja; Halskau, Øyvind; Baumann, Anne; Lanekoff, Ingela; Chao, Yinxia; Martinez, Aurora; Svanborg, Catharina; Karlsson, Roger

    2010-02-23

    Cell membrane interactions rely on lipid bilayer constituents and molecules inserted within the membrane, including specific receptors. HAMLET (human alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells) is a tumoricidal complex of partially unfolded alpha-lactalbumin (HLA) and oleic acid that is internalized by tumor cells, suggesting that interactions with the phospholipid bilayer and/or specific receptors may be essential for the tumoricidal effect. This study examined whether HAMLET interacts with artificial membranes and alters membrane structure. We show by surface plasmon resonance that HAMLET binds with high affinity to surface adherent, unilamellar vesicles of lipids with varying acyl chain composition and net charge. Fluorescence imaging revealed that HAMLET accumulates in membranes of vesicles and perturbs their structure, resulting in increased membrane fluidity. Furthermore, HAMLET disrupted membrane integrity at neutral pH and physiological conditions, as shown by fluorophore leakage experiments. These effects did not occur with either native HLA or a constitutively unfolded Cys-Ala HLA mutant (rHLA(all-Ala)). HAMLET also bound to plasma membrane vesicles formed from intact tumor cells, with accumulation in certain membrane areas, but the complex was not internalized by these vesicles or by the synthetic membrane vesicles. The results illustrate the difference in membrane affinity between the fatty acid bound and fatty acid free forms of partially unfolded HLA and suggest that HAMLET engages membranes by a mechanism requiring both the protein and the fatty acid. Furthermore, HAMLET binding alters the morphology of the membrane and compromises its integrity, suggesting that membrane perturbation could be an initial step in inducing cell death.

  6. The effect of N-stearoylethanolamine on liver phospholipid composition of rats with insulin resistance caused by alimentary obesity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. V. Onopchenko

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available We used alimentary obesity-induced insulin resistance (IR model in rats to investigate the influence of N-stearoylethanolamine on the content of phospholipids and their fatty acid composition. Our results show that prolonged high-fat diet triggers considerable aberrations in the composition of main phospholipids in the liver and can be one of the causes of IR in rats. In particular, the increase of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and significant decrease of other phospholipids: lysophosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylethanolamine, sphingomyelin, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine and diphosphaglicerol were observed. The levels of monounsaturated (erucic, nervonic, oleic and polyunsaturated (eicosatrienoic, docosatrienoic, arachidonic fatty acids were increased; meanwhile the content of diunsaturated acids was decreased. The NSE administration (50 mg/kg of body weight caused restoration of the phospholipids content in the liver of rats with diet-induced IR that highly correlated with the decrease in plasma insulin level and the improvement of insulin sensitivity. Moreover, the effect of NSE was accompanied by the normalization of fatty acids composition of phospholipids that could be related to modulating influen­ce of NSE on the activity of the main fatty acid desaturases. It is known that the imbalance in phospholipid composition of the rat liver causes substantial metabolic alterations that are associated with the development of IR. Accordingly, the compensations of the imbalance by NSE can help to restore insulin sensitivity, inhibit the development of obesity, IR and type 2 diabetes.

  7. Structural Interpretation of the Large Slowdown of Water Dynamics at Stacked Phospholipid Membranes for Decreasing Hydration Level: All-Atom Molecular Dynamics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carles Calero

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Hydration water determines the stability and function of phospholipid membranes as well as the interaction of membranes with other molecules. Experiments and simulations have shown that water dynamics slows down dramatically as the hydration decreases, suggesting that the interfacial water that dominates the average dynamics at low hydration is slower than water away from the membrane. Here, based on all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we provide an interpretation of the slowdown of interfacial water in terms of the structure and dynamics of water–water and water–lipid hydrogen bonds (HBs. We calculate the rotational and translational slowdown of the dynamics of water confined in stacked phospholipid membranes at different levels of hydration, from completely hydrated to poorly hydrated membranes. For all hydrations, we analyze the distribution of HBs and find that water–lipids HBs last longer than water–water HBs and that at low hydration most of the water is in the interior of the membrane. We also show that water–water HBs become more persistent as the hydration is lowered. We attribute this effect (i to HBs between water molecules that form, in turn, persistent HBs with lipids; (ii to the hindering of the H-bonding switching between water molecules due to the lower water density at the interface; and (iii to the higher probability of water–lipid HBs as the hydration decreases. Our interpretation of the large dynamic slowdown in water under dehydration is potentially relevant in understanding membrane biophysics at different hydration levels.

  8. Phospholipid fatty acid patterns of microbial communities in paddy soil under different fertilizer treatments

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    ZHANG Qi-chun; WANG Guang-huo; YAO Huai-ying

    2007-01-01

    The microbial communities under irrigated rice cropping with different fertilizer treatments, including control (CK), PK, NK, NP, NPK fertilization, were investigated using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profile method. The results of this study revealed that the fertilizer practice had an impact on the community structure of specific microbial groups. The principal components analysis (PCA) showed that proportion of the actinomycete PLFAs (10Me 18:0 and 10Me 16:0) were the lowest in the PK treatment and the highest in the NPK treatment, which means that soil nitrogen status affected the diversity of actinomycetes, whereas nitrogen cycling was related to the actinomycets. Under CK treatment, the ratio of Gram-positive to Gram-negative bacteria was lower compared with that in fertilizer addition treatments, indicating that fertilizer application stimulated Gram-positive bacterial population in paddy soil. The fatty acid 18:2ω6, 9, which is considered to be predominantly of fungal origin, was at low level in all the treatments. The ratio of cy19:0 to 18:1ω7, which has been proposed as an indicator of stress conditions, decreased in PK treatment. Changes of soil microbial community under different fertilizer treatments of paddy soil were detected in this study; however, the causes that lead to changes in the microbial community still needs further study.

  9. The fatty acid profile of rainbow trout liver cells modulates their tolerance to methylmercury and cadmium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferain, Aline; Bonnineau, Chloé; Neefs, Ineke; Rees, Jean François; Larondelle, Yvan; Schamphelaere, Karel A.C.De; Debier, Cathy

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The phospholipid composition of rainbow trout liver cells was successfully changed. • Cell phospholipids influenced methylmercury (MeHg) and cadmium (Cd) toxicity. • Cells enriched in 18:3n-3, 20:5n-3 or 22:5n-6 were more resistant to MeHg and Cd. • Cell enrichment in 22:6n-3 increased resistance to Cd but not MeHg. - Abstract: The polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) composition of fish tissues, which generally reflects that of the diet, affects various cellular properties such as membrane structure and fluidity, energy metabolism and susceptibility to oxidative stress. Since these cellular parameters can play an important role in the cellular response to organic and inorganic pollutants, a variation of the PUFA supply might modify the toxicity induced by such xenobiotics. In this work, we investigated whether the cellular fatty acid profile has an impact on the in vitro cell sensitivity to two environmental pollutants: methylmercury and cadmium. Firstly, the fatty acid composition of the rainbow trout liver cell line RTL-W1 was modified by enriching the growth medium with either alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n-6), arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6) or docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5n-6). These modified cells and their control (no PUFA enrichment) were then challenged for 24 h with increasing concentrations of methylmercury or cadmium. We observed that (i) the phospholipid composition of the RTL-W1 cells was profoundly modulated by changing the PUFA content of the growth medium: major modifications were a high incorporation of the supplemented PUFA in the cellular phospholipids, the appearance of direct elongation and desaturation metabolites in the cellular phospholipids as well as a change in the gross phospholipid composition (PUFA and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) levels and n-3/n-6 ratio); (ii) ALA, EPA and DPA enrichment significantly

  10. The fatty acid profile of rainbow trout liver cells modulates their tolerance to methylmercury and cadmium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ferain, Aline, E-mail: aline.ferain@uclouvain.be [Institute of Life Sciences, Université catholique de Louvain, Place Croix du Sud 2/L7.05.08, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium); Bonnineau, Chloé [Institute of Life Sciences, Université catholique de Louvain, Place Croix du Sud 2/L7.05.08, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium); Irstea, UR MALY, Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne, rue de la Doua 5/32108, F-69616 Villeurbanne (France); Neefs, Ineke; Rees, Jean François; Larondelle, Yvan [Institute of Life Sciences, Université catholique de Louvain, Place Croix du Sud 2/L7.05.08, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium); Schamphelaere, Karel A.C.De [Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology, Environmental Toxicology Unit, Ghent University, J. Plateaustraat 22, B-9000 Ghent (Belgium); Debier, Cathy [Institute of Life Sciences, Université catholique de Louvain, Place Croix du Sud 2/L7.05.08, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium)

    2016-08-15

    Highlights: • The phospholipid composition of rainbow trout liver cells was successfully changed. • Cell phospholipids influenced methylmercury (MeHg) and cadmium (Cd) toxicity. • Cells enriched in 18:3n-3, 20:5n-3 or 22:5n-6 were more resistant to MeHg and Cd. • Cell enrichment in 22:6n-3 increased resistance to Cd but not MeHg. - Abstract: The polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) composition of fish tissues, which generally reflects that of the diet, affects various cellular properties such as membrane structure and fluidity, energy metabolism and susceptibility to oxidative stress. Since these cellular parameters can play an important role in the cellular response to organic and inorganic pollutants, a variation of the PUFA supply might modify the toxicity induced by such xenobiotics. In this work, we investigated whether the cellular fatty acid profile has an impact on the in vitro cell sensitivity to two environmental pollutants: methylmercury and cadmium. Firstly, the fatty acid composition of the rainbow trout liver cell line RTL-W1 was modified by enriching the growth medium with either alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n-6), arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6) or docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5n-6). These modified cells and their control (no PUFA enrichment) were then challenged for 24 h with increasing concentrations of methylmercury or cadmium. We observed that (i) the phospholipid composition of the RTL-W1 cells was profoundly modulated by changing the PUFA content of the growth medium: major modifications were a high incorporation of the supplemented PUFA in the cellular phospholipids, the appearance of direct elongation and desaturation metabolites in the cellular phospholipids as well as a change in the gross phospholipid composition (PUFA and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) levels and n-3/n-6 ratio); (ii) ALA, EPA and DPA enrichment significantly

  11. Skeletal muscle phosphatidylcholine fatty acids and insulin sensitivity in normal humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clore, J N; Li, J; Gill, R; Gupta, S; Spencer, R; Azzam, A; Zuelzer, W; Rizzo, W B; Blackard, W G

    1998-10-01

    The fatty acid composition of skeletal muscle membrane phospholipids (PL) is known to influence insulin responsiveness in humans. However, the contribution of the major PL of the outer (phosphatidylcholine, PC) and inner (phosphatidylethanolamine, PE) layers of the sarcolemma to insulin sensitivity is not known. Fatty acid composition of PC and PE from biopsies of vastus lateralis from 27 normal men and women were correlated with insulin sensitivity determined by the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp technique at insulin infusion rates of 0.4, 1.0, and 10.0 mU . kg-1 . min-1. Significant variation in the half-maximal insulin concentration (ED50) was observed in the normal volunteers (range 24.0-146.0 microU/ml), which correlated directly with fasting plasma insulin (r = 0.75, P insulin sensitivity was observed in PE (NS). These studies suggest that the fatty acid composition of PC may be of particular importance in the relationship between fatty acids and insulin sensitivity in normal humans.

  12. Influence of membrane fatty acid composition and fluidity on airborne survival of Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Tsz Wai; Chan, Wing Lam; Lai, Ka Man

    2018-04-01

    Finding ways to predict and control the survival of bacterial aerosols can contribute to the development of ways to alleviate a number of crucial microbiological problems. Significant damage in the membrane integrity of Escherichia coli during aerosolization and airborne suspension has been revealed which has prompted the question of how the membrane fatty acid composition and fluidity influence the survival of airborne bacteria. Two approaches of using isogenic mutants and different growth temperatures were selected to manipulate the membrane fatty acid composition of E. coli before challenging the bacteria with different relative humidity (RH) levels in an aerosol chamber. Among the mutants (fabR - , cfa. fadA - ), fabR - had the lowest membrane fluidity index (FI) and generally showed a higher survival than the parental strain. Surprisingly, its resistance to airborne stress was so strong that its viability was fully maintained even after airborne suspension at 40% RH, a harsh RH level to bacterial survival. Moreover, E. coli cultured at 20 °C with a higher FI than that at 30 and 37 °C generally had a lower survival after aerosolization and airborne suspension. Unlike FI, individual fatty acid and cyclopropane fatty acid composition did not relate to the bacterial survival. Lipid peroxidation of the membrane was undetected in all the bacteria. Membrane fluidity plays a stronger role in determining the bacteria survival during airborne suspension than during aerosolization. Certain relationships between FI and bacteria survival were identified, which could help predict the transmission of bacteria under different conditions.

  13. Effects of Fatty Acid Inclusion in a DMPC Bilayer Membrane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Peters, Günther H.J.; Hansen, Flemming Yssing; Møller, Martin S.

    2009-01-01

    Free fatty acids in biomembranes have been proposed to be a central component in several cellular control and regulatory mechanisms. To elucidate some fundamental elements underlying this, we have applied molecular dynamics simulations and experimental density measurements to study the molecular...... packing and structure of oleic acid (HOA) and stearic acid (HSA) in fluid bilayers of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC). The experimental data show a small but consistent positive excess volume for fatty acid concentrations below 10 mol %. At higher concentrations the fatty acids mix ideally...... with fluid DMPC. The simulations, which were benchmarked against the densitometric data, revealed interesting differences in the structure and location of the fatty acids depending on their protonation status. Thus, the protonated (uncharged) acid is located rather deeply in the membrane with an average...

  14. Antibacterial Free Fatty Acids and Monoglycerides: Biological Activities, Experimental Testing, and Therapeutic Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Bo Kyeong; Jackman, Joshua A.; Valle-González, Elba R.

    2018-01-01

    Antimicrobial lipids such as fatty acids and monoglycerides are promising antibacterial agents that destabilize bacterial cell membranes, causing a wide range of direct and indirect inhibitory effects. The goal of this review is to introduce the latest experimental approaches for characterizing how antimicrobial lipids destabilize phospholipid membranes within the broader scope of introducing current knowledge about the biological activities of antimicrobial lipids, testing strategies, and applications for treating bacterial infections. To this end, a general background on antimicrobial lipids, including structural classification, is provided along with a detailed description of their targeting spectrum and currently understood antibacterial mechanisms. Building on this knowledge, different experimental approaches to characterize antimicrobial lipids are presented, including cell-based biological and model membrane-based biophysical measurement techniques. Particular emphasis is placed on drawing out how biological and biophysical approaches complement one another and can yield mechanistic insights into how the physicochemical properties of antimicrobial lipids influence molecular self-assembly and concentration-dependent interactions with model phospholipid and bacterial cell membranes. Examples of possible therapeutic applications are briefly introduced to highlight the potential significance of antimicrobial lipids for human health and medicine, and to motivate the importance of employing orthogonal measurement strategies to characterize the activity profile of antimicrobial lipids. PMID:29642500

  15. Cell signalling and phospholipid metabolism. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boss, W.F.

    1990-12-31

    These studies explored whether phosphoinositide (PI) has a role in plants analogous to its role in animal cells. Although no parallel activity of PI in signal transduction was found in plant cells, activity of inositol phospholipid kinase was found to be modulated by light and by cell wall degrading enzymes. These studies indicate a major role for inositol phospholipids in plant growth and development as membrane effectors but not as a source of second messengers.

  16. On the Unusual Homeoviscous Adaptation of the Membrane Fatty Acyl Components against the Thermal Stress in RhiΖobium meliloti

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Seb Yung; Jung, Seun Ho; Choi, Yong Hoon; Yang, Chul Hak; Kim, Hyun Won

    1999-01-01

    In order to maintain the optimal fluidity in membrane, microorganism genetically regulates the ratio of the unsaturated fatty acids (Ufos) to saturated ones of its biological membrane in response to external perturbing condition such as the change of temperature. The remodelling of fatty acyl chain composition is the most frequently observed response to altered growth temperature. It is reflected in the elevated proportions of unsaturated fatty acid (UFAs) at low temperature. Because cis double bonds, normally positioned at the middle of fatty acyl chains, introduce a kink of approximately 30 .deg. into acyl chain, UFAs pack less compactly and exhibit lower melting points than their saturated homologues. Thus, enrichment of membranes with UFAs offsets, to a significant degree, the increase in membrane order caused by a drop in temperature. This is so called homeoviscous adaptation of the membrane fatty acyl chains against thermal stress. Membrane maintains the optimal viscosity using homeoviscous adaptation.

  17. Effect of low-dose gamma radiation on individual phospholipids in aqueous suspension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tinsley, P.W.; Maerker, G.

    1993-01-01

    A series of individual phospholipids (phosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylethanolamines, phosphatidylserines and phosphatidylglycerols) containing either saturated or unsaturated fatty acid chains was irradiated at 9.66 kgy and 0.4 degree C in aqueous suspension. The phospholipids were analyzed by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography on a silica column with an evporative light scattering detector. Phospholipid disppearance and production of two radiolytic products, phosphatidic acid and the lysophospholipid, after irradiation were quantitated from calibration curves of synthetic standards. Dipalmitoylphosphatidic acid and monopalmitoylphosphatidylcholine from irradiated dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine were identified by liquid secondary-ion mass spectrometry

  18. Membrane-surfactant interactions. The role of surfactant in mitochondrial complex III-phospholipid-Triton X-100 mixed micelles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valpuesta, J.M.; Arrondo, J.L.; Barbero, M.C.; Pons, M.; Goni, F.M.

    1986-01-01

    Complex III (ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase) was purified from beef heart mitochondria in the form of protein-phospholipid-Triton X-100 mixed micelles (about 1:80:100 molar ratio). Detergent may be totally removed by sucrose density gradient centrifugation, and the resulting lipoprotein complexes retain full enzyme activity. In order to understand the role of surfactant in the mixed micelles, and the interaction of Triton X-100 with integral membrane proteins and phospholipid bilayers, both the protein-lipid-surfactant mixed micelles and the detergent-free lipoprotein system were examined from the point of view of particle size and ultrastructure, enzyme activity, tryptophan fluorescence quenching, 31P NMR, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The NMR and IR spectroscopic studies show that surfactant withdrawal induces a profound change in phospholipid architecture, from a micellar to a lamellar-like phase. However, electron microscopic observations fail to reveal the existence of lipid bilayers in the absence of detergent. We suggest that, under these conditions, the lipid:protein molar ratio (80:1) is too low to permit the formation of lipid bilayer planes, but the relative orientation and mobility of phospholipids with respect to proteins is similar to that of the lamellar phase. Protein conformational changes are also detected as a consequence of surfactant removal. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicates an increase of peptide beta-structure in the absence of Triton X-100; changes in the amide II/amide I intensity ratio are also detected, although the precise meaning of these observations is unclear

  19. Dietary free fatty acids form alkaline phosphatase-enriched microdomains in the intestinal brush border membrane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Gert H; Rasmussen, Karina; Niels-Christiansen, Lise-Lotte

    2011-01-01

    this membrane passage in organ cultured intestinal mucosal explants. We found that in addition to a rapid uptake into the cytoplasm, a fraction of the fatty acid analogs were inserted directly into the brush border membrane. Furthermore, a brief exposure of microvillar membrane vesicles to a fat mixture...... mimicking a physiological solution of dietary mixed micelles, rearranged the lipid raft microdomain organization of the membranes. Thus, the fat mixture generated a low-density subpopulation of microvillar detergent resistant membranes (DRMs) highly enriched in alkaline phosphatase (AP). Since this GPI-linked...... enzyme is the membrane protein in the brush border with the highest affinity for lipid rafts, this implies that free fatty acids selectively insert stably into these membrane microdomains. We have previously shown that absorption of dietary lipids transiently induce a selective endocytosis of AP from...

  20. Muscle and genotype effects on fatty acid composition of goat kid intramuscular fat

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valeriano Domenech

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Little is known about the fatty acid composition of the major muscles in goats from different breeds. Forty entire male suckling kids, 20 Criollo Cordobes and 20 Anglo Nubian, were slaughtered at 75 days of age and the fatty acid composition of their longissimus thoracis (LT and semitendinosus (ST muscles was analysed to clarify the effects of genotype and muscle type on goat kid meat. Genotype had a great influence on the fatty acid composition of goat kid meat. Meat from Criollo Cordobes had greater saturated (P<0.001 and lower monounsaturated (P<0.001 and polyunsaturated fatty acids (P=0.002 concentration than meat from Anglo Nubian, showing higher saturated fatty acids (SFA. On the other hand, intramuscular fat content from both genotypes was higher (P=0.042 in ST muscle, while the lowest cholesterol levels were observed in ST of Criollo Cordobes (P=0.038. That higher fat content resulted in lower relative contents of total polyunsaturated (P<0.001 and n-3 (P=0.002 fatty acids due to the lower contribution of the membrane phospholipids.

  1. Reorganization of Azospirillum brasilense cell membrane is mediated by lipid composition adjustment to maintain optimal fluidity during water deficit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cesari, A B; Paulucci, N S; Biasutti, M A; Reguera, Y B; Gallarato, L A; Kilmurray, C; Dardanelli, M S

    2016-01-01

    We study the Azospirillum brasilense tolerance to water deficit and the dynamics of adaptive process at the level of the membrane. Azospirillum brasilense was exposed to polyethylene glycol (PEG) growth and PEG shock. Tolerance, phospholipids and fatty acid (FA) composition and membrane fluidity were determined. Azospirillum brasilense was able to grow in the presence of PEG; however, its viability was reduced. Cells grown with PEG showed membrane fluidity similar to those grown without, the lipid composition was modified, increasing phosphatidylcholine and decreasing phosphatidylethanolamine amounts. The unsaturation FAs degree was reduced. The dynamics of the adaptive response revealed a decrease in fluidity 20 min after the addition of PEG, indicating that the PEG has a fluidizing effect on the hydrophobic region of the cell membrane. Fluidity returned to initial values after 60 min of PEG exposure. Azospirillum brasilense is able to perceive osmotic changes by changing the membrane fluidity. This effect is offset by changes in the composition of membrane phospholipid and FA, contributing to the homeostasis of membrane fluidity under water deficit. This knowledge can be used to develop new Azospirillum brasilense formulations showing an adapted membrane to water deficit. © 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  2. Novicidin interactions with phospholipid membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Balakrishnan, Vijay Shankar

    Antimicrobial peptides target bacterial cell membranes and are considered as potential antibiotics. Their interactions with cell membranes are studied using different approaches. This thesis comprises of the biophysical investigations on the antimicrobial peptide Novicidin, interacting with lipos......Antimicrobial peptides target bacterial cell membranes and are considered as potential antibiotics. Their interactions with cell membranes are studied using different approaches. This thesis comprises of the biophysical investigations on the antimicrobial peptide Novicidin, interacting...... with liposomes. The lipid-induced changes in the peptide due to membrane binding, and the peptide-induced changes in the membrane properties were investigated using various spectroscopic and calorimetric methods, and the structural and thermodynamic aspects of peptide-lipid interactions are discussed. This helps...

  3. Lipid class and fatty acid composition of a little-known and rarely collected alga Exophyllum wentii Weber-van Bosse from Bali Island, Indonesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Illijas, Muhammad I; Indy, Jeane R; Yasui, Hajime; Itabashi, Yutaka

    2009-01-01

    The lipid class and fatty acid composition of a little-known and rarely collected alga Exophyllum wentii from Bali Island, Indonesia were determined for fresh and frozen-thawed samples using thin-layer chromatography, gas-liquid chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography. Glycoglycerolipids, which mainly consisted of mongalactosyldiacylglycerols (MGDG) and digalactosyldiacylglycerols (DGDG), were the predominant lipid components, accounting for 67% and 56% of the total polar lipid content in the fresh and frozen-thawed samples, respectively. Phospholipids, including phosphatidylcholines (PC) and phosphatidylglycerols (PG), were detected with lesser amounts in both samples (16-17% of the total polar lipid content). Free fatty acids (FFA), sterols and triacylglycerols (TAG) were also detected in minor quantities; however, the FFA content in the frozen-thawed sample increased to up to 20% of the total lipid content, suggesting that hydrolysis of the membrane lipids had occurred. A crude enzyme preparation from the alga showed activities for hydrolyzing the acyl groups of the phospholipids and glycoglycerolipids. Palmitic acid (16:0) and arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) were the major fatty acids in both the total lipid and in individual polar lipid classes as well as the dominant fatty acids released from the membrane lipids by enzymatic hydrolysis. The high level of 20:4n-6 (29%) in the total lipid and the presence of considerable amounts of PC (11% of the total polar lipid) and PG (6.2%) support classification of E. wentii into the Division Rhodophyta.

  4. Neutron diffraction studies of amphipathic helices in phospholipid bilayers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bradshaw, J.P.; Gilchrist, P.J. [Univ. of Edinburgh (United Kingdom); Duff, K.C. [Univ. of Edinburgh Medical School (United Kingdom); Saxena, A.M. [Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY (United States)

    1994-12-31

    The structural feature which is thought to facilitate the interaction of many peptides with phospholipid bilayers is the ability to fold into an amphipathic helix. In most cases the exact location and orientation of this helix with respect to the membrane is not known, and may vary with factors such as pH and phospholipid content of the bilayer. The growing interest in this area is stimulated by indications that similar interactions can contribute to the binding of certain hormones to their cell-surface receptors. We have been using the techniques of neutron diffraction from stacked phospholipid bilayers in an attempt to investigate this phenomenon with a number of membrane-active peptides. Here we report some of our findings with three of these: the bee venom melittin; the hormone calcitonin; and a synthetic peptide representing the ion channel fragment of influenza A M2 protein.

  5. Neutron diffraction studies of amphipathic helices in phospholipid bilayers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bradshaw, J.P.; Gilchrist, P.J.; Duff, K.C.; Saxena, A.M.

    1994-01-01

    The structural feature which is thought to facilitate the interaction of many peptides with phospholipid bilayers is the ability to fold into an amphipathic helix. In most cases the exact location and orientation of this helix with respect to the membrane is not known, and may vary with factors such as pH and phospholipid content of the bilayer. The growing interest in this area is stimulated by indications that similar interactions can contribute to the binding of certain hormones to their cell-surface receptors. We have been using the techniques of neutron diffraction from stacked phospholipid bilayers in an attempt to investigate this phenomenon with a number of membrane-active peptides. Here we report some of our findings with three of these: the bee venom melittin; the hormone calcitonin; and a synthetic peptide representing the ion channel fragment of influenza A M2 protein

  6. Model studies of lipid flip-flop in membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Parisio, Giulia; Ferrarini, Alberta; Sperotto, Maria Maddalena

    2016-01-01

    , and growth heavily depend. Such transverse motion—commonly called flip-flop—has been studied both experimentally and computationally. Experimental investigations face difficulties related to time-scales and probe-induced membrane perturbation issues. Molecular dynamics simulations play an important role...... for the molecular-level understanding of flip-flop. In this review we present a summary of the state of the art of computational studies of spontaneous flip-flop of phospholipids, sterols and fatty acids. Also, we highlight critical issues and strategies that have been developed to solve them, and what remains...

  7. Studies on the postnatal development of the rat liver plasma membrane following maternal ethanol ingestion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rovinski, B

    1984-01-01

    Studies on the developing rat liver and on the structure and function of the postnatal rat liver plasma membrane were carried out following maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy and lactation. A developmental study of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) indicated that both the activity and certain kinetic properties of the enzyme from the progeny of alcohol-fed and pair-fed mothers were similar. Fatty liver, however, developed in the alcoholic progeny only after ADH appeared on a day 19 of gestation. Further studies on structural and functional changes were then undertaken on the postnatal development of the rat liver plasma membrane. Radioligand binding studies performed using the hapatic alpha{sub 1}-adrenergic receptor as a plasma membrane probe demonstrated a significant decrease in receptor density in the alcoholic progeny, but no changes in binding affinity. Finally, the fatty acid composition of constituent phospholipids and the cholesterol content of rat liver plasma membranes were determined. All these observations suggest that membrane alterations in the newborn may be partially responsible for the deleterious action(s) of maternal alcoholism at the molecular level.

  8. Long-chain n-3 fatty acids and inflammation: potential application in surgical and trauma patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Calder P.C.

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Lipids used in nutritional support of surgical or critically ill patients have been based on soybean oil, which is rich in the n-6 fatty acid linoleic acid (18:2n-6. Linoleic acid is the precursor of arachidonic acid (20:4n-6. In turn, arachidonic acid in cell membrane phospholipids is the substrate for the synthesis of a range of biologically active compounds (eicosanoids including prostaglandins, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes. These compounds can act as mediators in their own right and can also act as regulators of other processes, such as platelet aggregation, blood clotting, smooth muscle contraction, leukocyte chemotaxis, inflammatory cytokine production, and immune function. There is a view that an excess of n-6 fatty acids should be avoided since this could contribute to a state where physiological processes become dysregulated. One alternative is the use of fish oil. The rationale of this latter approach is that fish oil contains long chain n-3 fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid. When fish oil is provided, eicosapentaenoic acid is incorporated into cell membrane phospholipids, partly at the expense of arachidonic acid. Thus, there is less arachidonic acid available for eicosanoid synthesis. Hence, fish oil decreases production of prostaglandins like PGE2 and of leukotrienes like LTB4. Thus, n-3 fatty acids can potentially reduce platelet aggregation, blood clotting, smooth muscle contraction, and leukocyte chemotaxis, and can modulate inflammatory cytokine production and immune function. These effects have been demonstrated in cell culture, animal feeding and healthy volunteer studies. Fish oil decreases the host metabolic response and improves survival to endotoxin in laboratory animals. Recently clinical studies performed in various patient groups have indicated benefit from this approach.

  9. Structure and mechanism of ATP-dependent phospholipid transporters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lopez Marques, Rosa Laura; Poulsen, Lisbeth Rosager; Bailly, Aurélien

    2015-01-01

    Background ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters and P4-ATPases are two large and seemingly unrelated families of primary active pumps involved in moving phospholipids from one leaflet of a biological membrane to the other. Scope of review This review aims to identify common mechanistic features...... in the way phospholipid flipping is carried out by two evolutionarily unrelated families of transporters. Major conclusions Both protein families hydrolyze ATP, although they employ different mechanisms to use it, and have a comparable size with twelve transmembrane segments in the functional unit. Further......, despite differences in overall architecture, both appear to operate by an alternating access mechanism and during transport they might allow access of phospholipids to the internal part of the transmembrane domain. The latter feature is obvious for ABC transporters, but phospholipids and other hydrophobic...

  10. Binding of the radioprotective agent cysteamine with the phospholipidic membrane headgroup-interface region

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berleur, F; Roman, V; Jaskierowicz, D; Fatome, M; Leterrier, F; Ter-Minassian-Saraga, L; Madelmont, G

    1985-09-01

    The interaction of the aminothiol radioprotector cysteamine (..beta..-mercaptoethylamine)(CYST) with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) artificial membranes has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), turbidimetry and spin labeling. This hydrophilic molecule displays a biphasic, concentration-dependent binding to the phospholipidic head groups at neutral pH. In the CYST/DPPC molar ratio 1:160-1:2 (mole/mole) an increasing ordering effect is observed. At high concentrations (over 3:1 ratio), this ordering effect decreases. With the symmetric disulfide dimer cystamine, the biphasic effect is not shown and the membrane rigidity decrease is obtained only at concentration ratio higher than 1:1. The charge repartition of the cysteamine molecule has been shown to be disymmetric, +0.52 e on the NH/sub 3/ group and +0.19 e on the SH extremity, whereas the cystamine molecule is electrostatically symmetrical. These properties could be related to their membrane effects. With cysteamine, at a low concentration, an electrostatic bridging between the negatively charged phosphate groups of the polar heads induces the increase in membrane stability: the molecules behave like a divalent cation. At high concentration a displacement of the slightly charged SH extremity by the amine disrupts the bridges and induces the decrease in rigidity: the drug behaves like a monovalent cation. Due to its symmetric charge and its double length, such an effect is not observed with cystamine. This study could bring further information about the interactions between cysteamine and polyelectrolytic structures (ADN for example) and about the radioprotective properties of this drug.

  11. Phospholipids of New Zealand Edible Brown Algae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vyssotski, Mikhail; Lagutin, Kirill; MacKenzie, Andrew; Mitchell, Kevin; Scott, Dawn

    2017-07-01

    Edible brown algae have attracted interest as a source of beneficial allenic carotenoid fucoxanthin, and glyco- and phospholipids enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Unlike green algae, brown algae contain no or little phosphatidylserine, possessing an unusual aminophospholipid, phosphatidyl-O-[N-(2-hydroxyethyl) glycine], PHEG, instead. When our routinely used technique of 31 P-NMR analysis of phospholipids was applied to the samples of edible New Zealand brown algae, a number of signals corresponding to unidentified phosphorus-containing compounds were observed in total lipids. NI (negative ion) ESI QToF MS spectra confirmed the presence of more familiar phospholipids, and also suggested the presence of PHEG or its isomers. The structure of PHEG was confirmed by comparison with a synthetic standard. An unusual MS fragmentation pattern that was also observed prompted us to synthesise a number of possible candidates, and was found to follow that of phosphatidylhydroxyethyl methylcarbamate, likely an extraction artefact. An unexpected outcome was the finding of ceramidephosphoinositol that has not been reported previously as occurring in brown algae. An uncommon arsenic-containing phospholipid has also been observed and quantified, and its TLC behaviour studied, along with that of the newly synthesised lipids.

  12. Majority of cellular fatty acid acylated proteins are localized to the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilcox, C.A.; Olson, E.N.

    1987-01-01

    The BC 2 Hl muscle cell line was previously reported to contain a broad array of fatty acid acylated proteins. Palmitate was shown to be attached to membrane proteins posttranslationally through thiol ester linkages, whereas myristate was attached cotranslationally, or within seconds thereafter, to soluble and membrane-bound proteins through amide linkages. The temporal and subcellular differences between palmitate and myristate acylation suggested that these two classes of acyl proteins might follow different intracellular pathways to distinct subcellular membrane systems or organelles. In this study, the authors examined the subcellular localization of the major fatty acylated proteins in BC 4 Hl cells. Palmitate-containing proteins were localized to the plasma membrane, but only a subset of myristate-containing proteins was localized to this membrane fraction. The majority of acyl proteins were nonglycosylated and resistant to digestion with extracellular proteases, suggesting that they were not exposed to the external surface of the plasma membrane. Many proteins were, however, digested during incubation of isolated membranes with proteases, which indicates that these proteins were, however, digested during incubation of isolated membranes with proteases, which indicates that these proteins face the cytoplasm. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of proteins labeled with [ 3 H]palmitate and [ 3 H]myristate revealed that individual proteins were modified by only one of the two fatty acids and did not undergo both N-linked myristylation and ester-linked palmitylation. Together, these results suggest that the majority of cellular acyl proteins are routed to the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane, and they raise the possibility that fatty acid acylation may play a role in intracellular sorting of nontransmembranous, nonglycosylated membrane proteins

  13. Water column distribution of phospholipid-derived fatty acids of marine microorganisms in the Humboldt Current system off northern Chile

    Science.gov (United States)

    Espinosa, Luisa F.; Pantoja, Silvio; Pinto, Luis A.; Rullkötter, Jürgen

    2009-07-01

    Suspended particulate matter samples from the oxygenated surface zone, the oxygen minimum zone, and the oxygenated deeper zone were collected from the upwelling area off Antofagasta in northern Chile during austral autumn (April 2001) to study the composition of microbial phospholipid-derived fatty acid methyl esters, using capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Whereas phytoplanktonic carbon dominated living organic matter near the coast, bacterial carbon was most abundant offshore. The biomarker distribution showed some differences between the depth levels sampled, such as the highest microbial abundance in the epipelagic zone represented by phytoplankton, especially diatoms, and a homogeneous distribution of bacterial biomarkers, with no indication of vertical segregation of functional groups as previously thought.

  14. Lipid remodeling and an altered membrane-associated proteome may drive the differential effects of EPA and DHA treatment on skeletal muscle glucose uptake and protein accretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeromson, Stewart; Mackenzie, Ivor; Doherty, Mary K; Whitfield, Phillip D; Bell, Gordon; Dick, James; Shaw, Andy; Rao, Francesco V; Ashcroft, Stephen P; Philp, Andrew; Galloway, Stuart D R; Gallagher, Iain; Hamilton, D Lee

    2018-06-01

    In striated muscle, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have differential effects on the metabolism of glucose and differential effects on the metabolism of protein. We have shown that, despite similar incorporation, treatment of C 2 C 12 myotubes (CM) with EPA but not DHA improves glucose uptake and protein accretion. We hypothesized that these differential effects of EPA and DHA may be due to divergent shifts in lipidomic profiles leading to altered proteomic profiles. We therefore carried out an assessment of the impact of treating CM with EPA and DHA on lipidomic and proteomic profiles. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) analysis revealed that both EPA and DHA led to similar but substantials changes in fatty acid profiles with the exception of arachidonic acid, which was decreased only by DHA, and docosapentanoic acid (DPA), which was increased only by EPA treatment. Global lipidomic analysis showed that EPA and DHA induced large alterations in the cellular lipid profiles and in particular, the phospholipid classes. Subsequent targeted analysis confirmed that the most differentially regulated species were phosphatidylcholines and phosphatidylethanolamines containing long-chain fatty acids with five (EPA treatment) or six (DHA treatment) double bonds. As these are typically membrane-associated lipid species we hypothesized that these treatments differentially altered the membrane-associated proteome. Stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC)-based proteomics of the membrane fraction revealed significant divergence in the effects of EPA and DHA on the membrane-associated proteome. We conclude that the EPA-specific increase in polyunsaturated long-chain fatty acids in the phospholipid fraction is associated with an altered membrane-associated proteome and these may be critical events in the metabolic remodeling induced by EPA treatment.

  15. Marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in patients with end-stage renal failure and in subjects without kidney disease: a comparative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madsen, Trine; Christensen, Jeppe H; Svensson, My; Witt, Petra M; Toft, Egon; Schmidt, Erik B

    2011-03-01

    Patients with end-stage renal disease treated with chronic hemodialysis (HD) are reported to have low levels of marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in plasma and cell membranes compared with healthy subjects. The aim of this study was to investigate whether n-3 PUFA levels in plasma and cells are lower in HD patients as compared with subjects without kidney disease. A comparative study was carried out. This study was carried out at the Departments of Nephrology and Cardiology, Aalborg Hospital, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. This study consisted of 2 study populations comprising HD patients and 5 study populations comprising subjects without kidney disease. The fatty acid distribution in plasma phospholipids and platelet phospholipids was measured using gas chromatography. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and arachidonic acid (AA) levels in plasma or serum phospholipids and platelet phospholipids in HD patients were compared with n-3 PUFA levels in subjects without kidney disease. EPA and DHA were lower and AA/EPA was higher in plasma/serum phospholipids in HD patients than in subjects without kidney disease. Similarly, higher AA and AA/EPA and lower EPA and DHA levels were found in platelet phospholipids of HD patients. Adjustment for gender, age, and habitual intake of fish and fish oil supplements did not change these results. HD patients have lower n-3 PUFA levels in plasma and cells compared with subjects without kidney disease. Copyright © 2011 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Mechanics, morphology, and mobility in stratum corneum membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olmsted, Peter; Das, Chinmay; Noro, Massimo

    2012-02-01

    The stratum corneum is the outermost layer of skin, and serves as a protective barrier against external agents, and to control moisture. It comprises keratin bodies (corneocytes) embedded in a matrix of lipid bilayers. Unlike the more widely studied phospholipid bilayers, the SC bilayers are typically in a gel-like state. Moreover, the SC membrane composition is radically different from more fluid counterparts: it comprises single tailed fatty acids, ceramides, and cholesterol; with many distinct ceramides possessing different lengths of tails, and always with two tails of different lengths. I will present insight from computer simulations into the morphology, mechanical properties, and diffusion (barrier) properties of these highly heterogeneous membranes. Our results provide some clue as to the design principles for the SC membrane, and is an excellent example of the use of wide polydispersity by natural systems.

  17. Morphological and Physical Analysis of Natural Phospholipids-Based Biomembranes

    OpenAIRE

    Jacquot, Adrien; Francius, Grégory; Razafitianamaharavo, Angelina; Dehghani, Fariba; Tamayol, Ali; Linder, Michel; Arab-Tehrany, Elmira

    2014-01-01

    International audience; Background: Liposomes are currently an important part of biological, pharmaceutical, medical and nutritional research, as they are considered to be among the most effective carriers for the introduction of various types of bioactive agents into target cells.Scope of Review: In this work, we study the lipid organization and mechanical properties of biomembranes made of marine and plant phospholipids. Membranes based on phospholipids extracted from rapeseed and salmon ar...

  18. Synaptic Membrane Synthesis in Rats Depends on Dietary Sufficiency of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Selenium: Relevance for Alzheimer's Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cansev, Mehmet; Turkyilmaz, Mesut; Sijben, John W C; Sevinc, Cansu; Broersen, Laus M; van Wijk, Nick

    2017-01-01

    Chronic consumption of a diet enriched with nutritional precursors of phospholipids, including uridine and the polyunsaturated fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), was shown previously to enhance levels of brain phospholipids and synaptic proteins in rodents. Vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium may directly affect the breakdown or synthesis of membrane phospholipids. The present study investigated the necessity of antioxidants for the effectiveness of supplementation with uridine plus DHA and EPA (as fish oil) in rats. Rats were randomized to four treatment groups and received, for 6 weeks, one of four experimental diets, i.e., a diet low in antioxidants, a diet high in antioxidants, a diet low in antioxidants supplemented with DHA+EPA+uridine, or a diet high in antioxidants supplemented with DHA+EPA+uridine. On completion of dietary treatment, rats were sacrificed, and brain levels of phospholipids, synaptic proteins, and two enzymes involved in phospholipid synthesis (choline-phosphate cytidylyltransferase, PCYT1A, and choline/ethanolamine phosphotransferase, CEPT1) were analyzed. Levels of phospholipids, the pre- and post-synaptic proteins Synapsin-1 and PSD95, and the enzymes PCYT1A and CEPT1 were significantly enhanced by combined supplementation of DHA+EPA+uridine and antioxidants and not enhanced by supplementation of DHA+EPA+uridine with insufficient antioxidant levels. Our data suggest that dietary vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium are essential for the phospholipid precursors' effects on increasing levels of membrane phospholipids and synaptic proteins, the indirect indicators of synaptogenesis. Their concomitant supply may be relevant in Alzheimer's disease patients, because the disease is characterized by synapse loss and lower plasma and brain levels of phospholipid precursors and antioxidants.

  19. Omega-3 Fatty Acids Modulate TRPV4 Function through Plasma Membrane Remodeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caires, Rebeca; Sierra-Valdez, Francisco J; Millet, Jonathan R M; Herwig, Joshua D; Roan, Esra; Vásquez, Valeria; Cordero-Morales, Julio F

    2017-10-03

    Dietary consumption of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), present in fish oils, is known to improve the vascular response, but their molecular targets remain largely unknown. Activation of the TRPV4 channel has been implicated in endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation. Here, we studied the contribution of ω-3 PUFAs to TRPV4 function by precisely manipulating the fatty acid content in Caenorhabditis elegans. By genetically depriving the worms of PUFAs, we determined that the metabolism of ω-3 fatty acids is required for TRPV4 activity. Functional, lipid metabolome, and biophysical analyses demonstrated that ω-3 PUFAs enhance TRPV4 function in human endothelial cells and support the hypothesis that lipid metabolism and membrane remodeling regulate cell reactivity. We propose a model whereby the eicosanoid's epoxide group location increases membrane fluidity and influences the endothelial cell response by increasing TRPV4 channel activity. ω-3 PUFA-like molecules might be viable antihypertensive agents for targeting TRPV4 to reduce systemic blood pressure. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Optimization of transversal relaxation of nitroxides for pulsed electron-electron double resonance spectroscopy in phospholipid membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dastvan, Reza; Bode, Bela E; Karuppiah, Muruga Poopathi Raja; Marko, Andriy; Lyubenova, Sevdalina; Schwalbe, Harald; Prisner, Thomas F

    2010-10-28

    Pulsed electron-electron double resonance (PELDOR) spectroscopy is increasingly applied to spin-labeled membrane proteins. However, after reconstitution into liposomes, spin labels often exhibit a much faster transversal relaxation (T(m)) than in detergent micelles, thus limiting application of the method in lipid bilayers. In this study, the main reasons for enhanced transversal relaxation in phospholipid membranes were investigated systematically by use of spin-labeled derivatives of stearic acid and phosphatidylcholine as well as spin-labeled derivatives of the channel-forming peptide gramicidin A under the conditions typically employed for PELDOR distance measurements. Our results clearly show that dephasing due to instantaneous diffusion that depends on dipolar interaction among electron spins is an important contributor to the fast echo decay in cases of high local concentrations of spin labels in membranes. The main difference between spin labels in detergent micelles and membranes is their local concentration. Consequently, avoiding spin clustering and suppressing instantaneous diffusion is the key step for maximizing PELDOR sensitivity in lipid membranes. Even though proton spin diffusion is an important relaxation mechanism, only in samples of low local concentrations does deuteration of acyl chains and buffer significantly prolong T(m). In these cases, values of up to 7 μs have been achieved. Furthermore, our study revealed that membrane composition and labeling position in the membrane can also affect T(m), either by promoting the segregation of spin-labeled species or by altering their exposure to matrix protons. Effects of other experimental parameters including temperature (<50 K), presence of oxygen, and cryoprotectant type are negligible under our experimental conditions.

  1. Influence of dietary triacylglycerol structure and level of n-3 fatty acids administered during development on brain phospholipids and memory and learning ability of rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hartvigsen, M.S.; Mu, Huiling; Hougaard, K.S.

    2004-01-01

    of the nervous system. Methods: Pregnant rats were fed experimental diets from the 8th day of pregnancy throughout lactation. After weaning and until 13 weeks of age, the pups were fed the same diet as their dams. The experimental diets contained either a structured oil, a linseed oil, or a fish oil...... and 22:6n-3 adding up to a total of 2 mol% n-3 fatty acids. The effects of the experimental diets were compared to the effect of a chow diet. Results: The amount of 22:6n-3 in brain phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidyl serine (PS) of dams and offspring (3 and 13 weeks of age) was not affected......The objective of this study was to examine the effects of triacylglycerol (TAG) structure and level of n-3 fatty acids on fatty acid profile of brain phospholipids (PL) of dams and offspring, and the memory and learning ability of the offspring, when administered during initial development...

  2. Membrane engineering via trans unsaturated fatty acids production improves Escherichia coli robustness and production of biorenewables.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Zaigao; Yoon, Jong Moon; Nielsen, David R; Shanks, Jacqueline V; Jarboe, Laura R

    2016-05-01

    Constructing microbial biocatalysts that produce biorenewables at economically viable yields and titers is often hampered by product toxicity. For production of short chain fatty acids, membrane damage is considered the primary mechanism of toxicity, particularly in regards to membrane integrity. Previous engineering efforts in Escherichia coli to increase membrane integrity, with the goal of increasing fatty acid tolerance and production, have had mixed results. Herein, a novel approach was used to reconstruct the E. coli membrane by enabling production of a novel membrane component. Specifically, trans unsaturated fatty acids (TUFA) were produced and incorporated into the membrane of E. coli MG1655 by expression of cis-trans isomerase (Cti) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. While the engineered strain was found to have no increase in membrane integrity, a significant decrease in membrane fluidity was observed, meaning that membrane polarization and rigidity were increased by TUFA incorporation. As a result, tolerance to exogenously added octanoic acid and production of octanoic acid were both increased relative to the wild-type strain. This membrane engineering strategy to improve octanoic acid tolerance was found to require fine-tuning of TUFA abundance. Besides improving tolerance and production of carboxylic acids, TUFA production also enabled increased tolerance in E. coli to other bio-products, e.g. alcohols, organic acids, aromatic compounds, a variety of adverse industrial conditions, e.g. low pH, high temperature, and also elevated styrene production, another versatile bio-chemical product. TUFA permitted enhanced growth due to alleviation of bio-product toxicity, demonstrating the general effectiveness of this membrane engineering strategy towards improving strain robustness. Copyright © 2016 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Enzyme catalysed production of phospholipids with modified fatty acid profile

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vikbjerg, Anders Falk

    2006-01-01

    Phospholipider har stor anvendelse i levnedsmiddel-, kosmetik-, og farmaceutiske produkter for blandt andet deres emulgerende egenskaber samt evne til at danne liposomer. Interessen for at ændre på phospholipidernes struktur er stigende. Strukturændringer resulterer i ændret funktionalitet. Ved u...

  4. Radioiodinated fatty acid carnitine ester: synthesis and biodistribution of 15-(p-iodo[131I]-phenyl)pentadecanoyl-D,L-carnitine chloride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eisenhut, M.; Liefhold, J.

    1986-01-01

    After the uptake into heart muscle cells long chain fatty acids enter predominantly into the triglyceride and phospholipid pool before they are degraded in the mitochondria by β-oxidation. Therefore the formation of fatty acid esters with glycerine obscures the functional ability of the heart namely to catabolize free fatty acids. The sum of the two reaction pathways are visualized by sequential heart scintigraphy with e.g. 131 I labeled 15-(p-iodo-phenyl)-pentadecanoic acid (IPPA). Before the fatty acids can be degraded by β-oxidation they are bound to carnitine for mitochondrial membrane transport. Thus IPPA would not participate in lipid formation, if it is offered as 15-(p-iodo[ 131 I]-phenyl)-pentadecanoyl-D,L-carnitine chloride (IPPA-CE) to the heart muscle cells. Additionally carnitine esters of fatty acids are known to be better substrates for β-oxidation than free fatty acids. We were therefore interested in the biochemical fate of radioiodinated IPPA-CE in rats. (author)

  5. Biosynthesis of ether-phospholipids including plasmalogens, peroxisomes and human disease: new insights into an old problem

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wanders, Ronald J. A.; Brites, Pedro

    2010-01-01

    Ether-phospholipids represent an important subclass of phospholipids in animal cell membranes characterized by the presence of an ether bond at the sn-I position and the enrichment of PUFAs at the sn-2 position. Of the different ether-phospholipids, plasmalogens are the most abundant form and their

  6. [Effect of pregnancy and lactation on the nutritional status of essential fatty acids in rat].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araya, J; Barriga, C

    1996-08-01

    Pregnancy and lactation could be high risk situations for the development of essential fatty acid deficiencies. To study the effect of pregnancy and lactation on red blood cell phospholipids percentual fatty acid composition of virgin, pregnant and lactating rats. Twenty four pregnant rats of 50 +/- 1 days of age were supplement with soy and 24 with fish oil during 21 days. Twelve rats of each group were sacrificed after 18 days of lactation, twenty four non pregnant rats received soy oil and acted as controls of pregnant and lactating rats. Red blood cell phospholipid fatty acid composition was analyzed by gas chromatography. The percentage of total omega-6 fatty acids of red blood cell phospholipid was 37.8 +/- 5.9, 32.6 +/- 0.6 and 38.3 +/- 3.5% in non pregnant, pregnant and lactating rats respectively (p oil reverted the decrease in omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid percentage of pregnant and lactating rats. Pregnancy and lactation decrease the capacity to transform precursors of essential fatty acids in long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids.

  7. Targeted metabolomic profiling indicates structure-based perturbations in serum phospholipids in children with acetaminophen overdose

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sudeepa Bhattacharyya

    Full Text Available Phospholipids are an important class of lipids that act as building blocks of biological cell membranes and participate in a variety of vital cellular functions including cell signaling. Previous studies have reported alterations in phosphatidylcholine (PC and lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC metabolism in acetaminophen (APAP-treated animals or cell cultures. However, little is known about phospholipid perturbations in humans with APAP toxicity. In the current study, targeted metabolomic analysis of 180 different metabolites including 14 lysoPCs and 73 PCs was performed in serum samples from children and adolescents hospitalized for APAP overdose. Metabolite profiles in the overdose group were compared to those of healthy controls and hospitalized children receiving low dose APAP for treatment of pain or fever (therapeutic group. PCs and lysoPCs with very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs were significantly decreased in the overdose group, while those with comparatively shorter chain lengths were increased in the overdose group compared to the therapeutic and control groups. All ether linked PCs were decreased in the overdose group compared to the controls. LysoPC-C26:1 was highly reduced in the overdose group and could discriminate between the overdose and control groups with 100% sensitivity and specificity. The PCs and lysoPCs with VLCFAs showed significant associations with changes in clinical indicators of drug metabolism (APAP protein adducts and liver injury (alanine aminotransferase, or ALT. Thus, a structure-dependent reduction in PCs and lysoPCs was observed in the APAP-overdose group, which may suggest a structure-activity relationship in inhibition of enzymes involved in phospholipid metabolism in APAP toxicity. Keywords: Metabolomics, Phospholipids, Acetaminophen, Hepatotoxicity, Drug

  8. Enhanced root growth in phosphate-starved Arabidopsis by stimulating de novo phospholipid biosynthesis through the overexpression of LYSOPHOSPHATIDIC ACID ACYLTRANSFERASE 2 (LPAT2).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angkawijaya, Artik Elisa; Nguyen, Van Cam; Nakamura, Yuki

    2017-09-01

    Upon phosphate starvation, plants retard shoot growth but promote root development presumably to enhance phosphate assimilation from the ground. Membrane lipid remodelling is a metabolic adaptation that replaces membrane phospholipids by non-phosphorous galactolipids, thereby allowing plants to obtain scarce phosphate yet maintain the membrane structure. However, stoichiometry of this phospholipid-to-galactolipid conversion may not account for the massive demand of membrane lipids that enables active growth of roots under phosphate starvation, thereby suggesting the involvement of de novo phospholipid biosynthesis, which is not represented in the current model. We overexpressed an endoplasmic reticulum-localized lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase, LPAT2, a key enzyme that catalyses the last step of de novo phospholipid biosynthesis. Two independent LPAT2 overexpression lines showed no visible phenotype under normal conditions but showed increased root length under phosphate starvation, with no effect on phosphate starvation response including marker gene expression, root hair development and anthocyanin accumulation. Accompanying membrane glycerolipid profiling of LPAT2-overexpressing plants revealed an increased content of major phospholipid classes and distinct responses to phosphate starvation between shoot and root. The findings propose a revised model of membrane lipid remodelling, in which de novo phospholipid biosynthesis mediated by LPAT2 contributes significantly to root development under phosphate starvation. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Membrane Lipid Replacement for chronic illnesses, aging and cancer using oral glycerolphospholipid formulations with fructooligosaccharides to restore phospholipid function in cellular membranes, organelles, cells and tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicolson, Garth L; Ash, Michael E

    2017-09-01

    Membrane Lipid Replacement is the use of functional, oral supplements containing mixtures of cell membrane glycerolphospholipids, plus fructooligosaccharides (for protection against oxidative, bile acid and enzymatic damage) and antioxidants, in order to safely replace damaged, oxidized, membrane phospholipids and restore membrane, organelle, cellular and organ function. Defects in cellular and intracellular membranes are characteristic of all chronic medical conditions, including cancer, and normal processes, such as aging. Once the replacement glycerolphospholipids have been ingested, dispersed, complexed and transported, while being protected by fructooligosaccharides and several natural mechanisms, they can be inserted into cell membranes, lipoproteins, lipid globules, lipid droplets, liposomes and other carriers. They are conveyed by the lymphatics and blood circulation to cellular sites where they are endocytosed or incorporated into or transported by cell membranes. Inside cells the glycerolphospholipids can be transferred to various intracellular membranes by lipid globules, liposomes, membrane-membrane contact or by lipid carrier transfer. Eventually they arrive at their membrane destinations due to 'bulk flow' principles, and there they can stimulate the natural removal and replacement of damaged membrane lipids while undergoing further enzymatic alterations. Clinical trials have shown the benefits of Membrane Lipid Replacement in restoring mitochondrial function and reducing fatigue in aged subjects and chronically ill patients. Recently Membrane Lipid Replacement has been used to reduce pain and other symptoms as well as removing hydrophobic chemical contaminants, suggesting that there are additional new uses for this safe, natural medicine supplement. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Membrane Lipid Therapy: Drugs Targeting Biomembranes edited by Pablo V. Escribá. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights

  10. Suppression of phospholipid biosynthesis by cerulenin in the condensed Single-Protein-Production (cSPP) system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mao, Lili; Inoue, Koichi; Tao, Yisong; Montelione, Gaetano T.; McDermott, Ann E.; Inouye, Masayori

    2011-01-01

    Using the single-protein-production (SPP) system, a protein of interest can be exclusively produced in high yield from its ACA-less gene in Escherichia coli expressing MazF, an ACA-specific mRNA interferase. It is thus feasible to study a membrane protein by solid-state NMR (SSNMR) directly in natural membrane fractions. In developing isotope-enrichment methods, we observed that 13 C was also incorporated into phospholipids, generating spurious signals in SSNMR spectra. Notable, with the SPP system a protein can be produced in total absence of cell growth caused by antibiotics. Here, we demonstrate that cerulenin, an inhibitor of phospholipid biosynthesis, can suppress isotope incorporation in the lipids without affecting membrane protein yield in the SPP system. SSNMR analysis of ATP synthase subunit c, an E. coli inner membrane protein, produced by the SPP method using cerulenin revealed that 13 C resonance signals from phospholipid were markedly reduced, while signals for the isotope-enriched protein were clearly present.

  11. Stability of sonicated aqueous suspensions of phospholipids under air.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almog, R; Forward, R; Samsonoff, C

    1991-12-01

    The stability of phospholipids in liposomal aqueous suspension against oxidative degradation in air was investigated using spectrophotometric indices, glutathione peroxidase reactivity and thin layer chromatography. Zwitterionic phospholipid was found to be susceptible to degradation via oxidation of polyunsaturated hydrocarbon chains and ester hydrolysis, producing oxidized lysophosphatide and free fatty acid derivatives. These products were characterized as hydroperoxides based on their reactivity with the selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase isolated from human erythrocytes. Lecithin in Tris buffer was more resistant to hydrolysis than in water. The sonication of 8.0 mM of soybean phosphatidylcholine (SB-PC) suspension in 0.1 M Tris (pH 7.5) in the presence of air produced relatively high concentration of conjugated diene hydroperoxide, but a small amount of hydrolyzed products. Anionic phospholipids, such as egg-phosphatidylglycerol (egg-PG), demonstrated higher resistance to air oxidation than the zwitterionic lecithin, but its oxidation was promoted by sonication.

  12. Softening of phospholipid membranes by the adhesion of silica nanoparticles - as seen by neutron spin-echo (NSE)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoffmann, Ingo; Michel, Raphael; Sharp, Melissa; Holderer, Olaf; Appavou, Marie-Sousai; Polzer, Frank; Farago, Bela; Gradzielski, Michael

    2014-05-01

    The interactions between nanoparticles and vesicles are of significant interest both from a fundamental as well as from a practical point of view, as vesicles can serve as a model system for cell membranes. Accordingly the effect of nanoparticles that bind to the vesicle bilayer is very important with respect to understanding their biological impact and also may shed some light on the mechanisms behind the effect of nanotoxicity. In this study we have investigated the influence of small adsorbed silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) on the structure of zwitterionic DOPC vesicles. By a combination of SANS, cryo-TEM, and DLS, we observed that the SiNPs are bound to the outer vesicle surface without significantly affecting the vesicle structure. Most interestingly, by means of neutron spin-echo (NSE) local bilayer fluctuations were studied and one finds a small but marked decrease of the membrane rigidity upon binding of the nanoparticles. This surprising finding may be a relevant aspect for the further understanding of the effects that nanoparticles have on phospholipid bilayers.The interactions between nanoparticles and vesicles are of significant interest both from a fundamental as well as from a practical point of view, as vesicles can serve as a model system for cell membranes. Accordingly the effect of nanoparticles that bind to the vesicle bilayer is very important with respect to understanding their biological impact and also may shed some light on the mechanisms behind the effect of nanotoxicity. In this study we have investigated the influence of small adsorbed silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) on the structure of zwitterionic DOPC vesicles. By a combination of SANS, cryo-TEM, and DLS, we observed that the SiNPs are bound to the outer vesicle surface without significantly affecting the vesicle structure. Most interestingly, by means of neutron spin-echo (NSE) local bilayer fluctuations were studied and one finds a small but marked decrease of the membrane rigidity upon

  13. Effects of dietary fat on lipid composition of serum and erythrocytes of the swine and in vitro incorporation of fatty acids into erythrocyte membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Hiroaki

    1974-01-01

    Changes in ftty acid patterns of lipids in serum and erythrocytes induced by dietary fats and in vitro incorporation of fatty acids into erythrocyte membranes were investigated with pigs. On feeding various diets, it was found that fatty acid composition of serum and erythrocytes could be modified and altered toward the fatty acid pattern of the diet. In vitro, the incorporation of labelled fatty acids into erythrocyte membranes was accelerated by the addition of cofactors such as lysolecithin, CoA and ATP. Dietary fats also had certain effects on the incorporation of fatty acids into erythrocyte membranes. Erythrocytes, collected from the blood of pigs fed corn oil, incorporated and also released more labelled linoleate than those of pigs fed hydrogenated soybean oil. Palmitic acid was more slowly incorporated into erythrocyte membranes than linoleic acid in the pigs fed both a commercial chow and scheduled meals, indicating selective esterification of fatty acids in the erythrocyte membranes. (author)

  14. Hybrid, Nanoscale Phospholipid/Block Copolymer Vesicles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bo Liedberg

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Hybrid phospholipid/block copolymer vesicles, in which the polymeric membrane is blended with phospholipids, display interesting self-assembly behavior, incorporating the robustness and chemical versatility of polymersomes with the softness and biocompatibility of liposomes. Such structures can be conveniently characterized by preparing giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs via electroformation. Here, we are interested in exploring the self-assembly and properties of the analogous nanoscale hybrid vesicles (ca. 100 nm in diameter of the same composition prepared by film-hydration and extrusion. We show that the self-assembly and content-release behavior of nanoscale polybutadiene-b-poly(ethylene oxide (PB-PEO/1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (POPC hybrid phospholipid/block copolymer vesicles can be tuned by the mixing ratio of the amphiphiles. In brief, these hybrids may provide alternative tools for drug delivery purposes and molecular imaging/sensing applications and clearly open up new avenues for further investigation.

  15. Influence of membrane composition on its flexibility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gerbelli, B.B.; Teixeira da Silva, E.R.; Oliveira, C.L.P.; Oliveira, E.A.

    2012-01-01

    Full text: Lamellar phases and vesicles composed of lipids have been used as model systems to investigate biological process related to cell membrane as well as promising carriers for drugs and gene therapy. The composition of the membrane determines its three dimensional shape and its properties such as rigidity and compressibility which play an important role on membrane fusion, protein adhesion, interactions between proteins, etc. We present systematic study of a lamellar system composed mainly of lecithin which is a biocompatible phospholipid and simusol, which is a mixture of fatty acids that acts as a cosurfactant introducing flexibility to the membrane. Using X ray scattering we determine the lamellar periodicity as a function of the hydration for different formulations of the membrane; ranging from 100 % to 50 % mass fraction of lecithin. The X-ray spectra are fitted using a 4 Gaussian model [1]that allows us to determine the lamellar periodicity and the Caille parameter [2]. The ideal swelling law relating the membrane volume fraction (φ m ) to the lamellar periodicity (D) is given by φ m =δ m /D, where δ m is the thickness membrane, however, when steric interactions are dominant with respect to electrostatic and van der Waals interactions, deviations from this behavior are expected [3]. We present experimental data illustrating the swelling behavior for the membrane compositions and the respective behavior of the hydration limit, membrane Luzzati [4], of the Caille parameter and qualitative interpretation of the interaction forces the systems studying the parameter membrane square amplitude fluctuation[5]. [1] Private communication with Prof. Dr. Cristiano Luis Pinto de Oliveira. [2] Caille A. et all, Acad. Sci. Paris B274 (1972) 891. [3] E. Kurtisovski et all, PRL 98, 258103 (2007). [4] Nagle et all, Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2000 Aug;10(4):474-80. [5] H. I. Petrache. Structure and interactions of fluid phospholipids bilayers measured by high resolution

  16. Influence of membrane composition on its flexibility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gerbelli, B.B.; Teixeira da Silva, E.R.; Oliveira, C.L.P.; Oliveira, E.A. [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), SP (Brazil)

    2012-07-01

    Full text: Lamellar phases and vesicles composed of lipids have been used as model systems to investigate biological process related to cell membrane as well as promising carriers for drugs and gene therapy. The composition of the membrane determines its three dimensional shape and its properties such as rigidity and compressibility which play an important role on membrane fusion, protein adhesion, interactions between proteins, etc. We present systematic study of a lamellar system composed mainly of lecithin which is a biocompatible phospholipid and simusol, which is a mixture of fatty acids that acts as a cosurfactant introducing flexibility to the membrane. Using X ray scattering we determine the lamellar periodicity as a function of the hydration for different formulations of the membrane; ranging from 100 % to 50 % mass fraction of lecithin. The X-ray spectra are fitted using a 4 Gaussian model [1]that allows us to determine the lamellar periodicity and the Caille parameter [2]. The ideal swelling law relating the membrane volume fraction ({phi}{sub m}) to the lamellar periodicity (D) is given by {phi}{sub m} ={delta}{sub m}/D, where {delta}{sub m} is the thickness membrane, however, when steric interactions are dominant with respect to electrostatic and van der Waals interactions, deviations from this behavior are expected [3]. We present experimental data illustrating the swelling behavior for the membrane compositions and the respective behavior of the hydration limit, membrane Luzzati [4], of the Caille parameter and qualitative interpretation of the interaction forces the systems studying the parameter membrane square amplitude fluctuation[5]. [1] Private communication with Prof. Dr. Cristiano Luis Pinto de Oliveira. [2] Caille A. et all, Acad. Sci. Paris B274 (1972) 891. [3] E. Kurtisovski et all, PRL 98, 258103 (2007). [4] Nagle et all, Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2000 Aug;10(4):474-80. [5] H. I. Petrache. Structure and interactions of fluid phospholipids

  17. Slaved diffusion in phospholipid bilayers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Liangfang; Granick, Steve

    2005-01-01

    The translational diffusion of phospholipids in supported fluid bilayers splits into two populations when polyelectrolytes adsorb at incomplete surface coverage. Spatially resolved measurements using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy show that a slow mode, whose magnitude scales inversely with the degree of polymerization of the adsorbate, coexists with a fast mode characteristic of naked lipid diffusion. Inner and outer leaflets of the bilayer are affected nearly equally. Mobility may vary from spot to spot on the membrane surface, despite the lipid composition being the same. This work offers a mechanism to explain how nanosized domains with reduced mobility arise in lipid membranes. PMID:15967988

  18. Fatty acid profiles from the plasma membrane and detergent resistant membranes of two plant species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carmona-Salazar, Laura; El Hafidi, Mohammed; Gutiérrez-Nájera, Nora; Noyola-Martínez, Liliana; González-Solís, Ariadna; Gavilanes-Ruíz, Marina

    2015-01-01

    It is essential to establish the composition of the plant plasma membrane in order to understand its organization and behavior under continually changing environments. Knowledge of the lipid phase, in particular the fatty acid (FA) complex repertoire, is important since FAs determine many of the physical-chemical membrane properties. FAs are constituents of the membrane glycerolipid and sphingolipid backbones and can also be linked to some sterols. In addition, FAs are components of complex lipids that can constitute membrane micro-domains, and the use of detergent-resistant membranes is a common approach to study their composition. The diversity and cellular allocation of the membrane lipids containing FAs are very diverse and the approaches to analyze them provide only general information. In this work, a detailed FA analysis was performed using highly purified plasma membranes from bean leaves and germinating maize embryos and their respective detergent-resistant membrane preparations. The analyses showed the presence of a significant amount of very long chain FAs (containing 28C, 30C and 32C), in both plasma membrane preparations from bean and maize, that have not been previously reported. Herein is demonstrated that a significant enrichment of very long chain saturated FAs and saturated FAs can occur in detergent-resistant membrane preparations, as compared to the plasma membranes from both plant species. Considering that a thorough analysis of FAs is rarely performed in purified plasma membranes and detergent-resistant membranes, this work provides qualitative and quantitative evidence on the contributions of the length and saturation of FAs to the organization of the plant plasma membrane and detergent-resistant membranes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Composition and physical state of phospholipids in calanoid copepods from India and Norway

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Farkas, T.; Storebakken, T.; Bhosle, N.B.

    The fatty acid composition and physical state of isolated phospholipids obtained from marine copepods collected on the Southwest coast of India (Calanus spp.) and the west coast of Norway (Calanus finmarchicus) were investigated to compare...

  20. Acculturation and Plasma Fatty Acid Concentrations in Hispanic and Chinese-American Adults: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diep, Cassandra S; Lemaitre, Rozenn N; Chen, Tzu-An; Baranowski, Tom; Lutsey, Pamela L; Manichaikul, Ani W; Rich, Stephen S; St-Jules, David E; Steffen, Brian T; Tsai, Michael Y; Siscovick, David S; Frazier-Wood, Alexis C

    2016-01-01

    Acculturation to the U.S. is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but the etiologic pathways are not fully understood. Plasma fatty acid levels exhibit ethnic differences and are emerging as biomarkers and predictors of cardiovascular disease risk. Thus, plasma fatty acids may represent one pathway underlying the association between acculturation and cardiovascular disease. We investigated the cross-sectional relationship between acculturation and plasma phospholipid fatty acids in a diverse sample of Hispanic- and Chinese-American adults. Participants included 377 Mexican, 320 non-Mexican Hispanic, and 712 Chinese adults from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, who had full plasma phospholipid assays and acculturation information. Acculturation was determined from three proxy measures: nativity, language spoken at home, and years in the U.S., with possible scores ranging from 0 (least acculturated) to 5 (most acculturated) points. α-Linolenic acid, linoleic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and arachidonic acid were measured in fasting plasma. Linear regression models were conducted in race/ethnicity-stratified analyses, with acculturation as the predictor and plasma phospholipid fatty acids as the outcome variables. We ran secondary analyses to examine associations between acculturation and dietary fatty acids for comparison. Covariates included age, gender, education, and income. Contrary to our hypothesis, no statistically significant associations were detected between acculturation and plasma phospholipid fatty acids for Chinese, non-Mexican Hispanic, or Mexican participants. However, acculturation was related to dietary total n-6 fatty acids and dietary n-3/n-6 ratios in expected directions for Mexican, non-Mexican Hispanic, and combined Hispanic participants. In Chinese individuals, acculturation was unexpectedly associated with lower arachidonic acid intake. Absence of associations between acculturation and

  1. Plasma phospholipid pentadecanoic acid, EPA, and DHA, and the frequency of dairy and fish product intake in young children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicolai A. Lund-Blix

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: There is a lack of studies comparing dietary assessment methods with the biomarkers of fatty acids in children. Objective: The objective was to evaluate the suitability of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ to rank young children according to their intake of dairy and fish products by comparing food frequency estimates to the plasma phospholipid fatty acids pentadecanoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA. Design: Cross-sectional data for the present study were derived from the prospective cohort ‘Environmental Triggers of Type 1 Diabetes Study’. Infants were recruited from the Norwegian general population during 2001–2007. One hundred and ten (age 3–10 years children had sufficient volumes of plasma and FFQ filled in within 2 months from blood sampling and were included in this evaluation study. The quantitative determination of plasma phospholipid fatty acids was done by fatty acid methyl ester analysis. The association between the frequency of dairy and fish product intake and the plasma phospholipid fatty acids was assessed by a Spearman correlation analysis and by investigating whether participants were classified into the same quartiles of distribution. Results: Significant correlations were found between pentadecanoic acid and the intake frequency of total dairy products (r=0.29, total fat dairy products (r=0.39, and cheese products (r=0.36. EPA and DHA were significantly correlated with the intake frequency of oily fish (r=0.26 and 0.37, respectively and cod liver/fish oil supplements (r=0.47 for EPA and r=0.50 DHA. To a large extent, the FFQ was able to classify individuals into the same quartile as the relevant fatty acid biomarker. Conclusions: The present study suggests that, when using the plasma phospholipid fatty acids pentadecanoic acid, EPA, and DHA as biomarkers, the FFQ used in young children showed a moderate capability to rank the intake frequency of dairy products with a

  2. Plasma phospholipid pentadecanoic acid, EPA, and DHA, and the frequency of dairy and fish product intake in young children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lund-Blix, Nicolai A; Rønningen, Kjersti S; Bøås, Håkon; Tapia, German; Andersen, Lene F

    2016-01-01

    There is a lack of studies comparing dietary assessment methods with the biomarkers of fatty acids in children. The objective was to evaluate the suitability of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to rank young children according to their intake of dairy and fish products by comparing food frequency estimates to the plasma phospholipid fatty acids pentadecanoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Cross-sectional data for the present study were derived from the prospective cohort 'Environmental Triggers of Type 1 Diabetes Study'. Infants were recruited from the Norwegian general population during 2001-2007. One hundred and ten (age 3-10 years) children had sufficient volumes of plasma and FFQ filled in within 2 months from blood sampling and were included in this evaluation study. The quantitative determination of plasma phospholipid fatty acids was done by fatty acid methyl ester analysis. The association between the frequency of dairy and fish product intake and the plasma phospholipid fatty acids was assessed by a Spearman correlation analysis and by investigating whether participants were classified into the same quartiles of distribution. Significant correlations were found between pentadecanoic acid and the intake frequency of total dairy products (r=0.29), total fat dairy products (r=0.39), and cheese products (r=0.36). EPA and DHA were significantly correlated with the intake frequency of oily fish (r=0.26 and 0.37, respectively) and cod liver/fish oil supplements (r=0.47 for EPA and r=0.50 DHA). To a large extent, the FFQ was able to classify individuals into the same quartile as the relevant fatty acid biomarker. The present study suggests that, when using the plasma phospholipid fatty acids pentadecanoic acid, EPA, and DHA as biomarkers, the FFQ used in young children showed a moderate capability to rank the intake frequency of dairy products with a high-fat content and cod liver/fish oil supplements.

  3. The herpes simplex virus 1 U{sub S}3 regulates phospholipid synthesis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wild, Peter, E-mail: pewild@access.uzh.ch [Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Zuerich (Switzerland); Institute of Virology, University of Zuerich (Switzerland); Oliveira, Anna Paula de [Institute of Virology, University of Zuerich (Switzerland); Sonda, Sabrina [Institute for Parasitology, University of Zuerich (Switzerland); Schraner, Elisabeth M. [Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Zuerich (Switzerland); Institute of Virology, University of Zuerich (Switzerland); Ackermann, Mathias; Tobler, Kurt [Institute of Virology, University of Zuerich (Switzerland)

    2012-10-25

    Herpes simplex virus type 1 capsids bud at nuclear and Golgi membranes for envelopment by phospholipid bilayers. In the absence of U{sub S}3, nuclear membranes form multiple folds harboring virions that suggests disturbance in membrane turnover. Therefore, we investigated phospholipid metabolism in cells infected with the U{sub S}3 deletion mutant R7041({Delta}U{sub S}3), and quantified membranes involved in viral envelopment. We report that (i) [{sup 3}H]-choline incorporation into nuclear membranes and cytoplasmic membranes was enhanced peaking at 12 or 20 h post inoculation with wild type HSV-1 and R7041({Delta}U{sub S}3), respectively, (ii) the surface area of nuclear membranes increased until 24 h of R7041({Delta}U{sub S}3) infection forming folds that equaled {approx}45% of the nuclear surface, (iii) the surface area of viral envelopes between nuclear membranes equaled {approx}2400 R7041({Delta}U{sub S}3) virions per cell, and (iv) during R7041({Delta}U{sub S}3) infection, the Golgi complex expanded dramatically. The data indicate that U{sub S}3 plays a significant role in regulation of membrane biosynthesis.

  4. Phospholipid composition of cell-derived microparticles determined by one-dimensional high-performance thin-layer chromatography

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Weerheim, A. M.; Kolb, A. M.; Sturk, A.; Nieuwland, R.

    2002-01-01

    Microparticles in the circulation activate the coagulation system and may activate the complement system via C-reactive protein upon conversion of membrane phospholipids by phospholipases. We developed a sensitive and reproducible method to determine the phospholipid composition of microparticles.

  5. Glucose and fatty acid metabolism in normal and diabetic rabbit cerebral microvessels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hingorani, V.; Brecher, P.

    1987-01-01

    Rabbit cerebral microvessels were used to study fatty acid metabolism and its utilization relative to glucose. Microvessels were incubated with either [6- 14 C]glucose or [1- 14 C]oleic acid and the incorporation of radioactivity into 14 CO 2 , lactate, triglyceride, cholesterol ester, and phospholipid was determined. The inclusion of 5.5 mM glucose in the incubation mixture reduced oleate oxidation by 50% and increased esterification into both phospholipid and triglyceride. Glucose oxidation to CO 2 was reduced by oleate addition, whereas lactate production was unaffected. 2'-Tetradecylglycidic acid, an inhibitor of carnitine acyltransferase I, blocked oleic acid oxidation in the presence and absence of glucose. It did not effect fatty acid esterification when glucose was absent and eliminated the inhibition of oleate on glucose oxidation. Glucose oxidation to 14 CO 2 was markedly suppressed in microvessels from alloxan-treated diabetic rabbits but lactate formation was unchanged. Fatty acid oxidation to CO 2 and incorporation into triglyceride, phospholipid, and cholesterol ester remained unchanged in the diabetic state. The experiments show that both fatty acid and glucose can be used as a fuel source by the cerebral microvessels, and the interactions found between fatty acid and glucose metabolism are similar to the fatty acid-glucose cycle, described previously

  6. Evolution of phospholipid contents during the production of quark cheese from buttermilk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferreiro, T; Martínez, S; Gayoso, L; Rodríguez-Otero, J L

    2016-06-01

    We report the evolution of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylserine (PS), and sphingomyelin (SM) contents during the production of quark cheese from buttermilk by successive ultrafiltration concentration, enrichment with cream, concurrent homogenization and pasteurization, fermentative coagulation, and separation of quark from whey by further ultrafiltration. Buttermilk is richer than milk itself in phospholipids that afford desirable functional and technological properties, and is widely used in dairy products. To investigate how phospholipid content is affected by end-product production processes such as ultrafiltration, homogenization, pasteurization or coagulation, we measured the phospholipids at several stages of each of 5 industrial-scale quark cheese production runs. In each run, 10,000L of buttermilk was concentrated to half volume by ultrafiltration, enriched with cream, homogenized, pasteurized, inoculated with lactic acid bacteria, incubated to coagulation, and once more concentrated to half volume by ultrafiltration. Phospholipid contents were determined by HPLC with evaporative light scattering detection in the starting buttermilk, concentrated buttermilk, ultrafiltrate, cream-enriched concentrated buttermilk (both before and after concurrent homogenization and pasteurization), coagulate, and quark, and also in the rinsings obtained when the ultrafiltration equipment was washed following initial concentration. The average phospholipid content of buttermilk was approximately 5 times that of milk, and the phospholipid content of buttermilk fat 26 to 29 times that of milk fat. Although phospholipids did not cross ultrafiltration membranes, significant losses occurred during ultrafiltration (due to retention on the membranes) and during the homogenization and pasteurization process. During coagulation, however, phospholipid content rose, presumably as a consequence of the proliferation of the

  7. CD36 Protein Influences Myocardial Ca2+ Homeostasis and Phospholipid Metabolism CONDUCTION ANOMALIES IN CD36-DEFICIENT MICE DURING FASTING

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Pietka, T. A.; Sulkin, M.S.; Kuda, Ondřej; Wang, W.; Zhou, D.; Yamada, K. A.; Yang, K.; Su, X.; Gross, R. W.; Nerbonne, J. M.; Efimov, I. R.; Abumrad, N. A.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 287, č. 46 (2012), s. 38901-38912 ISSN 0021-9258 Institutional support: RVO:67985823 Keywords : calcium * cyclic AMP (cAMP) * heart * phospholipid * phospholipid metabolism * polyunsaturated fatty acids * CD36 deficiency * SERCA2a * sudden death Subject RIV: ED - Physiology Impact factor: 4.651, year: 2012

  8. Monte Carlo simulations of the distributions of intra- and extra-vesicular ions and membrane associated charges in hybrid liposomes composed of negatively charged tetraether and zwitterionic diester phospholipids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    István P. Sugár

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Here, we model a negatively charged lipid vesicle, composed of a mixture of bipolar tetraether and diester (or diether phospholipid molecules, by a spherical shell that has zero ion permeability. We take into consideration all the charge-charge interactions between intra-vesicular ions, extra-vesicular ions, and membrane lipid associated charges. Monte Carlo simulations result in homogeneous and double-exponential ion distribution, respectively, in the intra- and extra-vesicular space. The extra-vesicular ion concentration close to the membrane surface is proportional to the total amount of the membrane charges (Nm and is independent of the partitioning of the membrane charges between the outer (Nom and inner membrane (Nim surface. This result shows that one should not disregard the effect of the charges on the inner membrane surface when calculating the ion distributions around a charged vesicle. If the partitioning of the membrane charges is not restricted (i.e., lipid flip-flop is allowed, then at different Nm, the Nom/Nim ratio remains constant and the value of Nom/Nim, as a consequence of the interaction between every charges of the model, is close to, but significantly higher than, the ratio of the outer to the inner surface area of the membrane. These results indicate that the amount and the orientation of the negatively-charged tetraether lipids in the membrane are important determinants of membrane properties in tetraether/zwitterionic diester phospholipid liposomes. Finally we compared the results of our discrete charge model and continuous models based on the solutions of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation and pointed out qualitative similarities and sometimes major quantitative differences between these two types of models.

  9. Changes induced by gamma radiation in microsomal membranes of storage of garlic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perez, M.B.; Croci, C.A.; Aveldano, M.I.

    2003-01-01

    This study evaluates the effects of the radio inhibition process on garlic bulbs in terms of phase properties of microsomal membranes and their lipid and fatty acid composition. Garlic bulbs were irradiated with an average dose of 60 Gy of 60 Co gamma rays 30-40 days after harvest. The treatment was carried out in the facilities of the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA). Rough and smooth microsomal membranes were isolated by ultracentrifugation from tissues of irradiated and non-irradiated storage leaves. Wide angle X-ray diffractograms of both fractions were recorded along 270 days of storage. Lipids were separated by thin layer chromatography. The fatty acid composition of major lipid fractions was studied by gas-liquid chromatography. The diffractograms featured peaks at Bragg spacing of 4.15 Armstrong and 3.75 Armstrong, revealing the presence of a gel (crystalline) phase, while the characteristic peak of the liquid-crystalline phase (4.6 Armstrong) was not observed in both sorts of membranes. Irradiation was found to bring about modifications in the intensity of 4.15 Armstrong and 3.75 Armstrong peaks from smooth microsomal membranes, but not in the behaviour along the studied period. Data from the rough microsomal fraction were erratic. Parallel to these changes, radiation induced significant modifications in the level of smooth microsomal membrane triacylglycerols in relation to phospholipids and their fatty acids. These findings indicate that the storage leaf tissues of garlic are radiosensitive both in terms of physical and chemical properties of their microsomal membranes. From the practical point of view, these results could be the basis for the development of techniques to be applied to storage garlic to evaluate if it was irradiated. (author)

  10. Erythrocyte membrane fatty acids in benign and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Koch, M; Ramsaransing, GSM; Fokkema, MR; Heersema, DJ; De Keyser, J

    2006-01-01

    BACKGROUND: There is no good explanation why a proportion of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a relatively benign form of the disease. An imbalance between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (FA) might influence the disease course of MS. AIM: To assess whether the erythrocyte membrane

  11. Variations in daily intakes of myristic and alpha-linolenic acids in sn-2 position modify lipid profile and red blood cell membrane fluidity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dabadie, Henry; Motta, Claude; Peuchant, Evelyne; LeRuyet, Pascale; Mendy, François

    2006-08-01

    The present study evaluated the effects of moderate intakes of myristic acid (MA), at 1.2% and 1.8% of total energy (TE), associated with a 0.9% TE intake of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) on lipid and fatty acid profiles and red blood cell membrane fluidity. Twenty-nine monks without dyslipidaemia were enrolled in a 1-year nutritional study in which two experimental diets were tested for 3 months each: diet 1, MA 1.2 % and ALA 0.9%; diet 2, MA 1.8% and ALA 0.9%. A control diet (MA 1.2%, ALA 0.4%) was given 3 months before diets 1 and 2. Thus, two different levels of MA (1.2%, 1.8%) and ALA (0.4%, 0.9%) were tested. Intakes of other fatty acids were at recommended levels. Samples were obtained on completion of all three diets. For fluidity analysis, the red blood cells were labelled with 16-doxylstearate and the probe incorporated the membrane where relaxation-correlation time was calculated. Diet 1 was associated with a decrease in total cholesterol, in LDL-cholesterol, in triacylglycerols and in the ratio of total to HDL-cholesterol; ALA and EPA levels were increased in both phospholipids and cholesterol esters. Diet 2 was associated with a decrease in triacylglycerols and in the ratios of total to HDL-cholesterol and of triacylglycerols to HDL-cholesterol, and with an increase in HDL-cholesterol; EPA levels were decreased in phospholipids and cholesterol esters. Red blood cell membrane fluidity was increased in both diets (Pdiet 1, mainly in the oldest subjects. Intakes of myristic acid (1.2%TE) and ALA (0.9%TE), both mainly in the sn-2 position, were associated with favourable lipid and n-3 long-chain fatty acid profiles. These beneficial effects coexisted with particularly high membrane fluidity, especially among the oldest subjects.

  12. Finite element method (FEM) model of the mechanical stress on phospholipid membranes from shock waves produced in nanosecond electric pulses (nsEP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnes, Ronald; Roth, Caleb C.; Shadaram, Mehdi; Beier, Hope; Ibey, Bennett L.

    2015-03-01

    The underlying mechanism(s) responsible for nanoporation of phospholipid membranes by nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsEP) remains unknown. The passage of a high electric field through a conductive medium creates two primary contributing factors that may induce poration: the electric field interaction at the membrane and the shockwave produced from electrostriction of a polar submersion medium exposed to an electric field. Previous work has focused on the electric field interaction at the cell membrane, through such models as the transport lattice method. Our objective is to model the shock wave cell membrane interaction induced from the density perturbation formed at the rising edge of a high voltage pulse in a polar liquid resulting in a shock wave propagating away from the electrode toward the cell membrane. Utilizing previous data from cell membrane mechanical parameters, and nsEP generated shockwave parameters, an acoustic shock wave model based on the Helmholtz equation for sound pressure was developed and coupled to a cell membrane model with finite-element modeling in COMSOL. The acoustic structure interaction model was developed to illustrate the harmonic membrane displacements and stresses resulting from shockwave and membrane interaction based on Hooke's law. Poration is predicted by utilizing membrane mechanical breakdown parameters including cortical stress limits and hydrostatic pressure gradients.

  13. Impact of the β-Lactam Resistance Modifier (−-Epicatechin Gallate on the Non-Random Distribution of Phospholipids across the Cytoplasmic Membrane of Staphylococcus aureus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helena Rosado

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The polyphenol (−-epicatechin gallate (ECg inserts into the cytoplasmic membrane (CM of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA and reversibly abrogates resistance to β-lactam antibiotics. ECg elicits an increase in MRSA cell size and induces thickened cell walls. As ECg partially delocalizes penicillin-binding protein PBP2 from the septal division site, reduces PBP2 and PBP2a complexation and induces CM remodelling, we examined the impact of ECg membrane intercalation on phospholipid distribution across the CM and determined if ECg affects the equatorial, orthogonal mode of division. The major phospholipids of the staphylococcal CM, lysylphosphatidylglycerol (LPG, phosphatidylglycerol (PG, and cardiolipin (CL, were distributed in highly asymmetric fashion; 95%–97% of LPG was associated with the inner leaflet whereas PG (~90% and CL (~80% were found predominantly in the outer leaflet. ECg elicited small, significant changes in LPG distribution. Atomic force microscopy established that ECg-exposed cells divided in similar fashion to control bacteria, with a thickened band of encircling peptidoglycan representing the most recent plane of cell division, less distinct ribs indicative of previous sites of orthogonal division and concentric rings and “knobbles” representing stages of peptidoglycan remodelling during the cell cycle. Preservation of staphylococcal membrane lipid asymmetry and mode of division in sequential orthogonal planes appear key features of ECg-induced stress.

  14. Atomic resolution view into the structure–function relationships of the human myelin peripheral membrane protein P2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruskamo, Salla [University of Oulu, Oulu (Finland); University of Oulu, Oulu (Finland); Yadav, Ravi P. [Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (India); Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (CSSB-HZI), German Electron Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Sharma, Satyan; Lehtimäki, Mari [University of Oulu, Oulu (Finland); University of Oulu, Oulu (Finland); Laulumaa, Saara [University of Oulu, Oulu (Finland); University of Oulu, Oulu (Finland); Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (CSSB-HZI), German Electron Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Aggarwal, Shweta; Simons, Mikael [Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen (Germany); Bürck, Jochen; Ulrich, Anne S. [Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe (Germany); Juffer, André H. [University of Oulu, Oulu (Finland); University of Oulu, Oulu (Finland); Kursula, Inari [University of Oulu, Oulu (Finland); Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (CSSB-HZI), German Electron Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Kursula, Petri, E-mail: petri.kursula@oulu.fi [University of Oulu, Oulu (Finland); University of Oulu, Oulu (Finland); Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (CSSB-HZI), German Electron Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); University of Hamburg, Hamburg (Germany)

    2014-01-01

    The structure of the human myelin peripheral membrane protein P2 has been refined at 0.93 Å resolution. In combination with functional experiments in vitro, in vivo and in silico, the fine details of the structure–function relationships in P2 are emerging. P2 is a fatty acid-binding protein expressed in vertebrate peripheral nerve myelin, where it may function in bilayer stacking and lipid transport. P2 binds to phospholipid membranes through its positively charged surface and a hydrophobic tip, and accommodates fatty acids inside its barrel structure. The structure of human P2 refined at the ultrahigh resolution of 0.93 Å allows detailed structural analyses, including the full organization of an internal hydrogen-bonding network. The orientation of the bound fatty-acid carboxyl group is linked to the protonation states of two coordinating arginine residues. An anion-binding site in the portal region is suggested to be relevant for membrane interactions and conformational changes. When bound to membrane multilayers, P2 has a preferred orientation and is stabilized, and the repeat distance indicates a single layer of P2 between membranes. Simulations show the formation of a double bilayer in the presence of P2, and in cultured cells wild-type P2 induces membrane-domain formation. Here, the most accurate structural and functional view to date on P2, a major component of peripheral nerve myelin, is presented, showing how it can interact with two membranes simultaneously while going through conformational changes at its portal region enabling ligand transfer.

  15. Analysis of the induction of the myelin basic protein binding to the plasma membrane phospholipid monolayer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Lei; Hao Changchun; Feng Ying; Gao Feng; Lu Xiaolong; Li Junhua; Sun Runguang

    2016-01-01

    Myelin basic protein (MBP) is an essential structure involved in the generation of central nervous system (CNS) myelin. Myelin shape has been described as liquid crystal structure of biological membrane. The interactions of MBP with monolayers of different lipid compositions are responsible for the multi-lamellar structure and stability of myelin. In this paper, we have designed MBP-incorporated model lipid monolayers and studied the phase behavior of MBP adsorbed on the plasma membrane at the air/water interface by thermodynamic method and atomic force microscopy (AFM). By analyzing the pressure–area ( π – A ) and pressure–time ( π – T ) isotherms, univariate linear regression equation was obtained. In addition, the elastic modulus, surface pressure increase, maximal insertion pressure, and synergy factor of monolayers were detected. These parameters can be used to modulate the monolayers binding of protein, and the results show that MBP has the strongest affinity for 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3- phosphoserine (DPPS) monolayer, followed by DPPC/DPPS mixed and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-choline (DPPC) monolayers via electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. AFM images of DPPS and DPPC/DPPS mixed monolayers in the presence of MBP (5 nM) show a phase separation texture at the surface pressure of 20 mN/m and the incorporation of MBP put into the DPPC monolayers has exerted a significant effect on the domain structure. MBP is not an integral membrane protein but, due to its positive charge, interacts with the lipid head groups and stabilizes the membranes. The interaction between MBP and phospholipid membrane to determine the nervous system of the disease has a good biophysical significance and medical value. (special topic)

  16. Adsorption of GST-PI3Kγ at the Air-Buffer Interface and at Substrate and Nonsubstrate Phospholipid Monolayers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hermelink, Antje; Kirsch, Cornelia; Klinger, Reinhard; Reiter, Gerald; Brezesinski, Gerald

    2009-01-01

    The recruitment of phosphoinositide 3-kinase γ (PI3Kγ) to the cell membrane is a crucial requirement for the initiation of inflammation cascades by second-messenger production. In addition to identifying other regulation pathways, it has been found that PI3Kγ is able to bind phospholipids directly. In this study, the adsorption behavior of glutathione S-transferase (GST)-PI3Kγ to nonsubstrate model phospholipids, as well as to commercially available substrate inositol phospholipids (phosphoinositides), was investigated by use of infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS). The nonsubstrate phospholipid monolayers also yielded important information about structural requirements for protein adsorption. The enzyme did not interact with condensed zwitterionic or anionic monolayers; however, it could penetrate into uncompressed fluid monolayers. Compression to values above its equilibrium pressure led to a squeezing out and desorption of the protein. Protein affinity for the monolayer surface increased considerably when the lipid had an anionic headgroup and contained an arachidonoyl fatty acyl chain in sn-2 position. Similar results on a much higher level were observed with substrate phosphoinositides. No structural response of GST-PI3Kγ to lipid interaction was detected by IRRAS. On the other hand, protein adsorption caused a condensing effect in phosphoinositide monolayers. In addition, the protein reduced the charge density at the interface probably by shifting the pK values of the phosphate groups attached to the inositol headgroups. Because of their strongly polar headgroups, an interaction of the inositides with the water molecules of the subphase can be expected. This interaction is disturbed by protein adsorption, causing the ionization state of the phosphates to change. PMID:19186139

  17. Adsorption of GST-PI3Kgamma at the air-buffer interface and at substrate and nonsubstrate phospholipid monolayers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hermelink, Antje; Kirsch, Cornelia; Klinger, Reinhard; Reiter, Gerald; Brezesinski, Gerald

    2009-02-01

    The recruitment of phosphoinositide 3-kinase gamma (PI3Kgamma) to the cell membrane is a crucial requirement for the initiation of inflammation cascades by second-messenger production. In addition to identifying other regulation pathways, it has been found that PI3Kgamma is able to bind phospholipids directly. In this study, the adsorption behavior of glutathione S-transferase (GST)-PI3Kgamma to nonsubstrate model phospholipids, as well as to commercially available substrate inositol phospholipids (phosphoinositides), was investigated by use of infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS). The nonsubstrate phospholipid monolayers also yielded important information about structural requirements for protein adsorption. The enzyme did not interact with condensed zwitterionic or anionic monolayers; however, it could penetrate into uncompressed fluid monolayers. Compression to values above its equilibrium pressure led to a squeezing out and desorption of the protein. Protein affinity for the monolayer surface increased considerably when the lipid had an anionic headgroup and contained an arachidonoyl fatty acyl chain in sn-2 position. Similar results on a much higher level were observed with substrate phosphoinositides. No structural response of GST-PI3Kgamma to lipid interaction was detected by IRRAS. On the other hand, protein adsorption caused a condensing effect in phosphoinositide monolayers. In addition, the protein reduced the charge density at the interface probably by shifting the pK values of the phosphate groups attached to the inositol headgroups. Because of their strongly polar headgroups, an interaction of the inositides with the water molecules of the subphase can be expected. This interaction is disturbed by protein adsorption, causing the ionization state of the phosphates to change.

  18. Sea cucumber and blue mussel: new sources of phospholipid enriched omega-3 fatty acids with a potential role in 3T3-L1 adipocyte metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaidya, Hitesh; Cheema, Sukhinder K

    2014-12-01

    Omega (n)-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), namely docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), are known to reduce the risk of insulin resistance and ameliorate obesity-associated disorders. DHA and EPA structured in the phospholipid form possess superior biological effects compared to the triglyceride form available in fish oil. In this study, we have found that sea cucumber (SC) and blue mussel (BM) from Newfoundland and Labrador are rich sources of n-3 PUFA structured in the phospholipid form. Treatment with SC and BM methanolic extracts (250 and 100 μg mL(-1), respectively) significantly (p triglyceride accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, along with an increase in the mRNA expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (37 and 39%, respectively) and adiponectin (57 and 56%, respectively) compared with control cells (p triglyceride accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells as opposed to an increase in triglyceride accumulation at lower concentrations. This was due to inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase-1 and SREBP-1 mRNA expression compared to control cells (p triglyceride accumulation at higher concentrations is not due to breakdown and release of fat. This is the first report to show that SC and BM are new sources of phospholipid bonded n-3 PUFA, with the potential to target insulin resistance and obesity.

  19. Ice formation in model biological membranes in the presence of cryoprotectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kiselev, M.A. E-mail: kiselev@nf.jinr.ru; Lesieur, P.; Kisselev, A.M.; Ollivon, M

    2000-06-21

    Ice formation in model biological membranes is studied by SAXS and WAXS in the presence of cryoprotectors: dimethyl sulfoxide and glycerol. Three types of phospholipid membranes: DPPC, DMPC, DSPC are chosen for the investigation as well-studied model biological membranes. A special cryostat is used for sample cooling from 14.1 deg. C to -55.4 deg. C. The ice formation is detected only by WAXS in binary phospholipid/water and ternary phospholipid/cryoprotector/water systems in the condition of excess solvent. Ice formation in a binary phospholipid/water system creates an abrupt decrease of the membrane repeat distance by {delta}d, the so-called ice-induced dehydration of intermembrane space. The value of {delta}d decreases as the cryoprotector concentration increases. The formation of ice does not influence the membrane structure ({delta}d=0) for cryoprotector mole fractions higher than 0.05.

  20. Membrane fatty acid composition and fluidity are involved in the resistance to freezing of Lactobacillus buchneri R1102 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Louesdon, Séverine; Charlot-Rougé, Séverine; Tourdot-Maréchal, Raphaëlle; Bouix, Marielle; Béal, Catherine

    2015-03-01

    Determinations of membrane fatty acid composition and fluidity were used together with acidification activity and viability measurements to characterize the physiological state after freezing of Lactobacillus buchneri R1102 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175 cells harvested in the exponential and stationary growth phases. For both strains, lower membrane fluidity was achieved in cells harvested in the stationary growth phase. This change was linked to a lower unsaturated-to-saturated fatty acid ratio for both strains and a higher cyclic-to-saturated fatty acid ratio for L. buchneri R1102 alone. These membrane properties were linked to survival and to maintenance of acidification activity of the cells after freezing, which differed according to the strain and the growth phase. Survival of B. longum R0175 was increased by 10% in cells with low membrane fluidity and high relative saturated fatty acid contents, without any change in acidification activity. Acidification activity was more degraded (70 min) in L. buchneri R1102 cells displaying low membrane fluidity and high saturated and cyclic fatty acid levels. Finally, this study showed that membrane modifications induced by the growth phase differed among bacterial strains in terms of composition. By lowering membrane fluidity, these modifications could be beneficial for survival of B. longum R0175 during the freezing process but detrimental for maintenance of acidification activity of L. buchneri R1102. © 2014 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

  1. Homology modeling and docking studies of a Δ9-fatty acid desaturase from a Cold-tolerant Pseudomonas sp. AMS8

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lawal Garba

    2018-03-01

    , which constitute the active site of the enzyme. The results obtained are in compliance with the in vivo activity of the Δ9-fatty acid desaturase on the membrane phospholipids.

  2. Effects of dietary supplementation with eicosapentaenoic acid or gamma-linolenic acid on neutrophil phospholipid fatty acid composition and activation responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fletcher, M P; Ziboh, V A

    1990-10-01

    Previous data that alimentation with fish oil rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:n-3) or vegetable oil rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA; 18:3n-6) can reduce symptoms of inflammatory skin disorders lead us to determine the effects of dietary supplements of oils rich in EPA or GLA on guinea pig (GP) neutrophil (PMN) membrane potential (delta gamma), secretion, and superoxide (O2-) responses. Weanling GPs were initially fed diets supplemented with olive oil (less than 0.1% EPA; less than 0.1% GLA) for 2 weeks, followed by a crossover by two sets of animals to diets supplemented with fish oil (19% EPA) or borage oil (25% GLA). At 4-week intervals, 12% sterile casein-elicited peritoneal neutrophils (PMN) were assessed for membrane polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) profiles and FMLP-, LTB4-, and PMA-stimulated delta gamma changes, changes in flow cytometrically measured forward scatter (FWD-SC) (shape change), 90 degrees scatter (90 degrees -SC) in cytochalasin B-pretreated-PMN (secretion response), and superoxide responses, GP incorporated EPA and GLA (as the elongation product, dihomo-GLA or DGLA) into their PMN phospholipids by 4 weeks. The peritoneal PMN of all groups demonstrated broad resting FWD-SC and poor activation-related FWD-SC increases, suggesting in vivo activation. While secretion was comparable in the three groups in response to FMLP, there was a trend toward inhibition of LTB4-stimulated 90 degrees -SC loss in both fish and borage oil groups. This was significant only with borage oil (21.7 +/- 2.1 vs 15.3 +/- 1.2% loss of baseline 90 degrees -SC, olive vs borage: P = 0.03). PMN from borage- and fish oil-fed GPs showed a progressively lower O2- response to FMLP than the olive oil group (73.9 +/- 3.9 and 42.9 +/- 6.8% of olive oil response for borage and fish oils, respectively; P less than 0.005 and P less than 0.01, respectively, at 12 weeks), while PMA-stimulated O2- was inhibited only in the fish oil-fed group and only at 12 weeks (62.0 +/- 2

  3. Association of Plasma Phospholipid n-3 and n-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids with Type 2 Diabetes: The EPIC-InterAct Case-Cohort Study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nita G Forouhi

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Whether and how n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs are related to type 2 diabetes (T2D is debated. Objectively measured plasma PUFAs can help to clarify these associations.Plasma phospholipid PUFAs were measured by gas chromatography among 12,132 incident T2D cases and 15,919 subcohort participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-InterAct study across eight European countries. Country-specific hazard ratios (HRs were estimated using Prentice-weighted Cox regression and pooled by random-effects meta-analysis. We also systematically reviewed published prospective studies on circulating PUFAs and T2D risk and pooled the quantitative evidence for comparison with results from EPIC-InterAct. In EPIC-InterAct, among long-chain n-3 PUFAs, α-linolenic acid (ALA was inversely associated with T2D (HR per standard deviation [SD] 0.93; 95% CI 0.88-0.98, but eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA were not significantly associated. Among n-6 PUFAs, linoleic acid (LA (0.80; 95% CI 0.77-0.83 and eicosadienoic acid (EDA (0.89; 95% CI 0.85-0.94 were inversely related, and arachidonic acid (AA was not significantly associated, while significant positive associations were observed with γ-linolenic acid (GLA, dihomo-GLA, docosatetraenoic acid (DTA, and docosapentaenoic acid (n6-DPA, with HRs between 1.13 to 1.46 per SD. These findings from EPIC-InterAct were broadly similar to comparative findings from summary estimates from up to nine studies including between 71 to 2,499 T2D cases. Limitations included potential residual confounding and the inability to distinguish between dietary and metabolic influences on plasma phospholipid PUFAs.These large-scale findings suggest an important inverse association of circulating plant-origin n-3 PUFA (ALA but no convincing association of marine-derived n3 PUFAs (EPA and DHA with T2D. Moreover, they highlight that the most abundant n6-PUFA (LA is inversely

  4. Optimization of bicelle lipid composition and temperature for EPR spectroscopy of aligned membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCaffrey, Jesse E; James, Zachary M; Thomas, David D

    2015-01-01

    We have optimized the magnetic alignment of phospholipid bilayered micelles (bicelles) for EPR spectroscopy, by varying lipid composition and temperature. Bicelles have been extensively used in NMR spectroscopy for several decades, in order to obtain aligned samples in a near-native membrane environment and take advantage of the intrinsic sensitivity of magnetic resonance to molecular orientation. Recently, bicelles have also seen increasing use in EPR, which offers superior sensitivity and orientational resolution. However, the low magnetic field strength (less than 1 T) of most conventional EPR spectrometers results in homogeneously oriented bicelles only at a temperature well above physiological. To optimize bicelle composition for magnetic alignment at reduced temperature, we prepared bicelles containing varying ratios of saturated (DMPC) and unsaturated (POPC) phospholipids, using EPR spectra of a spin-labeled fatty acid to assess alignment as a function of lipid composition and temperature. Spectral analysis showed that bicelles containing an equimolar mixture of DMPC and POPC homogeneously align at 298 K, 20 K lower than conventional DMPC-only bicelles. It is now possible to perform EPR studies of membrane protein structure and dynamics in well-aligned bicelles at physiological temperatures and below. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Phospholipid Complex Technique for Superior Bioavailability of Phytoconstituents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kattamanchi Gnananath

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Phytoconstituents have been utilized as medicines for thousands of years, yet their application is limited owing to major hurdles like deficit lipid solubility, large molecular size and degradation in the gastric environment of gut. Recently, phospholipid-complex technique has unveiled in addressing these stumbling blocks either by enhancing the solubilizing capacity or its potentiating ability to pass through the biological membranes and it also protects the active herbal components from degradation. Hence, this phospholipid-complex-technique can enable researchers to deliver the phytoconstituents into systemic circulation by using certain conventional dosage forms like tablets and capsules. This review highlights the unique property of phospholipids in drug delivery, their role as adjuvant in health benefits, and their application in the herbal medicine systems to improve the bioavailability of active herbal components. Also we summarize the prerequisites for phytosomes preparation like the selection of type of phytoconstituents, solvents used, various methods employed in phytosomal preparation and its characterization. Further we discuss the key findings of recent research work conducted on phospholipid-based delivery systems which can enable new directions and advancements to the development of herbal dosage forms.

  6. Diet fat alters synaptosomal phosphatidylethanolaminemethyl-transferase activity and phosphatidylcholine synthesis in brain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hargreaves, K.M.; Clandinin, M.T.

    1986-01-01

    Phosphatidylcholine (PC) can be synthesized via three routes, each having potentially different metabolic fates. One route for PC synthesis is methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). To examine if dietary fat affects membrane PE composition and phosphatidylethanolaminemethyltransferase (PEMT) activity, male weanling rats were fed semi-purified diets containing 20% (w/w) fat of differing fatty acid composition for 24 days. Microsomal and synaptic plasma membranes were isolated and phospholipid composition analyzed. PEMT activity was measured by incorporation of the methyl group from 3 H-S-adenosylmethionine into PE. Polyunsaturated diets high in omega 6 fatty acids produce a high ratio of omega 6/omega 3 fatty acids in synaptic plasma membranes. Dietary omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acid levels are reflected in membrane phospholipid content of 22:6(3), 20:4(6), 22:4(6) and 22:5(6). Diet-induced increase in these longer chain homologues of omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids and a high ratio of omega 6/omega 3 fatty acids in PE are both associated with increased PEMT activity. These results suggest that diet-fat induced change in fatty acid composition of membrane PE results in transition in PEMT activity and synthesis of PC in brain, by providing preferred species of PE for methylation

  7. Changes in cholesterol content and fatty acid composition of serum lipid in irradiated rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohashi, Shigeru

    1979-01-01

    The effect of a single dose of whole body irradiation on the serum cholesterol content and fatty acid composition of serum lipids in rats was investigated. A change in the fatty acid composition of liver lipids was also observed. After 600 rad of irradiation, the cholesterol content increased, reached a maximum 3 days after irradiation, and then decreased. After irradiation, an increase in cholesterol content and a marked decrease in triglyceride content were observed, bringing about a change in the amount of total serum lipids. The fatty acid compositions of normal and irradiated rat sera were compared. The relative percentages of palmitic and oleic acids in total lipids decreased while those of stearic and arachidonic acids increased. Serum triglyceride had trace amounts of arachidonic acid and the unsaturated fatty acid component decreased after irradiation. On the other hand, unsaturated fatty acid in cholesterol ester increased after irradiation, while linoleic and arachidonic acids made up 29% and 22% in the controls and 17% and 61% after irradiation, respectively. The fatty acid composition of total liver lipids after irradiation showed a decrease in palmitic and oleic acids and an increase in stearic and arachidonic acids, the same trend as observed in serum lipid fatty acid. Liver cholesterol ester showed trace amounts of linoleic and arachidonic acids and an increase in short-chain fatty acid after irradiation. The major component of serum phospholipids was phosphatidylcholine while palmitostearyl lecithine and unsaturated fatty acid were minor components. Moreover, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine were the major components of liver phospholipids, having highly unsaturated fatty acids. The changes in fatty acid composition were similar to the changes in total phospholipids. (J.P.N.)

  8. An averaged polarizable potential for multiscale modeling in phospholipid membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Witzke, Sarah; List, Nanna Holmgaard; Olsen, Jógvan Magnus Haugaard

    2017-01-01

    A set of average atom-centered charges and polarizabilities has been developed for three types of phospholipids for use in polarizable embedding calculations. The lipids investigated are 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, and 1-palmitoyl...

  9. Unique honey bee (Apis mellifera hive component-based communities as detected by a hybrid of phospholipid fatty-acid and fatty-acid methyl ester analyses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kirk J Grubbs

    Full Text Available Microbial communities (microbiomes are associated with almost all metazoans, including the honey bee Apis mellifera. Honey bees are social insects, maintaining complex hive systems composed of a variety of integral components including bees, comb, propolis, honey, and stored pollen. Given that the different components within hives can be physically separated and are nutritionally variable, we hypothesize that unique microbial communities may occur within the different microenvironments of honey bee colonies. To explore this hypothesis and to provide further insights into the microbiome of honey bees, we use a hybrid of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME and phospholipid-derived fatty acid (PLFA analysis to produce broad, lipid-based microbial community profiles of stored pollen, adults, pupae, honey, empty comb, and propolis for 11 honey bee hives. Averaging component lipid profiles by hive, we show that, in decreasing order, lipid markers representing fungi, Gram-negative bacteria, and Gram-positive bacteria have the highest relative abundances within honey bee colonies. Our lipid profiles reveal the presence of viable microbial communities in each of the six hive components sampled, with overall microbial community richness varying from lowest to highest in honey, comb, pupae, pollen, adults and propolis, respectively. Finally, microbial community lipid profiles were more similar when compared by component than by hive, location, or sampling year. Specifically, we found that individual hive components typically exhibited several dominant lipids and that these dominant lipids differ between components. Principal component and two-way clustering analyses both support significant grouping of lipids by hive component. Our findings indicate that in addition to the microbial communities present in individual workers, honey bee hives have resident microbial communities associated with different colony components.

  10. Unique honey bee (Apis mellifera) hive component-based communities as detected by a hybrid of phospholipid fatty-acid and fatty-acid methyl ester analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grubbs, Kirk J; Scott, Jarrod J; Budsberg, Kevin J; Read, Harry; Balser, Teri C; Currie, Cameron R

    2015-01-01

    Microbial communities (microbiomes) are associated with almost all metazoans, including the honey bee Apis mellifera. Honey bees are social insects, maintaining complex hive systems composed of a variety of integral components including bees, comb, propolis, honey, and stored pollen. Given that the different components within hives can be physically separated and are nutritionally variable, we hypothesize that unique microbial communities may occur within the different microenvironments of honey bee colonies. To explore this hypothesis and to provide further insights into the microbiome of honey bees, we use a hybrid of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and phospholipid-derived fatty acid (PLFA) analysis to produce broad, lipid-based microbial community profiles of stored pollen, adults, pupae, honey, empty comb, and propolis for 11 honey bee hives. Averaging component lipid profiles by hive, we show that, in decreasing order, lipid markers representing fungi, Gram-negative bacteria, and Gram-positive bacteria have the highest relative abundances within honey bee colonies. Our lipid profiles reveal the presence of viable microbial communities in each of the six hive components sampled, with overall microbial community richness varying from lowest to highest in honey, comb, pupae, pollen, adults and propolis, respectively. Finally, microbial community lipid profiles were more similar when compared by component than by hive, location, or sampling year. Specifically, we found that individual hive components typically exhibited several dominant lipids and that these dominant lipids differ between components. Principal component and two-way clustering analyses both support significant grouping of lipids by hive component. Our findings indicate that in addition to the microbial communities present in individual workers, honey bee hives have resident microbial communities associated with different colony components.

  11. Erythrocyte levels compared with reported dietary intake of marine n-3 fatty acids in pregnant women

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, S.F.; Hansen, H.S.; Sandstrom, B.

    1995-01-01

    It is well established that marine n-3 fatty acids measured in erythrocyte phospholipids of non-pregnant subjects reflect the subjects' intake of these fatty acids. In 135 pregnant women in the 30th week of gestation we compared intake of marine n-3 fatty acids and energy, estimated by a combined...... dietary self- administered questionnaire and interview, with fatty acids measured in erythrocyte phospholipids. Daily intake (g/d) and nutrient density of marine n-3 fatty acids (mg/MJ) correlated with the n-3 fatty acid: arachidonic acid ratio (FA-ratio) with correlation coefficients of 0.48 and 0.......54 respectively. In a linear regression model with three frequency questions about marine sandwiches, marine cooked meals and fish oil as explanatory variables, and the FA-ratio as dependent variable, the multiple correlation coefficient was 0.46. Conclusions from the study were (1) levels of erythrocyte fatty...

  12. Erythrocyte levels compared with reported dietary intake of marine n-3 fatty acids in pregnant women

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, S.F.; Hansen, Harald S.; Sandstrom, B.

    1995-01-01

    It is web established that marine n-3 fatty acids measured in erythrocyte phospholipids of non-pregnant subjects reflect the subjects' intake of these fatty acids. In 135 pregnant women in the 30th week of gestation we compared intake of marine n-3 fatty acids and energy, estimated by a combined...... dietary self-administered questionnaire and interview, with fatty acids measured in erythrocyte phospholipids. Daily intake (g/d) and nutrient density of marine n-3 fatty acids (mg/MJ) correlated with the n-3 fatty acid: arachidonic acid ratio (FA-ratio) with correlation coefficients of 0.48 and 0.......54 respectively. In a linear regression model with three frequency questions about marine sandwiches, marine cooked meals and fish oil as explanatory variables, and the FA-ratio as dependent variable, the multiple correlation coefficient was 0.46. Conclusions from the study were (1) levels of erythrocyte fatty...

  13. Osmoregulation of chloride channels in epithelial cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    C.H. Lim (Christina)

    2008-01-01

    markdownabstract__Abstract__ The plasma membrane of mammalian cells is formed by two layers of lipids (lipid bilayer), primarily phospholipids, glycolipids and cholesterol, in which many different proteins are embedded. Phospholipid consists of a glycerol backbone esterified to fatty acids

  14. Effects of flaxseed oil on anti-oxidative system and membrane deformation of human peripheral blood erythrocytes in high glucose level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Wei; Fu, Juan; Yu, Miao; Huang, Qingde; Wang, Di; Xu, Jiqu; Deng, Qianchun; Yao, Ping; Huang, Fenghong; Liu, Liegang

    2012-07-08

    The erythrocyte membrane lesion is a serious diabetic complication. A number of studies suggested that n-3 fatty acid could reduce lipid peroxidation and elevate α- or γ-tocopherol contents in membrane of erythrocytes. However, evidence regarding the protective effects of flaxseed oil, a natural product rich in n-3 fatty acid, on lipid peroxidation, antioxidative capacity and membrane deformation of erythrocytes exposed to high glucose is limited. Human peripheral blood erythrocytes were isolated and treated with 50 mM glucose to mimic hyperglycemia in the absence or presence of three different doses of flaxseed oil (50, 100 or 200 μM) in the culture medium for 24 h. The malondialdehyde (MDA) and L-glutathione (GSH) were measured by HPLC and LC/MS respectively. The phospholipids symmetry and membrane fatty acid composition of human erythrocytes were detected by flow cytometry and gas chromatograph (GC). The morphology of human erythrocyte was illuminated by ultra scanning electron microscopy. Flaxseed oil attenuated hyperglycemia-induced increase of MDA and decrease of GSH in human erythrocytes. Human erythrocytes treated with flaxseed oil contained higher C22:5 and C22:6 than those in the 50 mM glucose control group, indicating that flaxseed oil could reduce lipid asymmetric distribution and membrane perturbation. The ultra scanning electron microscopy and flow cytometer have also indicated that flaxseed oil could protect the membrane of human erythrocytes from deformation at high glucose level. The flaxseed oil supplementation may prevent lipid peroxidation and membrane dysfunction of human erythrocytes in hyperglycemia.

  15. Membrane re-modelling by BAR domain superfamily proteins via molecular and non-molecular factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishimura, Tamako; Morone, Nobuhiro; Suetsugu, Shiro

    2018-04-17

    Lipid membranes are structural components of cell surfaces and intracellular organelles. Alterations in lipid membrane shape are accompanied by numerous cellular functions, including endocytosis, intracellular transport, and cell migration. Proteins containing Bin-Amphiphysin-Rvs (BAR) domains (BAR proteins) are unique, because their structures correspond to the membrane curvature, that is, the shape of the lipid membrane. BAR proteins present at high concentration determine the shape of the membrane, because BAR domain oligomers function as scaffolds that mould the membrane. BAR proteins co-operate with various molecular and non-molecular factors. The molecular factors include cytoskeletal proteins such as the regulators of actin filaments and the membrane scission protein dynamin. Lipid composition, including saturated or unsaturated fatty acid tails of phospholipids, also affects the ability of BAR proteins to mould the membrane. Non-molecular factors include the external physical forces applied to the membrane, such as tension and friction. In this mini-review, we will discuss how the BAR proteins orchestrate membrane dynamics together with various molecular and non-molecular factors. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

  16. Circulating Phospholipid Patterns in NAFLD Patients Associated with a Combination of Metabolic Risk Factors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shilpa Tiwari-Heckler

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD is associated with inefficient macro- and micronutrient metabolism, and alteration of circulating phospholipid compositions defines the signature of NAFLD. This current study aimed to assess the pattern of serum phospholipids in the spectrum of NAFLD, and its related comorbidities and genetic modifications. Methods: 97 patients with diagnosed NAFLD were recruited at a single center during 2013–2016. Based on histological and transient elastography assessment, 69 patients were divided into non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH and non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL subgroups. 28 patients served as healthy controls. Serum phospholipids were determined by liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS. Results: The total content of phosphatidylcholine (PC and sphingomyelin in the serum was significantly increased in NAFL and NASH patients, compared to healthy controls. In addition, serum lysophospatidylethanolamine levels were significantly decreased in NAFL and NASH individuals. Circulating PC species, containing linoleic and α-linolenic acids, were markedly increased in NAFLD patients with hypertension, compared to NAFLD patients without hypertension. The pattern of phospholipids did not differ between NAFLD patients with diabetes and those without diabetes. However, NAFLD patients with hyperglycemia (blood glucose level (BGL >100 mg/dL exhibited significantly a higher amount of monounsaturated phosphatidylethanolamine than those with low blood glucose levels. In addition, NAFLD patients with proven GG-genotype of PNPLA3, who were at higher risk for the development of progressive disease with fibrosis, showed lower levels of circulating plasmalogens, especially 16:0, compared to those with CC- and CG-allele. Conclusions: Our extended lipidomic study presents a unique metabolic profile of circulating phospholipids associated with the presence of metabolic risk factors or the genetic background

  17. Mechanisms of n-3 fatty acid-mediated development and maintenance of learning memory performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Hui-Min

    2010-05-01

    Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) is specifically enriched in the brain and mainly anchored in the neuronal membrane, where it is involved in the maintenance of normal neurological function. Most DHA accumulation in the brain takes place during brain development in the perinatal period. However, hippocampal DHA levels decrease with age and in the brain disorder Alzheimer's disease (AD), and this decrease is associated with reduced hippocampal-dependent spatial learning memory ability. A potential mechanism is proposed by which the n-3 fatty acids DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) aid the development and maintenance of spatial learning memory performance. The developing brain or hippocampal neurons can synthesize and take up DHA and incorporate it into membrane phospholipids, especially phosphatidylethanolamine, resulting in enhanced neurite outgrowth, synaptogenesis and neurogenesis. Exposure to n-3 fatty acids enhances synaptic plasticity by increasing long-term potentiation and synaptic protein expression to increase the dendritic spine density, number of c-Fos-positive neurons and neurogenesis in the hippocampus for learning memory processing. In aged rats, n-3 fatty acid supplementation reverses age-related changes and maintains learning memory performance. n-3 fatty acids have anti-oxidative stress, anti-inflammation, and anti-apoptosis effects, leading to neuron protection in the aged, damaged, and AD brain. Retinoid signaling may be involved in the effects of DHA on learning memory performance. Estrogen has similar effects to n-3 fatty acids on hippocampal function. It would be interesting to know if there is any interaction between DHA and estrogen so as to provide a better strategy for the development and maintenance of learning memory. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Effect of Different Phospholipids on α-Secretase Activity in the Non-Amyloidogenic Pathway of Alzheimer’s Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grimm, Marcus O. W.; Haupenthal, Viola J.; Rothhaar, Tatjana L.; Zimmer, Valerie C.; Grösgen, Sven; Hundsdörfer, Benjamin; Lehmann, Johannes; Grimm, Heike S.; Hartmann, Tobias

    2013-01-01

    Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by extracellular accumulation of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), generated by proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by β- and γ-secretase. Aβ generation is inhibited when the initial ectodomain shedding is caused by α-secretase, cleaving APP within the Aβ domain. Therefore, an increase in α-secretase activity is an attractive therapeutic target for AD treatment. APP and the APP-cleaving secretases are all transmembrane proteins, thus local membrane lipid composition is proposed to influence APP processing. Although several studies have focused on γ-secretase, the effect of the membrane lipid microenvironment on α-secretase is poorly understood. In the present study, we systematically investigated the effect of fatty acid (FA) acyl chain length (10:0, 12:0, 14:0, 16:0, 18:0, 20:0, 22:0, 24:0), membrane polar lipid headgroup (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine), saturation grade and the FA double-bond position on α-secretase activity. We found that α-secretase activity is significantly elevated in the presence of FAs with short chain length and in the presence of polyunsaturated FAs, whereas variations in the phospholipid headgroups, as well as the double-bond position, have little or no effect on α-secretase activity. Overall, our study shows that local lipid membrane composition can influence α-secretase activity and might have beneficial effects for AD. PMID:23485990

  19. Dietary fatty acids alter blood pressure, behavior and brain membrane composition of hypertensive rats

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Wilde, MC; Hogyes, E; Kiliaan, AJ; Farkas, T; Luiten, PGM; Farkas, E; Wilde, Martijn C. de; Hőgyes, Endre; Kiliaan, Amanda J.

    2003-01-01

    The beneficial effect of dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on developing hypertension has been repeatedly demonstrated. However. related changes in brain membrane composition and its cognitive correlates have remained unclear. Our study aimed at a comprehensive analysis of behavior and

  20. Composition and metabolism of phospholipids in Octopus vulgaris and Sepia officinalis hatchlings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reis, Diana B; Acosta, Nieves G; Almansa, Eduardo; Tocher, Douglas R; Andrade, José P; Sykes, António V; Rodríguez, Covadonga

    2016-10-01

    The objective of the present study was to characterise the fatty acid (FA) profiles of the major phospholipids, of Octopus vulgaris and Sepia officinalis hatchlings, namely phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE); and to evaluate the capability of both cephalopod species on dietary phospholipid remodelling. Thus, O. vulgaris and S. officinalis hatchlings were in vivo incubated with 0.3μM of L-∝-1-palmitoyl-2-[1-(14)C]arachidonyl-PC or L-∝-1-palmitoyl-2-[1-(14)C]arachidonyl-PE. Octopus and cuttlefish hatchlings phospholipids showed a characteristic FA profiles with PC presenting high contents of 16:0 and 22:6n-3 (DHA); PS having high 18:0, DHA and 20:5n-3 (EPA); PI a high content of saturated FA; and PE showing high contents of DHA and EPA. Interestingly, the highest content of 20:4n-6 (ARA) was found in PE rather than PI. Irrespective of the phospholipid in which [1-(14)C]ARA was initially bound (either PC or PE), the esterification pattern of [1-(14)C]ARA in octopus lipids was similar to that found in their tissues with high esterification of this FA into PE. In contrast, in cuttlefish hatchlings [1-(14)C]ARA was mainly recovered in the same phospholipid that was provided. These results showed a characteristic FA profiles in the major phospholipids of the two species, as well as a contrasting capability to remodel dietary phospholipids, which may suggest a difference in phospholipase activities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Absolute versus relative measures of plasma fatty acids and health outcomes: example of phospholipid omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and all-cause mortality in women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miura, Kyoko; Hughes, Maria Celia B; Ungerer, Jacobus P J; Smith, David D; Green, Adèle C

    2018-03-01

    In a well-characterised community-based prospective study, we aimed to systematically assess the differences in associations of plasma omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid (FA) status with all-cause mortality when plasma FA status is expressed in absolute concentrations versus relative levels. In a community sample of 564 women aged 25-75 years in Queensland, Australia, baseline plasma phospholipid FA levels were measured using gas chromatography. Specific FAs analysed were eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, total long-chain omega-3 FAs, linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, and total omega-6 FAs. Levels of each FA were expressed in absolute amounts (µg/mL) and relative levels (% of total FAs) and divided into thirds. Deaths were monitored for 17 years and hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals calculated to assess risk of death according to absolute versus relative plasma FA levels. In total 81 (14%) women died during follow-up. Agreement between absolute and relative measures of plasma FAs was higher in omega-3 than omega-6 FAs. The results of multivariate analyses for risk of all-cause mortality were generally similar with risk tending to inverse associations with plasma phospholipid omega-3 FAs and no association with omega-6 FAs. Sensitivity analyses examining effects of age and presence of serious medical conditions on risk of mortality did not alter findings. The directions and magnitude of associations with mortality of absolute versus relative FA levels were comparable. However, plasma FA expressed as absolute concentrations may be preferred for ease of comparison and since relative units can be deduced from absolute units.

  2. Conversion of α-linolenic acid to long-chain omega-3 fatty acid derivatives and alterations of HDL density subfractions and plasma lipids with dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids in Monk parrots (Myiopsitta monachus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petzinger, C; Larner, C; Heatley, J J; Bailey, C A; MacFarlane, R D; Bauer, J E

    2014-04-01

    The effect of α-linolenic acid from a flaxseed (FLX)-enriched diet on plasma lipid and fatty acid metabolism and possible atherosclerosis risk factors was studied in Monk parrots (Myiopsitta monachus). Twenty-four Monk parrots were randomly assigned to diets containing either 10% ground SUNs or 10% ground FLXs. Feed intake was calculated daily. Blood samples, body condition scores and body weights were obtained at -5 weeks, day 0, 7, 14, 28, 42 and 70. Plasma samples were analysed for total cholesterol, free cholesterol, triacylglycerols and lipoproteins. Phospholipid subfraction fatty acid profiles were determined. By day 70, the FLX group had significantly higher plasma phospholipid fatty acids including 18:3n-3 (α-linolenic acid), 20:5n-3 (eicosapentaenoic acid) and 22:6n-3 (docosahexaenoic acid). The sunflower group had significantly higher plasma phospholipid levels of 20:4n-6 (arachidonic acid). By day 70, the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) peak shifted resulting in significantly different HDL peak densities between the two experimental groups (1.097 g/ml FLX group and 1.095 g/ml SUN group, p = 0.028). The plasma fatty acid results indicate that Monk parrots can readily convert α-linolenic acid to the long-chain omega-3 derivatives including docosahexaenoic acid and reduce 20:4n-6 accumulation in plasma phospholipids. The reason for a shift in the HDL peak density is unknown at this time. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  3. The effect of fish oil supplementation on brain DHA and EPA content and fatty acid profile in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valentini, Kelly J; Pickens, C Austin; Wiesinger, Jason A; Fenton, Jenifer I

    2017-12-18

    Supplementation with omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids may improve cognitive performance and protect against cognitive decline. However, changes in brain phospholipid fatty acid composition after supplementation with n-3 fatty acids are poorly described. The purpose of this study was to feed increasing n-3 fatty acids and characterise the changes in brain phospholipid fatty acid composition and correlate the changes with red blood cells (RBCs) and plasma in mice. Increasing dietary docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) did not alter brain DHA. Brain EPA increased and total n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids decreased across treatment groups, and correlated with fatty acid changes in the RBC (r > 0.7). Brain cis-monounsaturated fatty acids oleic and nervonic acid (p acids arachidic, behenic, and lignoceric acid (p acid changes upon increasing n-3 intake should be further investigated to determine their effects on cognition and neurodegenerative disease.

  4. Phospholipid-binding protein EhC2A mediates calcium-dependent translocation of transcription factor URE3-BP to the plasma membrane of Entamoeba histolytica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno, Heriberto; Linford, Alicia S; Gilchrist, Carol A; Petri, William A

    2010-05-01

    The Entamoeba histolytica upstream regulatory element 3-binding protein (URE3-BP) is a transcription factor that binds DNA in a Ca(2+)-inhibitable manner. The protein is located in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm but has also been found to be enriched in the plasma membrane of amebic trophozoites. We investigated the reason for the unusual localization of URE3-BP at the amebic plasma membrane. Here we identify and characterize a 22-kDa Ca(2+)-dependent binding partner of URE3-BP, EhC2A, a novel member of the C2-domain superfamily. Immunoprecipitations of URE3-BP and EhC2A showed that the proteins interact and that such interaction was enhanced in the presence of Ca(2+). Recombinant and native EhC2A bound phospholipid liposomes in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner, with half-maximal binding occurring at 3.4 muM free Ca(2+). A direct interaction between EhC2A and URE3-BP was demonstrated by the ability of recombinant EhC2A to recruit recombinant URE3-BP to phospholipid liposomes in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. URE3-BP and EhC2A were observed to translocate to the amebic plasma membrane upon an increase in the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration of trophozoites, as revealed by subcellular fractionation and immunofluorescent staining. Short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of EhC2A protein expression significantly modulated the mRNA levels of URE3-BP-regulated transcripts. Based on these results, we propose a model for EhC2A-mediated regulation of the transcriptional activities of URE3-BP via Ca(2+)-dependent anchoring of the transcription factor to the amebic plasma membrane.

  5. Frequency-dependent electrodeformation of giant phospholipid vesicles in AC electric field

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    A model of vesicle electrodeformation is described which obtains a parametrized vesicle shape by minimizing the sum of the membrane bending energy and the energy due to the electric field. Both the vesicle membrane and the aqueous media inside and outside the vesicle are treated as leaky dielectrics, and the vesicle itself is modeled as a nearly spherical shape enclosed within a thin membrane. It is demonstrated (a) that the model achieves a good quantitative agreement with the experimentally determined prolate-to-oblate transition frequencies in the kilohertz range and (b) that the model can explain a phase diagram of shapes of giant phospholipid vesicles with respect to two parameters: the frequency of the applied alternating current electric field and the ratio of the electrical conductivities of the aqueous media inside and outside the vesicle, explored in a recent paper (S. Aranda et al., Biophys J 95:L19–L21, 2008). A possible use of the frequency-dependent shape transitions of phospholipid vesicles in conductometry of microliter samples is discussed. PMID:21886342

  6. Fatty acid synthase - Modern tumor cell biology insights into a classical oncology target.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buckley, Douglas; Duke, Gregory; Heuer, Timothy S; O'Farrell, Marie; Wagman, Allan S; McCulloch, William; Kemble, George

    2017-09-01

    Decades of preclinical and natural history studies have highlighted the potential of fatty acid synthase (FASN) as a bona fide drug target for oncology. This review will highlight the foundational concepts upon which this perspective is built. Published studies have shown that high levels of FASN in patient tumor tissues are present at later stages of disease and this overexpression predicts poor prognosis. Preclinical studies have shown that experimental overexpression of FASN in previously normal cells leads to changes that are critical for establishing a tumor phenotype. Once the tumor phenotype is established, FASN elicits several changes to the tumor cell and becomes intertwined with its survival. The product of FASN, palmitate, changes the biophysical nature of the tumor cell membrane; membrane microdomains enable the efficient assembly of signaling complexes required for continued tumor cell proliferation and survival. Membranes densely packed with phospholipids containing saturated fatty acids become resistant to the action of other chemotherapeutic agents. Inhibiting FASN leads to tumor cell death while sparing normal cells, which do not have the dependence of this enzyme for normal functions, and restores membrane architecture to more normal properties thereby resensitizing tumors to killing by chemotherapies. One compound has recently reached clinical studies in solid tumor patients and highlights the need for continued evaluation of the role of FASN in tumor cell biology. Significant advances have been made and much remains to be done to optimally apply this class of pharmacological agents for the treatment of specific cancers. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Isoprenoid-phospholipid conjugates as potential therapeutic agents: Synthesis, characterization and antiproliferative studies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Gliszczyńska

    Full Text Available The aim of this research was to extend application field of isoprenoid compounds by their introduction into phospholipid structure as the transport vehicle. The series of novel isoprenoid phospholipids were synthesized in high yields (24-97%, their structures were fully characterized and its anticancer activity was investigated in vitro towards several cell lines of different origin. Most of synthesized compounds showed a significantly higher antiproliferative effect on tested cell lines than free terpene acids. The most active phosphatidylcholine analogue, containing 2,3-dihydro-3-vinylfarnesoic acids instead of fatty acids in both sn-1 and sn-2 position, inhibits the proliferation of colon cancer cells at 13.6 μM.

  8. Comparison of the Distribution of Unsaturated Fatty Acids at the Sn-2 Position of Phospholipids and Triacylglycerols in Marine Fishes and Mammals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beppu, Fumiaki; Yasuda, Keiko; Okada, Ayako; Hirosaki, Yoshitsugu; Okazaki, Masako; Gotoh, Naohiro

    2017-11-01

    Highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA) binding at the sn-2 position of phospholipids (PL) becomes a resource for prostaglandin, leukotriene, resolvin, and protectin synthesis. Both triacylglycerol (TAG) and PL synthesis pathways in vivo are via phosphatidic acid; therefore, the distribution of fatty acid species at the sn-2 position must theoretically be the same for TAG and PL if rearrangement does not occur. However, it is known that little HUFA is located at the sn-2 position of TAG in marine mammals. Therefore, distribution of fatty acid species at the sn-2 position of TAG and PL was compared between marine fishes and mammals in this study. The composition of fatty acids binding at the sn-2 or sn-1,3 position of PL and TAG was analyzed via hydrolysis with enzymes and GC-FID. The results showed that 20:4n-6, 20:5n-3, 22:5n-3, and 22:6n-3 were primarily located at the sn-1,3 positions of TAG in marine mammals. Comparison of the binding positions of HUFA and 16:0 in PL and TAG suggested the existence of Lands' cycle in marine fishes and mammals. In conclusion, both marine fishes and mammals condensed HUFA as a source of eicosanoid at the sn-2 position of PL. Furthermore, abundance ratios for 22:5n-3 or 22:6n-3 at the sn-2 position (sn-2 ratio) in TAG and PL (calculated by the equation: [abundance ratio at sn-2 position of TAG]/[abundance ratio at sn-2 position of PL]) was less than 0.35 in marine mammals; however, it was greater than 0.80 in marine fishes. These differences suggested that the HUFA consisted of 22 carbon atoms and had different roles in marine fishes and mammals.

  9. Running speed in mammals increases with muscle n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid content.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Ruf

    Full Text Available Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs are important dietary components that mammals cannot synthesize de novo. Beneficial effects of PUFAs, in particular of the n-3 class, for certain aspects of animal and human health (e.g., cardiovascular function are well known. Several observations suggest, however, that PUFAs may also affect the performance of skeletal muscles in vertebrates. For instance, it has been shown that experimentally n-6 PUFA-enriched diets increase the maximum swimming speed in salmon. Also, we recently found that the proportion of PUFAs in the muscle phospholipids of an extremely fast runner, the brown hare (Lepus europaeus, are very high compared to other mammals. Therefore, we predicted that locomotor performance, namely running speed, should be associated with differences in muscle fatty acid profiles. To test this hypothesis, we determined phospholipid fatty acid profiles in skeletal muscles of 36 mammalian species ranging from shrews to elephants. We found that there is indeed a general positive, surprisingly strong relation between the n-6 PUFAs content in muscle phospholipids and maximum running speed of mammals. This finding suggests that muscle fatty acid composition directly affects a highly fitness-relevant trait, which may be decisive for the ability of animals to escape from predators or catch prey.

  10. Characterisation of the membrane affinity of an isoniazide peptide conjugate by tensiometry, atomic force microscopy and sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy, using a phospholipid Langmuir monolayer model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, Katalin; Pénzes, Csanád Botond; Schnöller, Donát; Horváti, Kata; Bosze, Szilvia; Hudecz, Ferenc; Keszthelyi, Tamás; Kiss, Eva

    2010-10-07

    Tensiometry, sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy were employed to assess the cell penetration ability of a peptide conjugate of the antituberculotic agent isoniazide. Isoniazide was conjugated to peptide (91)SEFAYGSFVRTVSLPV(106), a functional T-cell epitope of the immunodominant 16 kDa protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. As a simple but versatile model of the cell membrane a phospholipid Langmuir monolayer at the liquid/air interface was used. Changes induced in the structure of the phospholipid monolayer by injection of the peptide conjugate into the subphase were followed by tensiometry and sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy. The drug penetrated lipid films were transferred to a solid support by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique, and their structures were characterized by atomic force microscopy. Peptide conjugation was found to strongly enhance the cell penetration ability of isoniazide.

  11. Distribution and mobility of omega 3 fatty acids in rainbow trout fed varying levels and types of dietary lipid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castledine, A J; Buckley, J T

    1980-04-01

    The availability of essential fatty acids in fish neutral lipid to tissue phospholipids was determined under conditions of adequate and inadequate essential fatty acid intake as well as during fasting. Juvenile rainbow trout were fed a semi-purified diet containing varying levels of cod liver oil, with or without supplementary olein. Fatty acid analysis indicated that in all treatments the neutral lipid pool was not turned over during feeding but was enhanced by exogenous or endogenously synthesized fatty acids. Fish that received diets devoid of essential fatty acids maintained virtually all of the docosahexenoic acid originally present in each lipid pool. Fish fed diets containing essential fatty acids deposited them in proportion to the dietary levels. After a 4-week fast, no change was noted in the relative levels of fatty acids in neutral lipid indicating that all fatty acids in neutral lipid were catabolized equally--including essential fatty acids. During fasting there was a selective retention of docosahexenoic and linoleic acids in the phospholipid pool.

  12. Probing the interaction of brain fatty acid binding protein (B-FABP with model membranes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fábio Dyszy

    Full Text Available Brain fatty acid-binding protein (B-FABP interacts with biological membranes and delivers polyunsaturated fatty acids (FAs via a collisional mechanism. The binding of FAs in the protein and the interaction with membranes involve a motif called "portal region", formed by two small α-helices, A1 and A2, connected by a loop. We used a combination of site-directed mutagenesis and electron spin resonance to probe the changes in the protein and in the membrane model induced by their interaction. Spin labeled B-FABP mutants and lipidic spin probes incorporated into a membrane model confirmed that B-FABP interacts with micelles through the portal region and led to structural changes in the protein as well in the micelles. These changes were greater in the presence of LPG when compared to the LPC models. ESR spectra of B-FABP labeled mutants showed the presence of two groups of residues that responded to the presence of micelles in opposite ways. In the presence of lysophospholipids, group I of residues, whose side chains point outwards from the contact region between the helices, had their mobility decreased in an environment of lower polarity when compared to the same residues in solution. The second group, composed by residues with side chains situated at the interface between the α-helices, experienced an increase in mobility in the presence of the model membranes. These modifications in the ESR spectra of B-FABP mutants are compatible with a less ordered structure of the portal region inner residues (group II that is likely to facilitate the delivery of FAs to target membranes. On the other hand, residues in group I and micelle components have their mobilities decreased probably as a result of the formation of a collisional complex. Our results bring new insights for the understanding of the gating and delivery mechanisms of FABPs.

  13. Aberrant cardiolipin metabolism in the yeast taz1 mutant: a model for Barth syndrome

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gu, Zhiming; Valianpour, Fredoen; Chen, Shuliang; Vaz, Frederic M.; Hakkaart, Gertjan A.; Wanders, Ronald J. A.; Greenberg, Miriam L.

    2004-01-01

    In eukaryotic cells, the acyl species of the phospholipid cardiolipin (CL) are more highly unsaturated than those of the other membrane phospholipids. Defective acylation of CL with unsaturated fatty acids and decreased total CL are associated with Barth syndrome, an X-linked cardio- and skeletal

  14. INVESTIGATION ON THE MORPHOLOGY AND PROPERTIES OF AGGREGATE STRUCTURES OF NATURAL PHOSPHOLIPIDS IN AQUEOUS SYSTEM USING CRYO-TEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dwi Hudiyanti

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-TEM was used to investigate the aggregates morphology and properties of candle tree (Aleurites moluccana endosperm, sesame (Sesamum indicum L. syn. seeds, and coconut (Cocos nucifera endosperm phospholipids in dilute aqueous system. The micrographs showed that candle tree phospholipids formed planar bilayer and cluster of vesicles with lipid droplets, while coconut and sesame phospholipids formed well-defined unilamellar vesicles. The vesicles size could be as small as 50 nm in diameter. Coconut phospholipids also showed a good bending ability. Formation of clusters of vesicles was also found in coconut phospholipids dispersion, but this cluster was easily broken by extrusion through a small pore membrane.

  15. Analysis of the induction of the myelin basic protein binding to the plasma membrane phospholipid monolayer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Lei; Hao, Changchun; Feng, Ying; Gao, Feng; Lu, Xiaolong; Li, Junhua; Sun, Runguang

    2016-09-01

    Myelin basic protein (MBP) is an essential structure involved in the generation of central nervous system (CNS) myelin. Myelin shape has been described as liquid crystal structure of biological membrane. The interactions of MBP with monolayers of different lipid compositions are responsible for the multi-lamellar structure and stability of myelin. In this paper, we have designed MBP-incorporated model lipid monolayers and studied the phase behavior of MBP adsorbed on the plasma membrane at the air/water interface by thermodynamic method and atomic force microscopy (AFM). By analyzing the pressure-area (π-A) and pressure-time (π-T) isotherms, univariate linear regression equation was obtained. In addition, the elastic modulus, surface pressure increase, maximal insertion pressure, and synergy factor of monolayers were detected. These parameters can be used to modulate the monolayers binding of protein, and the results show that MBP has the strongest affinity for 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3- phosphoserine (DPPS) monolayer, followed by DPPC/DPPS mixed and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-choline (DPPC) monolayers via electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. AFM images of DPPS and DPPC/DPPS mixed monolayers in the presence of MBP (5 nM) show a phase separation texture at the surface pressure of 20 mN/m and the incorporation of MBP put into the DPPC monolayers has exerted a significant effect on the domain structure. MBP is not an integral membrane protein but, due to its positive charge, interacts with the lipid head groups and stabilizes the membranes. The interaction between MBP and phospholipid membrane to determine the nervous system of the disease has a good biophysical significance and medical value. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21402114 and 11544009), the Natural Science Basic Research Plan in Shaanxi Province of China (Grant No. 2016JM2010), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central

  16. Phosphatidic acid is a major phospholipid class in reproductive organs of Arabidopsis thaliana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yunus, Ian Sofian; Cazenave-Gassiot, Amaury; Liu, Yu-Chi; Lin, Ying-Chen; Wenk, Markus R; Nakamura, Yuki

    2015-01-01

    Phospholipids are the crucial components of biological membranes and signal transduction. Among different tissues, flower phospholipids are one of the least characterized features of plant lipidome. Here, we report that floral reproductive organs of Arabidopsis thaliana contain high levels of phosphatidic acid (PA), a known lipid second messenger. By using floral homeotic mutants enriched with specific floral organs, lipidomics study showed increased levels of PA species in ap3-3 mutant with enriched pistils. Accompanied gene expression study for 7 diacylglycerol kinases and 11 PA phosphatases revealed distinct floral organ specificity, suggesting an active phosphorylation/dephosphorylation between PA and diacylglycerol in flowers. Our results suggest that PA is a major phospholipid class in floral reproductive organs of A. thaliana.

  17. Possible mechanism of adhesion in a mica supported phospholipid bilayer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pertsin, Alexander; Grunze, Michael

    2014-01-01

    Phospholipid bilayers supported on hydrophilic solids like silica and mica play a substantial role in fundamental studies and technological applications of phospholipid membranes. In both cases the molecular mechanism of adhesion between the bilayer and the support is of primary interest. Since the possibilities of experimental methods in this specific area are rather limited, the methods of computer simulation acquire great importance. In this paper we use the grand canonical Monte Carlo technique and an atomistic force field to simulate the behavior of a mica supported phospholipid bilayer in pure water as a function of the distance between the bilayer and the support. The simulation reveals a possible adhesion mechanism, where the adhesion is due to individual lipid molecules that protrude from the bilayer and form widely spaced links with the support. Simultaneously, the bilayer remains separated from the bilayer by a thin water interlayer which maintains the bilayer fluidity

  18. Phospholipid transfer activities in toad oocytes and developing embryos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rusinol, A.; Salomon, R.A.; Bloj, B.

    1987-01-01

    The role of lipid transfer proteins during plasma membrane biogenesis was explored. Developing amphibia embryos were used because during their growth an active plasma membrane biosynthesis occurs together with negligible mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum proliferation. Sonicated vesicles, containing 14 C-labeled phospholipids and 3 H-labeled triolein, as donor particles and cross-linked erythrocyte ghosts as acceptor particles were used to measure phospholipid transfer activities in unfertilized oocytes and in developing embryos of the toad Bufo arenarum. Phosphatidylcholine transfer activity in pH 5.1 supernatant of unfertilized oocytes was 8-fold higher than the activity found in female toad liver supernatant, but dropped steadily after fertilization. After 20 hr of development, at the stage of late blastula, the phosphatidylcholine transfer activity had dropped 4-fold. Unfertilized oocyte supernatant exhibited phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylethanolamine transfer activity also, but at the late blastula stage the former had dropped 18-fold and the latter was no longer detectable under our assay conditions. Our results show that fertilization does not trigger a phospholipid transport process catalyzed by lipid transfer proteins. Moreover, they imply that 75% of the phosphatidylcholine transfer activity and more than 95% of the phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylethanolamine transfer activities present in pH 5.1 supernatants of unfertilized oocytes may not be essential for toad embryo development. Our findings do not rule out, however, that a phosphatidylcholine-specific lipid transfer protein could be required for embryo early growth

  19. Tombusviruses upregulate phospholipid biosynthesis via interaction between p33 replication protein and yeast lipid sensor proteins during virus replication in yeast

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barajas, Daniel; Xu, Kai; Sharma, Monika; Wu, Cheng-Yu; Nagy, Peter D.

    2014-01-01

    Positive-stranded RNA viruses induce new membranous structures and promote membrane proliferation in infected cells to facilitate viral replication. In this paper, the authors show that a plant-infecting tombusvirus upregulates transcription of phospholipid biosynthesis genes, such as INO1, OPI3 and CHO1, and increases phospholipid levels in yeast model host. This is accomplished by the viral p33 replication protein, which interacts with Opi1p FFAT domain protein and Scs2p VAP protein. Opi1p and Scs2p are phospholipid sensor proteins and they repress the expression of phospholipid genes. Accordingly, deletion of OPI1 transcription repressor in yeast has a stimulatory effect on TBSV RNA accumulation and enhanced tombusvirus replicase activity in an in vitro assay. Altogether, the presented data convincingly demonstrate that de novo lipid biosynthesis is required for optimal TBSV replication. Overall, this work reveals that a (+)RNA virus reprograms the phospholipid biosynthesis pathway in a unique way to facilitate its replication in yeast cells. - Highlights: • Tombusvirus p33 replication protein interacts with FFAT-domain host protein. • Tombusvirus replication leads to upregulation of phospholipids. • Tombusvirus replication depends on de novo lipid synthesis. • Deletion of FFAT-domain host protein enhances TBSV replication. • TBSV rewires host phospholipid synthesis

  20. Ionic protein-lipid interaction at the plasma membrane: what can the charge do?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Lunyi; Shi, Xiaoshan; Guo, Xingdong; Li, Hua; Xu, Chenqi

    2014-03-01

    Phospholipids are the major components of cell membranes, but they have functional roles beyond forming lipid bilayers. In particular, acidic phospholipids form microdomains in the plasma membrane and can ionically interact with proteins via polybasic sequences, which can have functional consequences for the protein. The list of proteins regulated by ionic protein-lipid interaction has been quickly expanding, and now includes membrane proteins, cytoplasmic soluble proteins, and viral proteins. Here we review how acidic phospholipids in the plasma membrane regulate protein structure and function via ionic interactions, and how Ca(2+) regulates ionic protein-lipid interactions via direct and indirect mechanisms. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Effects of Glucomannan-Enriched, Aronia Juice-Based Supplement on Cellular Antioxidant Enzymes and Membrane Lipid Status in Subjects with Abdominal Obesity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nevena Kardum

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of a 4-week-long consumption of glucomannan-enriched, aronia juice-based supplement on anthropometric parameters, membrane fatty acid profile, and status of antioxidant enzymes in erythrocytes obtained from postmenopausal women with abdominal obesity. Twenty women aged 45–65 with a mean body mass index (BMI of 36.1 ± 4.4 kg/m2 and waist circumference of 104.8 ± 10.1 cm were enrolled. Participants were instructed to consume 100 mL of supplement per day as part of their regular diet. A significant increase in the content of n-3 (P<0.05 polyunsaturated fatty acids in membrane phospholipids was observed, with a marked increase in the level of docosahexaenoic fatty acid (P<0.05. Accordingly, a decrease in the n-6 and n-3 fatty acids ratio was observed (P<0.05. The observed effects were accompanied with an increase in glutathione peroxidase activity (P<0.05. Values for BMI (P<0.001, waist circumference (P<0.001, and systolic blood pressure (P<0.05 were significantly lower after the intervention. The obtained results indicate a positive impact of tested supplement on cellular oxidative damage, blood pressure, and anthropometric indices of obesity.

  2. Activation of Exogenous Fatty Acids to Acyl-Acyl Carrier Protein Cannot Bypass FabI Inhibition in Neisseria*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Jiangwei; Bruhn, David F.; Frank, Matthew W.; Lee, Richard E.; Rock, Charles O.

    2016-01-01

    Neisseria is a Gram-negative pathogen with phospholipids composed of straight chain saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, the ability to incorporate exogenous fatty acids, and lipopolysaccharides that are not essential. The FabI inhibitor, AFN-1252, was deployed as a chemical biology tool to determine whether Neisseria can bypass the inhibition of fatty acid synthesis by incorporating exogenous fatty acids. Neisseria encodes a functional FabI that was potently inhibited by AFN-1252. AFN-1252 caused a dose-dependent inhibition of fatty acid synthesis in growing Neisseria, a delayed inhibition of growth phenotype, and minimal inhibition of DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis, showing that its mode of action is through inhibiting fatty acid synthesis. Isotopic fatty acid labeling experiments showed that Neisseria encodes the ability to incorporate exogenous fatty acids into its phospholipids by an acyl-acyl carrier protein-dependent pathway. However, AFN-1252 remained an effective antibacterial when Neisseria were supplemented with exogenous fatty acids. These results demonstrate that extracellular fatty acids are activated by an acyl-acyl carrier protein synthetase (AasN) and validate type II fatty acid synthesis (FabI) as a therapeutic target against Neisseria. PMID:26567338

  3. Role of membrane sterols and cortical microtubules in gravity resistance in plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoson, T.; Koizumi, T.; Matsumoto, S.; Kumasaki, S.; Soga, K.; Wakabayashi, K.; Sakaki, T.

    Resistance to the gravitational force is a principal graviresponse in plants comparable to gravitropism Nevertheless only limited information has been obtained for this graviresponse We have examined mechanisms of signal perception transformation and transduction of the perceived signal and response to the transduced signal in gravity resistance using hypergravity conditions produced by centrifugation In Arabidopsis hypocotyls hypergravity treatment greatly increased the expression level of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-Coenzyme A reductase HMGR which catalyzes a reaction producing mevalonic acid a key precursor of terpenoids such as membrane sterols Geranyl diphosphate synthase gene was also up-regulated by hypergravity whereas the expression of other genes involved in membrane lipid metabolism was not influenced Hypergravity caused an increase in sterol content in azuki bean epicotyls but not in phospholipid glycolipid or fatty acid content Also hypergravity did not influence fatty acid composition in any lipid class Thus the effect of hypergravity on membrane lipid metabolism was specific for sterol synthesis On the other hand alpha- and beta-tubulin genes were up-regulated by hypergravity treatment in Arabidopsis hypocotyls Hypergravity also induced reorientation of cortical microtubules in azuki epicotyls the percentage of epidermal cells with transverse microtubles was decreased whereas that with longitudinal microtubules was increased Inhibitors of HMGR action and microtubule-disrupting agents completely prevented the gravity resistance

  4. Nanoelectropulse-driven membrane perturbation and small molecule permeabilization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sun Yinghua

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Nanosecond, megavolt-per-meter pulsed electric fields scramble membrane phospholipids, release intracellular calcium, and induce apoptosis. Flow cytometric and fluorescence microscopy evidence has associated phospholipid rearrangement directly with nanoelectropulse exposure and supports the hypothesis that the potential that develops across the lipid bilayer during an electric pulse drives phosphatidylserine (PS externalization. Results In this work we extend observations of cells exposed to electric pulses with 30 ns and 7 ns durations to still narrower pulse widths, and we find that even 3 ns pulses are sufficient to produce responses similar to those reported previously. We show here that in contrast to unipolar pulses, which perturb membrane phospholipid order, tracked with FM1-43 fluorescence, only at the anode side of the cell, bipolar pulses redistribute phospholipids at both the anode and cathode poles, consistent with migration of the anionic PS head group in the transmembrane field. In addition, we demonstrate that, as predicted by the membrane charging hypothesis, a train of shorter pulses requires higher fields to produce phospholipid scrambling comparable to that produced by a time-equivalent train of longer pulses (for a given applied field, 30, 4 ns pulses produce a weaker response than 4, 30 ns pulses. Finally, we show that influx of YO-PRO-1, a fluorescent dye used to detect early apoptosis and activation of the purinergic P2X7 receptor channels, is observed after exposure of Jurkat T lymphoblasts to sufficiently large numbers of pulses, suggesting that membrane poration occurs even with nanosecond pulses when the electric field is high enough. Propidium iodide entry, a traditional indicator of electroporation, occurs with even higher pulse counts. Conclusion Megavolt-per-meter electric pulses as short as 3 ns alter the structure of the plasma membrane and permeabilize the cell to small molecules. The dose

  5. Specific Interaction between Redox Phospholipid Polymers and Plastoquinone in Photosynthetic Electron Transport Chain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanaka, Kenya; Kaneko, Masahiro; Ishikawa, Masahito; Kato, Souichiro; Ito, Hidehiro; Kamachi, Toshiaki; Kamiya, Kazuhide; Nakanishi, Shuji

    2017-04-19

    Redox phospholipid polymers added in culture media are known to be capable of extracting electrons from living photosynthetic cells across bacterial cell membranes with high cytocompatibility. In the present study, we identify the intracellular redox species that transfers electrons to the polymers. The open-circuit electrochemical potential of an electrolyte containing the redox polymer and extracted thylakoid membranes shift to positive (or negative) under light irradiation, when an electron transport inhibitor specific to plastoquinone is added upstream (or downstream) in the photosynthetic electron transport chain. The same trend is also observed for a medium containing living photosynthetic cells of Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942. These results clearly indicate that the phospholipid redox polymers extract photosynthetic electrons mainly from plastoquinone. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes: from molecules to man.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calder, Philip C

    2017-10-15

    Inappropriate, excessive or uncontrolled inflammation contributes to a range of human diseases. Inflammation involves a multitude of cell types, chemical mediators and interactions. The present article will describe nutritional and metabolic aspects of omega-6 (n-6) and omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids and explain the roles of bioactive members of those fatty acid families in inflammatory processes. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are n-3 fatty acids found in oily fish and fish oil supplements. These fatty acids are capable of partly inhibiting many aspects of inflammation including leucocyte chemotaxis, adhesion molecule expression and leucocyte-endothelial adhesive interactions, production of eicosanoids like prostaglandins and leukotrienes from the n-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, EPA gives rise to eicosanoids that often have lower biological potency than those produced from arachidonic acid, and EPA and DHA give rise to anti-inflammatory and inflammation resolving mediators called resolvins, protectins and maresins. Mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory actions of EPA and DHA include altered cell membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition, disruption of lipid rafts, inhibition of activation of the pro-inflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor κB so reducing expression of inflammatory genes and activation of the anti-inflammatory transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ. Animal experiments demonstrate benefit from EPA and DHA in a range of models of inflammatory conditions. Human trials demonstrate benefit of oral n-3 fatty acids in rheumatoid arthritis and in stabilizing advanced atherosclerotic plaques. Intravenous n-3 fatty acids may have benefits in critically ill patients through reduced inflammation. The anti-inflammatory and inflammation resolving actions of EPA, DHA and their derivatives are of clinical relevance. © 2017 The Author

  7. Uptake of oleate by isolated rat adipocytes is mediated by a 40-kDa plasma membrane fatty acid binding protein closely related to that in liver and gut

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwieterman, W.; Sorrentino, D.; Potter, B.J.; Rand, J.; Kiang, C.L.; Stump, D.; Berk, P.D.

    1988-01-01

    A portion of the hepatocellular uptake of nonesterified long-chain fatty acids is mediated by a specific 40-kDa plasma membrane fatty acid binding protein, which has also been isolated from the gut. To investigate whether a similar transport process exists in other tissues with high transmembrane fatty acid fluxes, initial rates (V/sub O/) of [ 3 H]-oleate uptake into isolated rat adipocytes were studied as a function of the concentration of unbound [ 3 H]oleate in the medium. V/sub O/ reached a maximum as the concentration of unbound oleate was increased and was significantly inhibited both by phloretin and by prior incubation of the cells with Pronase. A rabbit antibody to the rat liver plasma membrane fatty acid binding protein inhibited adipocyte fatty acid uptake by up to 63% in dose-dependent fashion. Inhibition was noncompetitive; at an immunoglobulin concentration of 250 μg/ml V/sub max/ was reduced from 2480 /plus minus/ 160 to 1870 /plus minus/ 80 pmol/min per 5 /times/ 10 4 adipocytes, with no change in K/sub m/. A basic kDa adipocyte plasma membrane fatty acid binding protein, isolated from crude adipocyte plasma membrane fractions, reacted strongly in both agar gel diffusion and electrophoretic blots with the antibody raised against the corresponding hepatic plasma membrane protein. These data indicate that the uptake of oleate by rat adipocytes is mediated by a 40-kDa plasma membrane fatty acid binding protein closely related to that in liver and gut

  8. The Influence of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAMEs) in the Biochemistry and the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase Activity of Culex quinquefasciatus Larvae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Lilian N D; Ribeiro-Neto, José A; Valadares, Jéssica M M; Costa, Mariana M; Lima, Luciana A R S; Grillo, Luciano A M; Cortes, Vanessa F; Santos, Herica L; Alves, Stênio N; Barbosa, Leandro A

    2016-08-01

    Culex quinquefasciatus is the main vector of lymphatic filariasis and combating this insect is of great importance to public health. There are reports of insects that are resistant to the products currently used to control this vector, and therefore, the search for new products has increased. In the present study, we have evaluated the effects of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) that showed larvicidal activity against C. quinquefasciatus, on glucose, total protein, and triacylglycerol contents and Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase activity in mosquito larvae. The exposure of the fourth instar larvae to the compounds caused a decrease in the total protein content and an increase in the activity of the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase. Furthermore, the direct effect of FAMEs on cell membrane was assessed on purified pig kidney Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase membranes, erythrocyte ghost membranes, and larvae membrane preparation. No modifications on total phospholipids and cholesterol content were found after FAMEs 20 min treatment on larvae membrane preparation, but only 360 µg/mL FAME 2 was able to decrease total phospholipid of erythrocyte ghost membrane. Moreover, only 60 and 360 µg/mL FAME 3 caused an activation of purified Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, that was an opposite effect of FAMEs treatment in larvae membrane preparation, and caused an inhibition of the pump activity. These data together suggest that maybe FAMEs can modulate the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase on intact larvae for such mechanisms and not for a direct effect, one time that the direct effect of FAMEs in membrane preparation decreased the activity of Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase. The biochemical changes caused by the compounds were significant and may negatively influence the development and survival of C. quinquefasciatus larvae.

  9. Phospholipid metabolism and nuclear function: roles of the lipin family of phosphatidic acid phosphatases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siniossoglou, Symeon

    2013-03-01

    Phospholipids play important roles in nuclear function as dynamic building blocks for the biogenesis of the nuclear membrane, as well as signals by which the nucleus communicates with other organelles, and regulate a variety of nuclear events. The mechanisms underlying the nuclear roles of phospholipids remain poorly understood. Lipins represent a family of phosphatidic acid (PA) phosphatases that are conserved from yeasts to humans and perform essential functions in lipid metabolism. Several studies have identified key roles for lipins and their regulators in nuclear envelope organization, gene expression and the maintenance of lipid homeostasis in yeast and metazoans. This review discusses recent advances in understanding the roles of lipins in nuclear structure and function. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Phospholipids and Phospholipid Metabolism. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. High-purity fatty acid methyl ester production from canola, soybean, palm, and yellow grease lipids by means of a membrane reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao Peigang; Dube, Marc A.; Tremblay, Andre Y.

    2008-01-01

    High-purity fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) was produced from different lipids, such as soybean oil, canola oil, a hydrogenated palm oil/palm oil blend, yellow grease, and brown grease, combined with methanol using a continuous membrane reactor. The membrane reactor combines reaction and separation in a single unit, provides continuous mixing of raw materials, and maintains a high molar ratio of methanol to lipid in the reaction loop while maintaining two phases during the reaction. It was demonstrated that the membrane reactor can be operated using a very broad range of feedstocks at highly similar operating conditions to produce FAME. The total glycerine and free glycerine contents of the FAME produced were below the ASTM D6751 standard after a single reaction step. Under essentially the same reaction conditions, a conventional batch reaction was not able to achieve the same degree of FAME purity. The effect of the fatty acid composition of the lipid feedstocks on the FAME purity was also shown. It was demonstrated that, due to the fatty acid composition, FAME from virgin soybean oil and virgin canola oil was produced in the membrane reactor within ASTM specifications even without a water washing step

  11. Competing intermolecular interactions of artemisinin-type agents and aspirin with membrane phospholipids: Combined model mass spectrometry and quantum-chemical study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pashynska, Vlada; Stepanian, Stepan; Gömöry, Agnes; Vekey, Karoly; Adamowicz, Ludwik

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Competitive binding of artemisinin agents and aspirin with phospholipids is shown. • Complexation between the antimalarial drugs and aspirin molecules is also found. • Energetically favorable structures of the model complexes are identified by DFT. • Membranotropic activity of the studied drugs can be modified under joint usage. - Abstract: Study of intermolecular interactions of antimalarial artemisinin-type drugs and aspirin with membrane phospholipids is important in term of elucidation of the drugs activity modification under their joint usage. Combined experimental and computational study of the interaction of dihydroartemisinin, α-artemether, and artesunate with aspirin (ASP) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) is performed by electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry and by DFT B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ methods. The results of the ESI investigation of systems containing artemisinin-type agent, ASP and DPPC, reveal a competition between the antimalarial agents and ASP for binding with DPPC molecules. The complexation between the antimalarial drugs and ASP is also found. Observed phenomena suggest that membranotropic activity of artemisin-type agents and aspirin is modified under their combined usage. To elucidate structure-energy characteristics of the non-covalent complexes studied the model DFT calculations are performed for dihydroartemisinin · ASP complex and complexes of the each drug with phosphatidylcholine head of DPPC in neutral and cationized forms

  12. Competing intermolecular interactions of artemisinin-type agents and aspirin with membrane phospholipids: Combined model mass spectrometry and quantum-chemical study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pashynska, Vlada, E-mail: vlada@vl.kharkov.ua [B.Verkin Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Lenin Ave., 47, 61103 Kharkov (Ukraine); Stepanian, Stepan [B.Verkin Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Lenin Ave., 47, 61103 Kharkov (Ukraine); Gömöry, Agnes; Vekey, Karoly [Institute of Organic Chemistry of Research Centre for Natural Sciences of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar tudosok korutja, 2, Budapest H-1117 (Hungary); Adamowicz, Ludwik [University of Arizona, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)

    2015-07-09

    Highlights: • Competitive binding of artemisinin agents and aspirin with phospholipids is shown. • Complexation between the antimalarial drugs and aspirin molecules is also found. • Energetically favorable structures of the model complexes are identified by DFT. • Membranotropic activity of the studied drugs can be modified under joint usage. - Abstract: Study of intermolecular interactions of antimalarial artemisinin-type drugs and aspirin with membrane phospholipids is important in term of elucidation of the drugs activity modification under their joint usage. Combined experimental and computational study of the interaction of dihydroartemisinin, α-artemether, and artesunate with aspirin (ASP) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) is performed by electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry and by DFT B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ methods. The results of the ESI investigation of systems containing artemisinin-type agent, ASP and DPPC, reveal a competition between the antimalarial agents and ASP for binding with DPPC molecules. The complexation between the antimalarial drugs and ASP is also found. Observed phenomena suggest that membranotropic activity of artemisin-type agents and aspirin is modified under their combined usage. To elucidate structure-energy characteristics of the non-covalent complexes studied the model DFT calculations are performed for dihydroartemisinin · ASP complex and complexes of the each drug with phosphatidylcholine head of DPPC in neutral and cationized forms.

  13. Phospholipid sources for adrenic acid mobilization in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Comparison with arachidonic acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guijas, Carlos; Astudillo, Alma M; Gil-de-Gómez, Luis; Rubio, Julio M; Balboa, María A; Balsinde, Jesús

    2012-11-01

    Cells metabolize arachidonic acid (AA) to adrenic acid (AdA) via 2-carbon elongation reactions. Like AA, AdA can be converted into multiple oxygenated metabolites, with important roles in various physiological and pathophysiological processes. However, in contrast to AA, there is virtually no information on how the cells regulate the availability of free AdA for conversion into bioactive products. We have used a comparative lipidomic approach with both gas chromatography and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry to characterize changes in the levels of AA- and AdA-containing phospholipid species in RAW 264.7 macrophage-like cells. Incubation of the cells with AA results in an extensive conversion to AdA but both fatty acids do not compete with each other for esterification into phospholipids. AdA but not AA, shows preference for incorporation into phospholipids containing stearic acid at the sn-1 position. After stimulation of the cells with zymosan, both AA and AdA are released in large quantities, albeit AA is released to a greater extent. Finally, a variety of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol molecular species contribute to AA; however, AdA is liberated exclusively from phosphatidylcholine species. Collectively, these results identify significant differences in the cellular utilization of AA and AdA by the macrophages, suggesting non-redundant biological actions for these two fatty acids. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Synthesis and release of fatty acids by human trophoblast cells in culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coleman, R.A.; Haynes, E.B.

    1987-01-01

    In order to determine whether placental cells can synthesize and release fatty acids, trophoblast cells from term human placentas were established in monolayer culture. The cells continued to secrete placental lactogen and progesterone and maintained specific activities of critical enzymes of triacylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis for 24 to 72 hr in culture. Fatty acid was rapidly synthesized from [ 14 C]acetate and released by the cells. Palmitoleic, palmitic, and oleic acids were the major fatty acids synthesized from [ 14 C]acetate and released. Small amounts of lauric, myristic, and stearic acids were also identified. [ 14 C]acetate was also incorporated into cellular triacylglycerol, phospholipid, and cholesterol, but radiolabeled free fatty acid did not accumulate intracellularly. In a pulse-chase experiment, cellular glycerolipids were labeled with [1- 14 C]oleate; trophoblast cells then released 14 C-labeled fatty acid into the media as the cellular content of labeled phospholipid and triacylglycerol decreased without intracellular accumulation of free fatty acid. Twenty percent of the 14 C-label lost from cellular glycerolipid could not be recovered as a chloroform-extractable product, suggesting that some of the hydrolyzed fatty acid had been oxidized. These data indicate that cultured placenta trophoblast cells can release fatty acids that have either been synthesized de novo or that have been hydrolyzed from cellular glycerolipids. Trophoblast cells in monolayer culture should provide an excellent model for molecular studies of placental fatty acid metabolism and release

  15. Salicylic acid induces vanillin synthesis through the phospholipid signaling pathway in Capsicum chinense cell cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodas-Junco, Beatriz A; Cab-Guillén, Yahaira; Muñoz-Sánchez, J Armando; Vázquez-Flota, Felipe; Monforte-González, Miriam; Hernández-Sotomayor, S M Teresa

    2013-10-01

    Signal transduction via phospholipids is mediated by phospholipases such as phospholipase C (PLC) and D (PLD), which catalyze hydrolysis of plasma membrane structural phospholipids. Phospholipid signaling is also involved in plant responses to phytohormones such as salicylic acid (SA). The relationships between phospholipid signaling, SA, and secondary metabolism are not fully understood. Using a Capsicum chinense cell suspension as a model, we evaluated whether phospholipid signaling modulates SA-induced vanillin production through the activation of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), a key enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway. Salicylic acid was found to elicit PAL activity and consequently vanillin production, which was diminished or reversed upon exposure to the phosphoinositide-phospholipase C (PI-PLC) signaling inhibitors neomycin and U73122. Exposure to the phosphatidic acid inhibitor 1-butanol altered PLD activity and prevented SA-induced vanillin production. Our results suggest that PLC and PLD-generated secondary messengers may be modulating SA-induced vanillin production through the activation of key biosynthetic pathway enzymes.

  16. Pollen viability and membrane lipid composition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bilsen, van D.G.J.L.

    1993-01-01

    In this thesis membrane lipid composition is studied in relation to pollen viability during storage. Chapter 1 reviews pollen viability, membranes in the dry state and membrane changes associated with cellular aging. This chapter is followed by a study of age-related changes in phospholipid

  17. Five Decades with Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Chemical Synthesis, Enzymatic Formation, Lipid Peroxidation and Its Biological Effects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angel Catalá

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available I have been involved in research on polyunsaturated fatty acids since 1964 and this review is intended to cover some of the most important aspects of this work. Polyunsaturated fatty acids have followed me during my whole scientific career and I have published a number of studies concerned with different aspects of them such as chemical synthesis, enzymatic formation, metabolism, transport, physical, chemical, and catalytic properties of a reconstructed desaturase system in liposomes, lipid peroxidation, and their effects. The first project I became involved in was the organic synthesis of [1-14C] eicosa-11,14-dienoic acid, with the aim of demonstrating the participation of that compound as a possible intermediary in the biosynthesis of arachidonic acid “in vivo.” From 1966 to 1982, I was involved in several projects that study the metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids. In the eighties, we studied fatty acid binding protein. From 1990 up to now, our laboratory has been interested in the lipid peroxidation of biological membranes from various tissues and different species as well as liposomes prepared with phospholipids rich in PUFAs. We tested the effect of many antioxidants such as alpha tocopherol, vitamin A, melatonin and its structural analogues, and conjugated linoleic acid, among others.

  18. Longitudinal Associations of Phospholipid and Cholesteryl Ester Fatty Acids With Disorders Underlying Diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, Luke W; Harris, Stewart B; Retnakaran, Ravi; Zinman, Bernard; Giacca, Adria; Liu, Zhen; Bazinet, Richard P; Hanley, Anthony J

    2016-06-01

    Specific serum fatty acid (FA) profiles predict the development of incident type 2 diabetes; however, limited longitudinal data exist exploring their role in the progression of insulin sensitivity (IS) and β-cell function. To examine the longitudinal associations of the FA composition of serum phospholipid (PL) and cholesteryl ester (CE) fractions with IS and β-cell function over 6 years. The Prospective Metabolism and Islet Cell Evaluation (PROMISE) cohort is a longitudinal observational study, with clinic visits occurring every 3 years. Three visits have been completed, totaling 6 years of follow-up. Individuals (n = 477) at risk for diabetes recruited from the general population in London and Toronto, Canada. Values from an oral glucose tolerance test were used to compute 1/HOMA-IR and the Matsuda index for IS, the insulinogenic index over HOMA-IR, and the insulin secretion-sensitivity index-2 for β-cell function. Thin-layer chromatograph and gas chromatograph quantified FA. Generalized estimating equations were used for the analysis. IS and β-cell function declined by 8.3-19.4% over 6 years. In fully adjusted generalized estimating equation models, PL cis-vaccenate (18:1n-7) was positively associated with all outcomes, whereas γ-linolenate (GLA; 18:3n-6) and stearate (18:0) were negatively associated with IS. Tests for time interactions revealed that PL eicosadienoate (20:2n-6) and palmitate (16:0) and CE dihomo-γ-linolenate (20:3n-6), GLA, and palmitate had stronger associations with the outcomes after longer follow-up. In a Canadian population at risk for diabetes, we found that higher PL stearate and GLA and lower cis-vaccenic acid predicted consistently lower IS and β-cell function over 6 years.

  19. Layer-by-layer cell membrane assembly

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matosevic, Sandro; Paegel, Brian M.

    2013-11-01

    Eukaryotic subcellular membrane systems, such as the nuclear envelope or endoplasmic reticulum, present a rich array of architecturally and compositionally complex supramolecular targets that are as yet inaccessible. Here we describe layer-by-layer phospholipid membrane assembly on microfluidic droplets, a route to structures with defined compositional asymmetry and lamellarity. Starting with phospholipid-stabilized water-in-oil droplets trapped in a static droplet array, lipid monolayer deposition proceeds as oil/water-phase boundaries pass over the droplets. Unilamellar vesicles assembled layer-by-layer support functional insertion both of purified and of in situ expressed membrane proteins. Synthesis and chemical probing of asymmetric unilamellar and double-bilayer vesicles demonstrate the programmability of both membrane lamellarity and lipid-leaflet composition during assembly. The immobilized vesicle arrays are a pragmatic experimental platform for biophysical studies of membranes and their associated proteins, particularly complexes that assemble and function in multilamellar contexts in vivo.

  20. Modification of membrane properties and fatty acids biosynthesis-related genes in Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus: Implications for the antibacterial mechanism of naringenin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lang-Hong; Zeng, Xin-An; Wang, Man-Sheng; Brennan, Charles S; Gong, Deming

    2018-02-01

    In this work, modifications of cell membrane fluidity, fatty acid composition and fatty acid biosynthesis-associated genes of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 (S. aureus), during growth in the presence of naringenin (NAR), one of the natural antibacterial components in citrus plants, was investigated. Compared to E. coli, the growth of S. aureus was significantly inhibited by NAR in low concentrations. Combination of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with fluorescence polarization analysis revealed that E. coli and S. aureus cells increased membrane fluidity by altering the composition of membrane fatty acids after exposure to NAR. For example, E. coli cells produced more unsaturated fatty acids (from 18.5% to 43.3%) at the expense of both cyclopropane and saturated fatty acids after growth in the concentrations of NAR from 0 to 2.20mM. For S. aureus grown with NAR at 0 to 1.47mM, the relative proportions of anteiso-branched chain fatty acids increased from 37.2% to 54.4%, whereas iso-branched and straight chain fatty acids decreased from 30.0% and 33.1% to 21.6% and 23.7%, respectively. Real time q-PCR analysis showed that NAR at higher concentrations induced a significant down-regulation of fatty acid biosynthesis-associated genes in the bacteria, with the exception of an increased expression of fabA gene. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of NAR against these two bacteria was determined, and both of bacteria underwent morphological changes after exposure to 1.0 and 2.0 MIC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Models of plasma membrane organization can be applied to mitochondrial membranes to target human health and disease with polyunsaturated fatty acids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raza Shaikh, Saame; Brown, David A

    2013-01-01

    Bioactive n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), abundant in fish oil, have potential for treating symptoms associated with inflammatory and metabolic disorders; therefore, it is essential to determine their fundamental molecular mechanisms. Recently, several labs have demonstrated the n-3 PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) exerts anti-inflammatory effects by targeting the molecular organization of plasma membrane microdomains. Here we briefly review the evidence that DHA reorganizes the spatial distribution of microdomains in several model systems. We then emphasize how models on DHA and plasma membrane microdomains can be applied to mitochondrial membranes. We discuss the role of DHA acyl chains in regulating mitochondrial lipid-protein clustering, and how these changes alter several aspects of mitochondrial function. In particular, we summarize effects of DHA on mitochondrial respiration, electron leak, permeability transition, and mitochondrial calcium handling. Finally, we conclude by postulating future experiments that will augment our understanding of DHA-dependent membrane organization in health and disease. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Electrostatic control of phospholipid polymorphism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tarahovsky, Y S; Arsenault, A L; MacDonald, R C; McIntosh, T J; Epand, R M

    2000-12-01

    A regular progression of polymorphic phase behavior was observed for mixtures of the anionic phospholipid, cardiolipin, and the cationic phospholipid derivative, 1, 2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-ethylphosphocholine. As revealed by freeze-fracture electron microscopy and small-angle x-ray diffraction, whereas the two lipids separately assume only lamellar phases, their mixtures exhibit a symmetrical (depending on charge ratio and not polarity) sequence of nonlamellar phases. The inverted hexagonal phase, H(II,) formed from equimolar mixtures of the two lipids, i.e., at net charge neutrality (charge ratio (CR((+/-))) = 1:1). When one type of lipid was in significant excess (CR((+/-)) = 2:1 or CR((+/-)) = 1:2), a bicontinuous cubic structure was observed. These cubic phases were very similar to those sometimes present in cellular organelles that contain cardiolipin. Increasing the excess of cationic or anionic charge to CR((+/-)) = 4:1 or CR((+/-)) = 1:4 led to the appearance of membrane bilayers with numerous interlamellar contacts, i.e., sponge structures. It is evident that interactions between cationic and anionic moieties can influence the packing of polar heads and hence control polymorphic phase transitions. The facile isothermal, polymorphic interconversion of these lipids may have important biological and technical implications.

  3. Characterization of specific membrane fatty acids as chemotaxonomic markers for sulfate-reducing bacteria involved in anaerobic oxidation of methane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Elvert, M.; Boetius, A.; Knittel, K.

    2003-01-01

    Membrane fatty acids were extracted from a sediment core above marine gas hydrates at Hydrate Ridge, NE Pacific. Anaerobic sediments from this environment are characterized by high sulfate reduction rates driven by the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). The assimilation of methane carbon......-reducing bacteria (SRB) of the Desulfosarcina/Desulfococcus group, which are present in the aggregates of AOM consortia in extremely high numbers, these specific fatty acids appear to provide a phenotypic fingerprint indicative for SRB of this group. Correlating depth profiles of specific fatty acid content...

  4. Dehydration of multilamellar fatty acid membranes: Towards a computational model of the stratum corneum

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacDermaid, Christopher M.; DeVane, Russell H.; Klein, Michael L.; Fiorin, Giacomo

    2014-12-01

    The level of hydration controls the cohesion between apposed lamellae of saturated free fatty acids found in the lipid matrix of stratum corneum, the outermost layer of mammalian skin. This multilamellar lipid matrix is highly impermeable to water and ions, so that the local hydration shell of its fatty acids may not always be in equilibrium with the acidity and relative humidity, which significantly change over a course of days during skin growth. The homeostasis of the stratum corneum at each moment of its growth likely requires a balance between two factors, which affect in opposite ways the diffusion of hydrophilic species through the stratum corneum: (i) an increase in water order as the lipid lamellae come in closer contact, and (ii) a decrease in water order as the fraction of charged fatty acids is lowered by pH. Herein molecular dynamics simulations are employed to estimate the impact of both effects on water molecules confined between lamellae of fatty acids. Under conditions where membrane undulations are energetically favorable, the charged fatty acids are able to sequester cations around points of contact between lamellae that are fully dehydrated, while essentially maintaining a multilamellar structure for the entire system. This observation suggests that the undulations of the fatty acid lamellae control the diffusion of hydrophilic species through the water phase by altering the positional and rotational order of water molecules in the embedded/occluded "droplets."

  5. Membrane fluidization by alcohols inhibits DesK-DesR signalling in Bacillus subtilis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaňousová, Kateřina; Beranová, Jana; Fišer, Radovan; Jemioła-Rzemińska, Malgorzata; Matyska Lišková, Petra; Cybulski, Larisa; Strzałka, Kazimierz; Konopásek, Ivo

    2018-03-01

    After cold shock, the Bacillus subtilis desaturase Des introduces double bonds into the fatty acids of existing membrane phospholipids. The synthesis of Des is regulated exclusively by the two-component system DesK/DesR; DesK serves as a sensor of the state of the membrane and triggers Des synthesis after a decrease in membrane fluidity. The aim of our work is to investigate the biophysical changes in the membrane that are able to affect the DesK signalling state. Using linear alcohols (ethanol, propanol, butanol, hexanol, octanol) and benzyl alcohol, we were able to suppress Des synthesis after a temperature downshift. The changes in the biophysical properties of the membrane caused by alcohol addition were followed using membrane fluorescent probes and differential scanning calorimetry. We found that the membrane fluidization induced by alcohols was reflected in an increased hydration at the lipid-water interface. This is associated with a decrease in DesK activity. The addition of alcohol mimics a temperature increase, which can be measured isothermically by fluorescence anisotropy. The effect of alcohols on the membrane periphery is in line with the concept of the mechanism by which two hydrophilic motifs located at opposite ends of the transmembrane region of DesK, which work as a molecular caliper, sense temperature-dependent variations in membrane properties. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Growth-Environment Dependent Modulation of Staphylococcus aureus Branched-Chain to Straight-Chain Fatty Acid Ratio and Incorporation of Unsaturated Fatty Acids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sen, Suranjana; Sirobhushanam, Sirisha; Johnson, Seth R; Song, Yang; Tefft, Ryan; Gatto, Craig; Wilkinson, Brian J

    2016-01-01

    The fatty acid composition of membrane glycerolipids is a major determinant of Staphylococcus aureus membrane biophysical properties that impacts key factors in cell physiology including susceptibility to membrane active antimicrobials, pathogenesis, and response to environmental stress. The fatty acids of S. aureus are considered to be a mixture of branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs), which increase membrane fluidity, and straight-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that decrease it. The balance of BCFAs and SCFAs in USA300 strain JE2 and strain SH1000 was affected considerably by differences in the conventional laboratory medium in which the strains were grown with media such as Mueller-Hinton broth and Luria broth resulting in high BCFAs and low SCFAs, whereas growth in Tryptic Soy Broth and Brain-Heart Infusion broth led to reduction in BCFAs and an increase in SCFAs. Straight-chain unsaturated fatty acids (SCUFAs) were not detected. However, when S. aureus was grown ex vivo in serum, the fatty acid composition was radically different with SCUFAs, which increase membrane fluidity, making up a substantial proportion of the total (37%) and BCFAs (>36%) making up the rest. Staphyloxanthin, an additional major membrane lipid component unique to S. aureus, tended to be greater in content in cells with high BCFAs or SCUFAs. Cells with high staphyloxanthin content had a lower membrane fluidity that was attributed to increased production of staphyloxanthin. S. aureus saves energy and carbon by utilizing host fatty acids for part of its total fatty acids when growing in serum, which may impact biophysical properties and pathogenesis given the role of SCUFAs in virulence. The nutritional environment in which S. aureus is grown in vitro or in vivo in an infection is likely to be a major determinant of membrane fatty acid composition.

  7. Influence of β-adrenoceptor stimulation on the metabolism of C 18 unsaturated fatty acids in isolated heart of rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Makdissi, Samar

    1993-02-01

    The influence of stimulating β receptors on the metabolism of 18:1 n-9, 18:2 n-6 and 18:3 n-3 acids in an isolated perfused heart of a rat was studied. Experiments were carried out in two stages. In the first stage, each fatty acid was entered solely in Krebs liquid labelled with C 14 and complexed with albumin. In the second stage, isoproterenol (10 -4 M) was added to the previous mixture in order to stimulate the cardiac β-receptors. It appeared that the heart extracts each of 18:1 and 18:3 in a rate that exceeds the rate of extracting 18:2 and that the oxidation rate of 18:1 was the highest among the three studied acids which were alike in their esterification so they were all entered mainly in the triglycerid group (65-66%) and to less extend in the phospholipids (16-18%). While, the diglycerid and the free fatty acids did only form secondary compounds that would soon convert to the other groups that are more stable the reactions of double bond breakage for the 18:1 acid that converts to triple bond derivatives and 18:3 that converts to tetra, penta and hexa derivatives in the triglycerid were noticed. The 18:3 acid was the least influenced by the stimulation of β. The uptake rate of 18:2 acid was increased slightly while the 18:1 was decreased would indicate a competition between this acid ant the stored one in the cell. Also, the oxidation rate of 18:1 acid as well as the rate of entering it in the triglycerid and the phospholipids increased. In the same way, the oxidation rate of 18:2 acid increased, but its esterification turned in a way that the rate of entering it among the phospholipids increased, while the rate of entering it in the triglycerid decreased. According to what has been mentioned above, it can be said that the 18:1 plays an essential role in the production of direct power besides its role as a component of phospholipids that are deposited in the cellular membranes, while the metabolism of 18:2 acid turns-largely towards the phospholipids

  8. Expression of a fatty acid-binding protein in yeast

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scholz, H.

    1991-06-01

    The unicellular eukaryotic microorganism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, transformed with a plasmid containing a cDNA fragment encoding bovine heart fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP C ) under the control of the inducible yeast GAL10 promoter, expressed FABP during growth on galactose. The maximum level of immunoreactive FABP, identical in size and isoelectric point to native protein, was reached after approximately 16 hours of induction. In contrast, transcription of the gene was induced within half an hour. Both, protein and mRNA were unstable and degraded within 1 h after repression of transcription. Analysis of subcellular fractions showed that FABP was exclusively associated with the cytosol. FABP expressed in yeast cells was functional as was demonstrated by its capacity to bind long chain fatty acids in an in vitro assay. Growth of all transformants on galactose as the carbon source showed no phenotype at temperatures up to 37 deg C, but the growth of FABP-expressing cells at 37 deg C was significantly retarded. Among the biochemical effects of FABP expression on lipid metabolism is a marked reduction of chain elongation and desaturation of exogenously added 14 C-palmitic acid. This effect is most pronounced in triacylglycerols and phospholipids when cells grow at 30 deg C and 37 deg C, respectively. In an in vitro assay determining the desaturation of palmitoyl CoA by microsomal membranes cytosol with or without exo- or endogenous FABP showed the same stimulation of the reaction. The desaturation of exogenously added 14 C-stearic acid, the pattern of unlabelled fatty acids (saturated vs. unsaturated) and the distribution of exogenously added radioactive fatty acids (palmitic, stearic or oleic acid) among lipid classes was not significantly affected. Using high concentrations (1 mM) the uptake of fatty acids was first stimulated and then inhibited when FABP was expressed. (author)

  9. Acid sphingomyelinase activity is regulated by membrane lipids and facilitates cholesterol transfer by NPC2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oninla, Vincent O; Breiden, Bernadette; Babalola, Jonathan O; Sandhoff, Konrad

    2014-12-01

    During endocytosis, membrane components move to intraluminal vesicles of the endolysosomal compartment for digestion. At the late endosomes, cholesterol is sorted out mainly by two sterol-binding proteins, Niemann-Pick protein type C (NPC)1 and NPC2. To study the NPC2-mediated intervesicular cholesterol transfer, we developed a liposomal assay system. (Abdul-Hammed, M., B. Breiden, M. A. Adebayo, J. O. Babalola, G. Schwarzmann, and K. Sandhoff. 2010. Role of endosomal membrane lipids and NPC2 in cholesterol transfer and membrane fusion. J. Lipid Res. 51: 1747-1760.) Anionic lipids stimulate cholesterol transfer between liposomes while SM inhibits it, even in the presence of anionic bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate (BMP). Preincubation of vesicles containing SM with acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) (SM phosphodiesterase, EC 3.1.4.12) results in hydrolysis of SM to ceramide (Cer), which enhances cholesterol transfer. Besides SM, ASM also cleaves liposomal phosphatidylcholine. Anionic phospholipids derived from the plasma membrane (phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidic acid) stimulate SM and phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis by ASM more effectively than BMP, which is generated during endocytosis. ASM-mediated hydrolysis of liposomal SM was also stimulated by incorporation of diacylglycerol (DAG), Cer, and free fatty acids into the liposomal membranes. Conversely, phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis was inhibited by incorporation of cholesterol, Cer, DAG, monoacylglycerol, and fatty acids. Our data suggest that SM degradation by ASM is required for physiological secretion of cholesterol from the late endosomal compartment, and is a key regulator of endolysosomal lipid digestion. Copyright © 2014 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  10. Determination of the Fatty Acid Content of Biological Membranes: A Highly Versatile GC-MS Experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schultz, Emeric; Pugh, Michael Eugene

    2001-07-01

    The experiment involves the GC-MS of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) obtained from bacterial membranes. It takes about 2 h, from cell harvest to injection. This experiment is done in a lab course for non-science majors and in biochemistry. For non-science majors the focus is on GC-MS as a technique for fingerprinting and on the underlying basis of that fingerprinting. In biochemistry the focus is on the composition of membranes and how this changes with temperature--specifically how the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids changes to maintain constant cell fluidity. Combined with a parallel DNA experiment, the two major types of intermolecular forces important for the structure and function of biomolecules are compared. How this versatile experiment could be adapted in other chemistry courses is presented. The experiment has obvious appeal to biology majors, can be used to develop several important chemistry concepts, involves teamwork, and employs an important instrument. It could be used in the laboratory portion of a course other than biochemistry to fulfill the new ACS biochemistry requirement.

  11. Biomimetic mineralization of CaCO3 on a phospholipid monolayer: from an amorphous calcium carbonate precursor to calcite via vaterite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Junwu; Wang, Zhining; Tang, Yecang; Yang, Shihe

    2010-04-06

    A phospholipid monolayer, approximately half the bilayer structure of a biological membrane, can be regarded as an ideal model for investigating biomineralization on biological membranes. In this work on the biomimetic mineralization of CaCO(3) under a phospholipid monolayer, we show the initial heterogeneous nucleation of amorphous calcium carbonate precursor (ACC) nanoparticles at the air-water interface, their subsequent transformation into the metastable vaterite phase instead of the most thermodynamically stable calcite phase, and the ultimate phase transformation to calcite. Furthermore, the spontaneity of the transformation from vaterite to calcite was found to be closely related to the surface tension; high surface pressure could inhibit the process, highlighting the determinant of surface energy. To understand better the mechanisms for ACC formation and the transformation from ACC to vaterite and to calcite, in situ Brewster angle microscopy (BAM), ex situ scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis were employed. This work has clarified the crystallization process of calcium carbonate under phospholipid monolayers and therefore may further our understanding of the biomineralization processes induced by cellular membranes.

  12. Using neurolipidomics to identify phospholipid mediators of synaptic (dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steffany A L Bennett

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Not all of the mysteries of life lie in our genetic code. Some can be found buried in our membranes. These shells of fat, sculpted in the central nervous system into the cellular (and subcellular boundaries of neurons and glia, are themselves complex systems of information. The diversity of neural phospholipids, coupled with their chameleon-like capacity to transmute into bioactive molecules, provides a vast repertoire of immediate response second messengers. The effects of compositional changes on synaptic function have only begun to be appreciated. Here, we mined 29 different neurolipidomic datasets for changes in neuronal membrane phospholipid metabolism in Alzheimer’s Disease. Three overarching metabolic disturbances were detected. We found that an increase in the hydrolysis of platelet activating factor precursors and ethanolamine-containing plasmalogens, coupled with a failure to regenerate relatively rare alkyl-acyl and alkenyl-acyl structural phospholipids, correlated with disease severity. Accumulation of specific bioactive metabolites (i.e., PC(O-16:0/2:0 and PE(P-16:0/0:0 was associated with aggravating tau pathology, enhancing vesicular release, and signaling neuronal loss. Finally, depletion of PI(16:0/20:4, PI(16:0/22:6, and PI(18:0/22:6 was implicated in accelerating Aβ42 biogenesis. Our analysis further suggested that converging disruptions in platelet activating factor, plasmalogen, phosphoinositol and phosphoethanolamine, and docosahexaenoic acid metabolism may contribute mechanistically to catastrophic vesicular depletion, impaired receptor trafficking, and morphological dendritic deformation. Together, this analysis supports an emerging hypothesis that aberrant phospholipid metabolism may be one of multiple critical determinants required for Alzheimer disease conversion.

  13. Lipid content and fatty acid composition of green algae Scenedesmus obliquus grown in a constant cell density apparatus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, K. J.; Nakhost, Z.; Barzana, E.; Karel, M.

    1987-01-01

    The lipids of alga Scenedesmus obliquus grown under controlled conditions were separated and fractionated by column and thin-layer chromatography, and fatty acid composition of each lipid component was studied by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC). Total lipids were 11.17%, and neutral lipid, glycolipid and phospholipid fractions were 7.24%, 2.45% and 1.48% on a dry weight basis, respectively. The major neutral lipids were diglycerides, triglycerides, free sterols, hydrocarbons and sterol esters. The glycolipids were: monogalactosyl diglyceride, digalactosyl diglyceride, esterified sterol glycoside, and sterol glycoside. The phospholipids included: phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl glycerol and phosphatidyl ethanolamine. Fourteen fatty acids were identified in the four lipid fractions by GLC. The main fatty acids were C18:2, C16:0, C18:3(alpha), C18:1, C16:3, C16:1, and C16:4. Total unsaturated fatty acid and essential fatty acid compositions of the total algal lipids were 80% and 38%, respectively.

  14. Biosynthesis of archaeal membrane ether lipids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samta eJain

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available A vital function of the cell membrane in all living organism is to maintain the membrane permeability barrier and fluidity. The composition of the phospholipid bilayer is distinct in archaea when compared to bacteria and eukarya. In archaea, isoprenoid hydrocarbon side chains are linked via an ether bond to the sn-glycerol-1-phosphate backbone. In bacteria and eukarya on the other hand, fatty acid side chains are linked via an ester bond to the sn-glycerol-3-phosphate backbone. The polar head groups are globally shared in the three domains of life. The unique membrane lipids of archaea have been implicated not only in the survival and adaptation of the organisms to extreme environments but also to form the basis of the membrane composition of the last universal common ancestor (LUCA. In nature, a diverse range of archaeal lipids is found, the most common are the diether (or archaeol and the tetraether (or caldarchaeol lipids that form a monolayer. Variations in chain length, cyclization and other modifications lead to diversification of these lipids. The biosynthesis of these lipids is not yet well understood however progress in the last decade has led to a comprehensive understanding of the biosynthesis of archaeol. This review describes the current knowledge of the biosynthetic pathway of archaeal ether lipids; insights on the stability and robustness of archaeal lipid membranes; and evolutionary aspects of the lipid divide and the last universal common ancestor LUCA. It examines recent advances made in the field of pathway reconstruction in bacteria.

  15. Chemistry of phospholipid oxidation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reis, Ana; Spickett, Corinne M

    2012-10-01

    The oxidation of lipids has long been a topic of interest in biological and food sciences, and the fundamental principles of non-enzymatic free radical attack on phospholipids are well established, although questions about detail of the mechanisms remain. The number of end products that are formed following the initiation of phospholipid peroxidation is large, and is continually growing as new structures of oxidized phospholipids are elucidated. Common products are phospholipids with esterified isoprostane-like structures and chain-shortened products containing hydroxy, carbonyl or carboxylic acid groups; the carbonyl-containing compounds are reactive and readily form adducts with proteins and other biomolecules. Phospholipids can also be attacked by reactive nitrogen and chlorine species, further expanding the range of products to nitrated and chlorinated phospholipids. Key to understanding the mechanisms of oxidation is the development of advanced and sensitive technologies that enable structural elucidation. Tandem mass spectrometry has proved invaluable in this respect and is generally the method of choice for structural work. A number of studies have investigated whether individual oxidized phospholipid products occur in vivo, and mass spectrometry techniques have been instrumental in detecting a variety of oxidation products in biological samples such as atherosclerotic plaque material, brain tissue, intestinal tissue and plasma, although relatively few have achieved an absolute quantitative analysis. The levels of oxidized phospholipids in vivo is a critical question, as there is now substantial evidence that many of these compounds are bioactive and could contribute to pathology. The challenges for the future will be to adopt lipidomic approaches to map the profile of oxidized phospholipid formation in different biological conditions, and relate this to their effects in vivo. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Oxidized phospholipids

  16. Profile of Free Fatty Acids and Fractions of Phospholipids, Cholesterol Esters and Triglycerides in Serum of Obese Youth with and without Metabolic Syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bermúdez-Cardona, Juliana; Velásquez-Rodríguez, Claudia

    2016-02-15

    The study evaluated the profile of circulating fatty acids (FA) in obese youth with and without metabolic syndrome (MetS) to determine its association with nutritional status, lifestyle and metabolic variables. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 96 young people, divided into three groups: obese with MetS (OBMS), obese (OB) and appropriate weight (AW). FA profiles were quantified by gas chromatography; waist circumference (WC), fat folds, lipid profile, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, glucose, insulin, the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA index), food intake and physical activity (PA) were assessed. The OBMS group had significantly greater total free fatty acids (FFAs), palmitic-16:0 in triglyceride (TG), palmitoleic-16:1n-7 in TG and phospholipid (PL); in the OB group, these FAs were higher than in the AW group. Dihomo-gamma-linolenic (DHGL-20:3n-6) was higher in the OBMS than the AW in PL and FFAs. Linoleic-18:2n-6 in TG and PL had the lowest proportion in the OBMS group. WC, PA, total FFA, linoleic-18:2n-6 in TG and DHGL-20:3n-6 in FFAs explained 62% of the HOMA value. The OB group presented some higher proportions of FA and biochemical values than the AW group. The OBMS had proportions of some FA in the TG, PL and FFA fractions that correlated with disturbances of MetS.

  17. Membrane phospholipids and radiation-induced death of mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wolters, H.

    1987-01-01

    Radiation-induced cell killing is generally believed to be a consequence of residual DNA damage or damage that is mis-repaired. However, besides this DNA damage, damage to other molecules or structures of the cell may be involved in the killing. Especially membranes have been suggested as a determinant in cellular radiosensitivity. In this thesis experiments are described, dealing with the possible involvement of membranes in radiation-induced killing of mammalian cells. A general treatise of membrane structure is followed by information concerning deleterious effects of radiation on membranes. Consequences of damage to structure and function of membranes are reviewed. Thereafter evidence relating to the possible involvement of membranes in radiation-induced cell killing is presented. (Auth.)

  18. Disruption of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae homologue to the murine fatty acid transport protein impairs uptake and growth on long-chain fatty acids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Færgeman, Nils J.; DiRusso, C C; Elberger, A

    1997-01-01

    decrease in the uptake of the fluorescent long-chain fatty acid analogue boron dipyrromethene difluoride dodecanoic acid (BODIPY-3823); 3) a reduced rate of exogenous oleate incorporation into phospholipids; and 4) a 2-3-fold decrease in the rates of oleate uptake. These data support the hypothesis...

  19. Increased Binding of Calcium Ions at Positively Curved Phospholipid Membranes

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Magarkar, Aniket; Jurkiewicz, Piotr; Allolio, Christoph; Hof, Martin; Jungwirth, Pavel

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 8, č. 2 (2017), s. 518-523 ISSN 1948-7185 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA16-01074S; GA ČR(CZ) GAP207/12/0919 Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) AP1102 Program:Akademická prémie - Praemium Academiae Institutional support: RVO:61388963 ; RVO:61388955 Keywords : molecular dynamics * fluorescence spectroscopy * calcium * phospholipids Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry; CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry (UFCH-W) OBOR OECD: Physical chemistry; Physical chemistry (UFCH-W) Impact factor: 9.353, year: 2016

  20. Phospholipid Binding Protein C Inhibitor (PCI) Is Present on Microparticles Generated In Vitro and In Vivo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Einfinger, Katrin; Badrnya, Sigrun; Furtmüller, Margareta; Handschuh, Daniela; Lindner, Herbert; Geiger, Margarethe

    2015-01-01

    Protein C inhibitor is a secreted, non-specific serine protease inhibitor with broad protease reactivity. It binds glycosaminoglycans and anionic phospholipids, which can modulate its activity. Anionic phospholipids, such as phosphatidylserine are normally localized to the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane, but are exposed on activated and apoptotic cells and on plasma membrane-derived microparticles. In this report we show by flow cytometry that microparticles derived from cultured cells and activated platelets incorporated protein C inhibitor during membrane blebbing. Moreover, protein C inhibitor is present in/on microparticles circulating in normal human plasma as judged from Western blots, ELISAs, flow cytometry, and mass spectrometry. These plasma microparticles are mainly derived from megakaryocytes. They seem to be saturated with protein C inhibitor, since they do not bind added fluorescence-labeled protein C inhibitor. Heparin partially removed microparticle-bound protein C inhibitor, supporting our assumption that protein C inhibitor is bound via phospholipids. To assess the biological role of microparticle-bound protein C inhibitor we performed protease inhibition assays and co-precipitated putative binding partners on microparticles with anti-protein C inhibitor IgG. As judged from amidolytic assays microparticle-bound protein C inhibitor did not inhibit activated protein C or thrombin, nor did microparticles modulate the activity of exogenous protein C inhibitor. Among the proteins co-precipitating with protein C inhibitor, complement factors, especially complement factor 3, were most striking. Taken together, our data do not support a major role of microparticle-associated protein C inhibitor in coagulation, but rather suggest an interaction with proteins of the complement system present on these phospholipid vesicles. PMID:26580551

  1. Introduction to fatty acids and lipids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burdge, Graham C; Calder, Philip C

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to describe the structure, function and metabolism of fatty acids and lipids that are of particular importance in the context of parenteral nutrition. Lipids are a heterogeneous group of molecules that share the common property of hydrophobicity. Lipids range in structure from simple short hydrocarbon chains to more complex molecules, including triacylglycerols, phospholipids and sterols and their esters. Lipids within each class may differ structurally. Fatty acids are common components of complex lipids, and these differ according to chain length and the presence, number and position of double bonds in the hydrocarbon chain. Structural variation among complex lipids and among fatty acids gives rise to functional differences that result in different impacts upon metabolism and upon cell and tissue responses. Fatty acids and complex lipids exhibit a variety of structural variations that influence their metabolism and their functional effects. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  2. Growth, fatty acid profile in major lipid classes and lipid fluidity of Aurantiochytrium mangrovei SK-02 As a function of growth temperature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chodchoey, Kanokwan; Verduyn, Cornelis

    2012-01-01

    Aurantiochytrium mangrovei Sk-02 was grown in a medium containing glucose (40 g/l), yeast extract (10 g/L) and sea salts (15 g/L) at temperatures ranging from 12 to 35°C. The fastest growth (µmax= 0.15 h(-1)) and highest fatty acid content of 415 mg/g-dry cell weight were found in the cells grown at 30°C. However, the cells grown at 12°C showed the highest percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) (48.6% of total fatty acid). The percentage of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and pentadecanoic acid (C15:0) decreased with an increase in the growth temperature, whereas, palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0) and DPA (C22:5n6) increased with an increase in the growth temperature. The composition of the major lipid class (%w/w) was slightly affected by the growth temperature. The fluidity of the organelle membrane or intracellular lipid (by DPH measurement) decreased with an increase in the growth temperatures, while the plasma membrane fluidity (by TMA-DPH measurement) could still maintain its fluidity in a wide range of temperatures (15 - 37°C). Furthermore, the distribution of DHA was found to be higher (36 - 54%) in phospholipid (PL) as compared to neutral lipid (NL) (20 - 41%).

  3. 1,2-Dielaidoylphosphocholine/1,2-dimyristoylphosphoglycerol supported phospholipid bilayer formation in calcium and calcium-free buffer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Evans, Kervin O.

    2012-01-01

    Phospholipid membranes are useful in the field of biocatalysis because a supported phospholipid membrane can create a biomimetic platform where biocatalytic processes can readily occur. In this work, supported bilayer formation from sonicated phospholipid vesicles containing 1,2-dielaidoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)] was studied using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring and an atomic force microscope. The molar percentages of DEPC and DMPG were varied to determine the effect of overall lipid composition on supported bilayer formation. This work also explored the effect that calcium ion concentration had on supported bilayer formation. Results show that vesicles with up to 50 mol% dimyristoylphosphoglycerol can form a supported bilayer without the presence of calcium ions; however, supported bilayer formation in calcium buffer was inhibited as the anionic (negatively charged) lipid concentration increased. Data suggest that supported phospholipid bilayer formation in the absence of Ca 2+ from vesicles containing negatively charged lipids is specific to phosphatidylglycerol. - Highlights: ► SPB formation of DEPC vesicles containing 0 to 50 mol% DMPG monitored using QCM-D. ► Ca 2+ inhibited SPB formation of DEPC vesicles containing 30 to 50 mol% DMPG. ► Vesicles containing DMPG at 0 to 50 mol% formed SPB in buffer free of Ca 2+ .

  4. Kinetics of different 123-I and 14-C fatty acids in normal and diabetic rat myocardium in vivo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beckurts, T.E.; Shreeve, W.W.; Machulla, H.-J.; Feinendegen, L.E.

    1984-01-01

    For measuring myocardial metabolism by single photon scintigraphy various iodinated substrate analogues have been proposed. The present study compares in normal and diabetic rats the metabolic pathways of 14-C-palmitic acid (PA), 123-I-para-phenylpentadecanoic acid (I-pPPDA), 123-I-ortho-phenylpentadecanoic acid (I-oPPDA), 14-C-stearic acid (SA) and 123-I-w-heptadecanoic acid (I-ωHDA). In normal and diabetic rats free fatty acids showed a rapid tracer accumulation and an initial rapid, then a slow rate component of release. PA and I-pPPDA were preferentially esterified into triglycerides, whereas SA and I-ωHDA equally distributed between triglycerides and phospholipids. I-oPPDA nearly exclusively labelled the free fatty acid pool. - Turnover of SA and I-ωHDA was similar in triglycerides and phospholipids; yet PA and I-pPPDA continued to increase in triglycerides for 3-5 minutes after injection but decreased in phospholipids. - Following induction of diabetes by Streptocotocin, the primary effect was an inhibition of incorporation of all substrates tested into triglycerides and phospholipids with an initial rapid turnover in the total lipid fraction. - Of the total myocardial activities a considerable fraction was water soluble and another bound to solid tissue residue, with an early maximum and subsequent decline; the values for 14-C-labelled substrates remained below those of radioiodine. Thus different labelled fatty acids behave metabolically differently and promise to be useful for differentiating various intracellular metabolic pathways. External analysis of myocardial fatty acids metabolism requires correction for labelled catabolites. (Author)

  5. Early Effect of High Dose of Ionizing Radiation Exposure on Plasma Lipids Profile and Liver Fatty Acids Composition in Rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noaman, E.; Mansour, S.Z.; Ibrahim, N.K.

    2005-01-01

    The present study was conducted to analyze the effect of acute gamma-irradiation on rats at supralethal doses of 20 Gy to determine the synthesis and amounts of free fatty acids, neutral lipids and phospholipids of plasma and liver after 24 and 48 h of gamma-irradiation. Male Wistar rats weighing 120+- 20 g were exposed to 20 Gy of gamma radiation (dose rate of 0.59 Gy/min). Exposure of rats to ionizing radiation resulted in significant alterations in the assayed parameters indicating lipid metabolism disturbance. Plasma cholesterol and phospholipid levels increased up to 71.3 and 71.5 %, respectively, after 24 h from radiation exposure and then returned to 28 and 27 % change in-compare with control values after 48 h post-irradiation. Plasma triacylglycerol concentrations increased concomitantly with irradiation, but their values are less high than cholesterol and phospholipid levels recording significant changes at 19 and 9 % comparing with control rats. Lipid peroxidation measured as MDA recorded significant elevation after 24 and 48 h post irradiation. It was shown that the synthesis of free fatty acids, cholesterol, cholesterol ethers and phospholipids was activated 48 h after irradiation at 20 Gy. The amount of free fatty acids of the rat liver decreased at 20 Gy exposures. This is assumed to be a result of the radioresistance to some degree in the system of free fatty acid synthesis of the rat to the gamma-irradiation in the lethal doses

  6. Plasma phospholipid fatty acid concentration and incident coronary heart disease in men and women: the EPIC-Norfolk prospective study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kay-Tee Khaw

    Full Text Available The lack of association found in several cohort studies between dietary saturated fat and coronary heart disease (CHD risk has renewed debate over the link between dietary fats and CHD.We assessed the relationship between plasma phospholipid fatty acid (PFA concentration and incident CHD using a nested case control design within a prospective study (EPIC-Norfolk of 25,639 individuals aged 40-79 years examined in 1993-1997 and followed up to 2009. Plasma PFA concentrations were measured by gas chromatography in baseline samples retrieved from frozen storage. In 2,424 men and women with incident CHD compared with 4,930 controls alive and free of cardiovascular disease, mean follow-up 13 years, saturated PFA (14:0, 16:0,18:0 plasma concentrations were significantly associated with increased CHD risk (odds ratio [OR] 1.75, 95% CI 1.27-2.41, p<0.0001, in top compared to bottom quartiles (Q, and omega-6 polyunsaturated PFA concentrations were inversely related (OR 0.77, 0.60-0.99, p<0.05 after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, blood pressure, smoking, alcohol intake, plasma vitamin C, social class, education, and other PFAs. Monounsaturated PFA, omega-3 PFA, and trans PFA concentrations were not significantly associated with CHD. Odd chain PFA (15:0, 17:0 concentrations were significantly inversely associated with CHD (OR 0.73, 0.59-0.91, p<0.001, Q4 versus Q1. Within families of saturated PFA or polyunsaturated PFA, significantly heterogeneous relationships with CHD were observed for individual fatty acids.In this study, plasma concentrations of even chain saturated PFA were found to be positively and omega-6 polyunsaturated PFA inversely related to subsequent coronary heart disease risk. These findings are consistent with accumulating evidence suggesting a protective role of omega-6 fats substituting for saturated fats for CHD prevention.

  7. A novel isolation strategy for obtaining crude membrane vesicles from bovine skim milk

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blans, Kristine; Larsen, Lotte Bach; Wiking, Lars

    Bovine milks content of phospholipid membranes have largely been explored in the cream fraction, and known as the milk fat globule membrane that surrounds fat droplets. In skim milk, the population of phospholipid membranes is reported to constitute membrane vesicles with a soluble content known...... is observed all over the gradient. The variety of the membrane vesicles is currently being investigated further by several means. Summary/conclusion: A new procedure for easy and gentle isolation of bovine milk membrane vesicles encompassing ultracentrifugation and size-exclusion chromatography has been...... established. The resulting vesicle isolate exhibits the general membrane vesicle characteristics and provides an appropriate start material from which the variety of milk vesicles can be investigated...

  8. Membrane phosphorylation and nerve cell function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baer, P.R.

    1982-01-01

    This thesis deals with the phosphorylation of membrane components. In part I a series of experiments is described using the hippocampal slice as a model system. In part II a different model system - cultured hybrid cells - is used to study protein and lipid phosphorylation, influenced by incubation with neuropeptides. In part III in vivo and in vitro studies are combined to study protein phosphorylation after neuroanatomical lesions. In a section of part II (Page 81-90) labelling experiments of the membrane inositol-phospholipids are described. 32 P-ATP was used to label phospholipids in intact hybrid cells, and short incubations were found to be the most favourable. (C.F.)

  9. A thioesterase bypasses the requirement for exogenous fatty acids in the plsX deletion of Streptococcus pneumoniae

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Parsons, J.B.; Frank, M.W.; Eleveld, M.J.; Schalkwijk, J.; Broussard, T.C.; Jonge, M.I. de; Rock, C.O.

    2015-01-01

    PlsX is an acyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP):phosphate transacylase that interconverts the two acyl donors in Gram-positive bacterial phospholipid synthesis. The deletion of plsX in Staphylococcus aureus results in a requirement for both exogenous fatty acids and de novo type II fatty acid

  10. Binding of acyl CoA by fatty acid binding protein and the effect on fatty acid activation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burrier, R.E.; Manson, C.R.; Brecher, P.

    1987-01-01

    The ability of purified rat liver and heart fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) to bind oleoyl CoA and modulate acyl CoA synthesis by microsomal membranes was investigated. Using binding assays employing either Lipidex 1000 or multilamellar liposomes to sequester unbound ligand, rat liver but not rat heart FABP was shown to bind radiolabeled acyl CoA. Binding studies suggest that liver FABP has a single binding site for acyl CoA which is separate from the two binding sites for fatty acids. Experiments were then performed to determine how binding may influence acyl CoA metabolism by liver microsomes or heart sarcoplasmic reticulum. Using liposomes as fatty acid donors, liver FABP stimulated acyl CoA production whereas heart FABP did not stimulate production over control values. 14 C-Fatty acid-FABP complexes were prepared, incubated with membranes and acyl CoA synthetase activity was determined. Up to 70% of the fatty acid could be converted to acyl CoA in the presence of liver FABP but in the presence of heart FABP, only 45% of the fatty acid was converted. The amount of product formed was not changed by additional membrane, enzyme cofactor, or incubation time. Liver but not heart FABP bound the acyl CoA formed and removed it from the membranes. These studies suggest that liver FABP can increase the amount of acyl CoA by binding this ligand thereby removing it from the membrane and possibly aiding transport within the cell

  11. Binding of acyl CoA by fatty acid binding protein and the effect on fatty acid activation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burrier, R.E.; Manson, C.R.; Brecher, P.

    1987-05-01

    The ability of purified rat liver and heart fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) to bind oleoyl CoA and modulate acyl CoA synthesis by microsomal membranes was investigated. Using binding assays employing either Lipidex 1000 or multilamellar liposomes to sequester unbound ligand, rat liver but not rat heart FABP was shown to bind radiolabeled acyl CoA. Binding studies suggest that liver FABP has a single binding site for acyl CoA which is separate from the two binding sites for fatty acids. Experiments were then performed to determine how binding may influence acyl CoA metabolism by liver microsomes or heart sarcoplasmic reticulum. Using liposomes as fatty acid donors, liver FABP stimulated acyl CoA production whereas heart FABP did not stimulate production over control values. /sup 14/C-Fatty acid-FABP complexes were prepared, incubated with membranes and acyl CoA synthetase activity was determined. Up to 70% of the fatty acid could be converted to acyl CoA in the presence of liver FABP but in the presence of heart FABP, only 45% of the fatty acid was converted. The amount of product formed was not changed by additional membrane, enzyme cofactor, or incubation time. Liver but not heart FABP bound the acyl CoA formed and removed it from the membranes. These studies suggest that liver FABP can increase the amount of acyl CoA by binding this ligand thereby removing it from the membrane and possibly aiding transport within the cell.

  12. Field-effect detection using phospholipid membranes -Topical Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chiho Kataoka-Hamai and Yuji Miyahara

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The application of field-effect devices to biosensors has become an area of intense research interest. An attractive feature of field-effect sensing is that the binding or reaction of biomolecules can be directly detected from a change in electrical signals. The integration of such field-effect devices into cell membrane mimics may lead to the development of biosensors useful in clinical and biotechnological applications. This review summarizes recent studies on the fabrication and characterization of field-effect devices incorporating model membranes. The incorporation of black lipid membranes and supported lipid monolayers and bilayers into semiconductor devices is described.

  13. Engineering the production of conjugated fatty acids in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yurchenko, Olga; Shockey, Jay M; Gidda, Satinder K; Silver, Maxwell I; Chapman, Kent D; Mullen, Robert T; Dyer, John M

    2017-08-01

    The seeds of many nondomesticated plant species synthesize oils containing high amounts of a single unusual fatty acid, many of which have potential usage in industry. Despite the identification of enzymes for unusual oxidized fatty acid synthesis, the production of these fatty acids in engineered seeds remains low and is often hampered by their inefficient exclusion from phospholipids. Recent studies have established the feasibility of increasing triacylglycerol content in plant leaves, which provides a novel approach for increasing energy density of biomass crops. Here, we determined whether the fatty acid composition of leaf oil could be engineered to accumulate unusual fatty acids. Eleostearic acid (ESA) is a conjugated fatty acid produced in seeds of the tung tree (Vernicia fordii) and has both industrial and nutritional end-uses. Arabidopsis thaliana lines with elevated leaf oil were first generated by transforming wild-type, cgi-58 or pxa1 mutants (the latter two of which contain mutations disrupting fatty acid breakdown) with the diacylglycerol acyltransferases (DGAT1 or DGAT2) and/or oleosin genes from tung. High-leaf-oil plant lines were then transformed with tung FADX, which encodes the fatty acid desaturase/conjugase responsible for ESA synthesis. Analysis of lipids in leaves revealed that ESA was efficiently excluded from phospholipids, and co-expression of tung FADX and DGAT2 promoted a synergistic increase in leaf oil content and ESA accumulation. Taken together, these results provide a new approach for increasing leaf oil content that is coupled with accumulation of unusual fatty acids. Implications for production of biofuels, bioproducts, and plant-pest interactions are discussed. © 2017 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Elongation of exogenous fatty acids by the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio harveyi

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Byers, D.M.

    1989-01-01

    Bioluminescent bacteria require myristic acid (C14:0) to produce the myristaldehyde substrate of the light-emitting luciferase reaction. Since both endogenous and exogenous C14:0 can be used for this purpose, the metabolism of exogenous fatty acids by luminescent bacteria has been investigated. Both Vibrio harveyi and Vibrio fischeri incorporated label from (1-14C)myristic acid (C14:0) into phospholipid acyl chains as well as into CO2. In contrast, Photobacterium phosphoreum did not exhibit phospholipid acylation or beta-oxidation using exogenous fatty acids. Unlike Escherichia coli, the two Vibrio species can directly elongate fatty acids such as octanoic (C8:0), lauric (C12:0), and myristic acid, as demonstrated by radio-gas liquid chromatography. The induction of bioluminescence in late exponential growth had little effect on the ability of V. harveyi to elongate fatty acids, but it did increase the amount of C14:0 relative to C16:0 labeled from (14C)C8:0. This was not observed in a dark mutant of V. harveyi that is incapable of supplying endogenous C14:0 for luminescence. Cerulenin preferentially decreased the labeling of C16:0 and of unsaturated fatty acids from all 14C-labeled fatty acid precursors as well as from (14C)acetate, suggesting that common mechanisms may be involved in elongation of fatty acids from endogenous and exogenous sources. Fatty acylation of the luminescence-related synthetase and reductase enzymes responsible for aldehyde synthesis exhibited a chain-length preference for C14:0, which also was indicated by reverse-phase thin-layer chromatography of the acyl groups attached to these enzymes. The ability of V. harveyi to activate and elongate exogenous fatty acids may be related to an adaptive requirement to metabolize intracellular C14:0 generated by the luciferase reaction during luminescence development.

  15. Elongation of exogenous fatty acids by the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio harveyi

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Byers, D.M.

    1989-01-01

    Bioluminescent bacteria require myristic acid (C14:0) to produce the myristaldehyde substrate of the light-emitting luciferase reaction. Since both endogenous and exogenous C14:0 can be used for this purpose, the metabolism of exogenous fatty acids by luminescent bacteria has been investigated. Both Vibrio harveyi and Vibrio fischeri incorporated label from [1-14C]myristic acid (C14:0) into phospholipid acyl chains as well as into CO2. In contrast, Photobacterium phosphoreum did not exhibit phospholipid acylation or beta-oxidation using exogenous fatty acids. Unlike Escherichia coli, the two Vibrio species can directly elongate fatty acids such as octanoic (C8:0), lauric (C12:0), and myristic acid, as demonstrated by radio-gas liquid chromatography. The induction of bioluminescence in late exponential growth had little effect on the ability of V. harveyi to elongate fatty acids, but it did increase the amount of C14:0 relative to C16:0 labeled from [14C]C8:0. This was not observed in a dark mutant of V. harveyi that is incapable of supplying endogenous C14:0 for luminescence. Cerulenin preferentially decreased the labeling of C16:0 and of unsaturated fatty acids from all 14C-labeled fatty acid precursors as well as from [14C]acetate, suggesting that common mechanisms may be involved in elongation of fatty acids from endogenous and exogenous sources. Fatty acylation of the luminescence-related synthetase and reductase enzymes responsible for aldehyde synthesis exhibited a chain-length preference for C14:0, which also was indicated by reverse-phase thin-layer chromatography of the acyl groups attached to these enzymes. The ability of V. harveyi to activate and elongate exogenous fatty acids may be related to an adaptive requirement to metabolize intracellular C14:0 generated by the luciferase reaction during luminescence development

  16. Cell membrane-inspired polymeric micelles as carriers for drug delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Gongyan; Luo, Quanqing; Gao, Haiqi; Chen, Yuan; Wei, Xing; Dai, Hong; Zhang, Zongcai; Ji, Jian

    2015-03-01

    In cancer therapy, surface engineering of drug delivery systems plays an essential role in their colloidal stability, biocompatibility and prolonged blood circulation. Inspired by the cell membrane consisting of phospholipids and glycolipids, a zwitterionic phosphorylcholine functionalized chitosan oligosaccharide (PC-CSO) was first synthesized to mimic the hydrophilic head groups of those amphipathic lipids. Then hydrophobic stearic acid (SA) similar to lipid fatty acids was grafted onto PC-CSO to form amphiphilic PC-CSO-SA copolymers. Cell membrane-mimetic micelles with a zwitterionic surface and a hydrophobic SA core were prepared by the self-assembly of PC-CSO-SA copolymers, showing excellent stability under extreme conditions including protein containing media, high salt content or a wide pH range. Doxorubicin (DOX) was successfully entrapped into polymeric micelles through the hydrophobic interaction between DOX and SA segments. After fast internalization by cancer cells, sustained drug release from micelles to the cytoplasm and nucleus was achieved. This result suggests that these biomimetic polymeric micelles may be promising drug delivery systems in cancer therapy.

  17. Redirection of lipid flux toward phospholipids in yeast increases fatty acid turnover and secretion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ferreira, Raphael; Teixeiraa, Paulo Goncalves; Siewers, Verena

    2018-01-01

    and tightly regulated metabolic network. Here we generated a Saccharomyces cerevisiae platform strain with a simplified lipid metabolism network with high-level production of free fatty acids (FFAs) due to redirected fatty acid metabolism and reduced feedback regulation. Deletion of the main fatty acid...

  18. Differential intrahepatic phospholipid zonation in simple steatosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julia Wattacheril

    Full Text Available Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD occurs frequently in a setting of obesity, dyslipidemia and insulin resistance, but the etiology of the disease, particularly the events favoring progression to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH as opposed to simple steatosis (SS, are not fully understood. Based on known zonation patterns in protein, glucose and lipid metabolism, coupled with evidence that phosphatidylcholine may play a role in NASH pathogenesis, we hypothesized that phospholipid zonation exists in liver and that specific phospholipid abundance and distribution may be associated with histologic disease. A survey of normal hepatic protein expression profiles in the Human Protein Atlas revealed pronounced zonation of enzymes involved in lipid utilization and storage, particularly those facilitating phosphatidylcholine (PC metabolism. Immunohistochemistry of obese normal, SS and NASH liver specimens with anti-phosphatidylethanomine N-methyltransferase (PEMT antibodies showed a progressive decrease in the zonal distribution of this PC biosynthetic enzyme. Phospholipid quantitation by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS in hepatic extracts of Class III obese patients with increasing NAFLD severity revealed that most PC species with 32, 34 and 36 carbons as well as total PC abundance was decreased with SS and NASH. Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS imaging revealed strong zonal distributions for 32, 34 and 36 carbon PCs in controls (minimal histologic findings and SS that was lost in NASH specimens. Specific lipid species such as PC 34:1 and PC 36:2 best illustrated this phenomenon. These findings suggest that phospholipid zonation may be associated with the presence of an intrahepatic proinflammatory phenotype and thus have broad implications in the etiopathogenesis of NASH.

  19. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, cholesterol, and fatty acids modulate the calcium-activated chloride channel TMEM16A (ANO1).

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Jesús-Pérez, José J; Cruz-Rangel, Silvia; Espino-Saldaña, Ángeles E; Martínez-Torres, Ataúlfo; Qu, Zhiqiang; Hartzell, H Criss; Corral-Fernandez, Nancy E; Pérez-Cornejo, Patricia; Arreola, Jorge

    2018-03-01

    The TMEM16A-mediated Ca 2+ -activated Cl - current drives several important physiological functions. Membrane lipids regulate ion channels and transporters but their influence on members of the TMEM16 family is poorly understood. Here we have studied the regulation of TMEM16A by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2), cholesterol, and fatty acids using patch clamp, biochemistry and fluorescence microscopy. We found that depletion of membrane PI(4,5)P2 causes a decline in TMEM16A current that is independent of cytoskeleton, but is partially prevented by removing intracellular Ca 2+ . On the other hand, supplying PI(4,5)P2 to inside-out patches attenuated channel rundown and/or partially rescued activity after channel rundown. Also, depletion (with methyl-β-cyclodextrin M-βCD) or restoration (with M-βCD+cholesterol) of membrane cholesterol slows down the current decay observed after reduction of PI(4,5)P2. Neither depletion nor restoration of cholesterol change PI(4,5)P2 content. However, M-βCD alone transiently increases TMEM16A activity and dampens rundown whereas M-βCD+cholesterol increases channel rundown. Thus, PI(4,5)P2 is required for TMEM16A function while cholesterol directly and indirectly via a PI(4,5)P2-independent mechanism regulate channel function. Stearic, arachidonic, oleic, docosahexaenoic, and eicosapentaenoic fatty acids as well as methyl stearate inhibit TMEM16A in a dose- and voltage-dependent manner. Phosphatidylserine, a phospholipid whose hydrocarbon tails contain stearic and oleic acids also inhibits TMEM16A. Finally, we show that TMEM16A remains in the plasma membrane after treatment with M-βCD, M-βCD+cholesterol, oleic, or docosahexaenoic acids. Thus, we propose that lipids and fatty acids regulate TMEM16A channels through a membrane-delimited protein-lipid interaction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Kinetic characterization of Escherichia coli outer membrane phospholipase A using mixed detergent-lipid micelles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horrevoets, A J; Hackeng, T M; Verheij, H M; Dijkman, R; de Haas, G H

    1989-02-07

    The substrate specificity of Escherichia coli outer membrane phospholipase A was analyzed in mixed micelles of lipid with deoxycholate or Triton X-100. Diglycerides, monoglycerides, and Tweens 40 and 85 in Triton X-100 are hydrolyzed at rates comparable to those of phospholipids and lysophospholipids. p-Nitrophenyl esters of fatty acids with different chain lengths and triglycerides are not hydrolyzed. The minimal substrate characteristics consist of a long acyl chain esterified to a more or less hydrophilic headgroup as is the case for the substrate monopalmitoylglycol. Binding occurs via the hydrocarbon chain of the substrate; diacyl compounds are bound three to five times better than monoacyl compounds. When acting on lecithins, phospholipase A1 activity is six times higher than phospholipase A2 activity or 1-acyl lysophospholipase activity. Activity on the 2-acyl lyso compound is about two times less than that on the 1-acyl lysophospholipid. The enzyme therefore has a clear preference for the primary ester bond of phospholipids. In contrast to phospholipase A1 activity, phospholipase A2 activity is stereospecific. Only the L isomer of a lecithin analogue in which the primary acyl chain was replaced by an alkyl ether group is hydrolyzed. The D isomer of this analogue is a competitive inhibitor, bound with the same affinity as the L isomer. On these ether analogues the enzyme shows the same preference for the primary acyl chain as with the natural diester phospholipids. Despite its broad specificity, the enzyme will initially act as a phospholipase A1 in the E. coli envelope where it is embedded in phospholipids.

  1. Fatty acid alterations caused by PCBs (Aroclor 1242) and copper in adipose tissue around lymph nodes of mink

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaekelae, R.; Hyvaerinen, H.

    1999-01-01

    Fatty acid composition was determined in adipose tissue surrounding the mesenteric lymph nodes of mink (Mustela vison) exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs: 1 mg Aroclor 1242 in food day -1 for 28 days) and/or copper (62 mg kg -1 food). These specific adipose tissues are known to have functional relationships with lymphocytes, and proliferation of cultured lymphocytes is influenced by the quality of fatty acids available in media. In six experimental groups the diet was based on freshwater fish, and in two groups it was based on marine fish. These basal diets differed in terms of fatty acid composition and content of fat-soluble vitamins A 1 and E. The fatty acid composition of membrane phospholipids (PL) responded to PCBs more than that of triacylglycerols (TG). The effects of copper were small. In female minks fed a diet of freshwater fish, the proportion of highly unsaturated fatty acids in PL decreased by 5 wt.% due to PCBs, and the acids seemed to be replaced by monounsaturated fatty acids (9 wt.% increase of total). This decrease of highly unsaturated fatty acids in PL was milder in minks on the marine fish diet rich in fat-soluble vitamins. In TG of minks on the marine diet, however, PCBs decreased the proportion of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3). The possibility that these alterations in the fatty acid metabolism of adipose tissue supporting the lymph nodes affect immune function during PCB exposure should be studied further. Interestingly, the quality of the fish diet affected the magnitude of the alterations. The fatty acid responses may also differ between males and females. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

  2. Apolipoprotein L1 confers pH-switchable ion permeability to phospholipid vesicles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruno, Jonathan; Pozzi, Nicola; Oliva, Jonathan; Edwards, John C

    2017-11-03

    Apolipoprotein L1 (ApoL1) is a human serum protein conferring resistance to African trypanosomes, and certain ApoL1 variants increase susceptibility to some progressive kidney diseases. ApoL1 has been hypothesized to function like a pore-forming colicin and has been reported to have permeability effects on both intracellular and plasma membranes. Here, to gain insight into how ApoL1 may function in vivo , we used vesicle-based ion permeability, direct membrane association, and intrinsic fluorescence to study the activities of purified recombinant ApoL1. We found that ApoL1 confers chloride-selective permeability to preformed phospholipid vesicles and that this selectivity is strongly pH-sensitive, with maximal activity at pH 5 and little activity above pH 7. When ApoL1 and lipid were allowed to interact at low pH and were then brought to neutral pH, chloride permeability was suppressed, and potassium permeability was activated. Both chloride and potassium permeability linearly correlated with the mass of ApoL1 in the reaction mixture, and both exhibited lipid selectivity, requiring the presence of negatively charged lipids for activity. Potassium, but not chloride, permease activity required the presence of calcium ions in both the association and activation steps. Direct assessment of ApoL1-lipid associations confirmed that ApoL1 stably associates with phospholipid vesicles, requiring low pH and the presence of negatively charged phospholipids for maximal binding. Intrinsic fluorescence of ApoL1 supported the presence of a significant structural transition when ApoL1 is mixed with lipids at low pH. This pH-switchable ion-selective permeability may explain the different effects of ApoL1 reported in intracellular and plasma membrane environments. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  3. Lipids in the Assembly of Membrane Proteins and Organization of Protein Supercomplexes: Implications for Lipid-Linked Disorders

    OpenAIRE

    Bogdanov, Mikhail; Mileykovskaya, Eugenia; Dowhan, William

    2008-01-01

    Lipids play important roles in cellular dysfunction leading to disease. Although a major role for phospholipids is in defining the membrane permeability barrier, phospholipids play a central role in a diverse range of cellular processes and therefore are important factors in cellular dysfunction and disease. This review is focused on the role of phospholipids in normal assembly and organization of the membrane proteins, multimeric protein complexes, and higher order supercomplexes. Since lipi...

  4. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from C4 leaves is selectively targeted for inhibition by anionic phospholipids

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Monreal, J.A.; McLoughlin, F.; Echevarría, C.; García-Mauriño, S.; Testerink, C.

    2010-01-01

    Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC; EC 4.1.1.31) is an enzyme playing a crucial role in photosynthesis of C4 plants. Here, we identify anionic phospholipids as novel regulators that inhibit C4 PEPC activity and provide evidence that the enzyme partially localizes to membranes.

  5. Nut consumption, serum fatty acid profile and estimated coronary heart disease risk in type 2 diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishi, S K; Kendall, C W C; Bazinet, R P; Bashyam, B; Ireland, C A; Augustin, L S A; Blanco Mejia, S; Sievenpiper, J L; Jenkins, D J A

    2014-08-01

    Nut consumption has been associated with decreased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and type 2 diabetes which has been largely attributed to their healthy fatty acid profile, yet this has not been ascertained. Therefore, we investigated the effect of nut consumption on serum fatty acid concentrations and how these relate to changes in markers of glycemic control and calculated CHD risk score in type 2 diabetes. 117 subjects with type 2 diabetes consumed one of three iso-energetic (mean 475 kcal/d) supplements for 12 weeks: 1. full-dose nuts (50-100 g/d); 2. half-dose nuts with half-dose muffins; and 3. full-dose muffins. In this secondary analysis, fatty acid concentrations in the phospholipid, triacylglycerol, free fatty acid, and cholesteryl ester fractions from fasting blood samples obtained at baseline and week 12 were analyzed using thin layer and gas chromatography. Full-dose nut supplementation significantly increased serum oleic acid (OA) and MUFAs compared to the control in the phospholipid fraction (OA: P = 0.036; MUFAs: P = 0.024). Inverse associations were found with changes in CHD risk versus changes in OA and MUFAs in the triacylglycerol (r = -0.256, P = 0.011; r = -0.228, P = 0.024, respectively) and phospholipid (r = -0.278, P = 0.006; r = -0.260, P = 0.010, respectively) fractions. In the cholesteryl ester fraction, change in MUFAs was inversely associated with markers of glycemic control (HbA1c: r = -0.250, P = 0.013; fasting blood glucose: r = -0.395, P consumption increased OA and MUFA content of the serum phospholipid fraction, which was inversely associated with CHD risk factors and 10-year CHD risk. NCT00410722, clinicaltrials.gov. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Association of polymorphisms in FADS gene with age-related changes in serum phospholipid polyunsaturated fatty acids and oxidative stress markers in middle-aged nonobese men

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong SH

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Seul Hee Hong,1,* Jung Hyun Kwak,2,* Jean Kyung Paik,3 Jey Sook Chae,2 Jong Ho Lee1,21National Research Laboratory for Clinical Nutrigenetics/Nutrigenomics, 2Research Institute of Science for Aging, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea; 3Department of Food and Nutrition, Eulji University, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea *These authors contributed equally to this workBackground: To investigate the association of FADS gene polymorphisms with age-related changes in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs in serum phospholipids and oxidative stress markers.Methods: We genotyped 122 nonobese men aged 35–59 years without any known diseases at baseline for rs174537 near FADS1 (FEN1 rs174537G > T, FADS2 (rs174575, rs2727270, and FADS3 (rs1000778, and followed them for 3 years.Results: Among the four single-nucleotide polymorphisms, the minor variants of rs174537 and rs2727270 were significantly associated with lower concentrations of long-chain PUFAs. However, rs174537G > T showed stronger association. At baseline, men with the rs174537T allele had lower arachidonic acid (AA and AA/linoleic acid (LA, and higher interleukin (IL-6 levels than rs174537GG counterparts. After 3 years, rs174537GG men had significantly increased AA (P = 0.022, AA/dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA (P = 0.007, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, low-density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol, and oxidized LDL (ox-LDL, but decreased eicosatrienoic acid. The rs174537T group showed significantly increased γ-linolenic acid and ox-LDL, and decreased eicosadienoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA/α-linolenic acid (ALA, and IL-6. After 3 years, the rs174537T group had lower AA (P < 0.001, AA/DGLA (P = 0.019, EPA, DPA, EPA/ALA, and urinary 8-epi-prostaglandin F2α (8-epi-PGF2α (P = 0.011 than rs174537GG. Changes in AA (P = 0.001, AA/DGLA (P = 0.017, EPA, DPA, EPA/ALA, and urinary 8-epi-PGF2α (P < 0.001 were significantly different between the groups after adjusting for baseline values. Overall, changes in AA

  7. Staphylococcus aureus utilizes host-derived lipoprotein particles as sources of exogenous fatty acids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delekta, Phillip C; Shook, John C; Lydic, Todd A; Mulks, Martha H; Hammer, Neal D

    2018-03-26

    Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a threat to global health. Consequently, much effort has focused on the development of new antimicrobials that target novel aspects of S. aureus physiology. Fatty acids are required to maintain cell viability, and bacteria synthesize fatty acids using the type II fatty acid synthesis pathway (FASII). FASII is significantly different from human fatty acid synthesis, underscoring the therapeutic potential of inhibiting this pathway. However, many Gram-positive pathogens incorporate exogenous fatty acids, bypassing FASII inhibition and leaving the clinical potential of FASII inhibitors uncertain. Importantly, the source(s) of fatty acids available to pathogens within the host environment remains unclear. Fatty acids are transported throughout the body by lipoprotein particles in the form of triglycerides and esterified cholesterol. Thus, lipoproteins, such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) represent a potentially rich source of exogenous fatty acids for S. aureus during infection. We sought to test the ability of LDLs to serve as a fatty acid source for S. aureus and show that cells cultured in the presence of human LDLs demonstrate increased tolerance to the FASII inhibitor, triclosan. Using mass spectrometry, we observed that host-derived fatty acids present in the LDLs are incorporated into the staphylococcal membrane and that tolerance to triclosan is facilitated by the fatty acid kinase A, FakA, and Geh, a triacylglycerol lipase. Finally, we demonstrate that human LDLs support the growth of S. aureus fatty acid auxotrophs. Together, these results suggest that human lipoprotein particles are a viable source of exogenous fatty acids for S. aureus during infection. IMPORTANCE Inhibition of bacterial fatty acid synthesis is a promising approach to combating infections caused by S. aureus and other human pathogens. However, S. aureus incorporates exogenous fatty acids into its phospholipid bilayer. Therefore, the

  8. Perforin rapidly induces plasma membrane phospholipid flip-flop.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sunil S Metkar

    Full Text Available The cytotoxic cell granule secretory pathway is essential for host defense. This pathway is fundamentally a form of intracellular protein delivery where granule proteases (granzymes from cytotoxic lymphocytes are thought to diffuse through barrel stave pores generated in the plasma membrane of the target cell by the pore forming protein perforin (PFN and mediate apoptotic as well as additional biological effects. While recent electron microscopy and structural analyses indicate that recombinant PFN oligomerizes to form pores containing 20 monomers (20 nm when applied to liposomal membranes, these pores are not observed by propidium iodide uptake in target cells. Instead, concentrations of human PFN that encourage granzyme-mediated apoptosis are associated with pore structures that unexpectedly favor phosphatidylserine flip-flop measured by Annexin-V and Lactadherin. Efforts that reduce PFN mediated Ca influx in targets did not reduce Annexin-V reactivity. Antigen specific mouse CD8 cells initiate a similar rapid flip-flop in target cells. A lipid that augments plasma membrane curvature as well as cholesterol depletion in target cells enhance flip-flop. Annexin-V staining highly correlated with apoptosis after Granzyme B (GzmB treatment. We propose the structures that PFN oligomers form in the membrane bilayer may include arcs previously observed by electron microscopy and that these unusual structures represent an incomplete mixture of plasma membrane lipid and PFN oligomers that may act as a flexible gateway for GzmB to translocate across the bilayer to the cytosolic leaflet of target cells.

  9. Encapsulation of phytosterols and phytosterol esters in liposomes made with soy phospholipids by high pressure homogenization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Fan C; Acevedo, Nuria; Marangoni, Alejandro G

    2017-11-15

    Phytosterols and phytosterol esters were encapsulated within large unilamellar liposomes prepared with soy phospholipids using a microfluidizer. The average particle diameter of these liposomal vesicles increased with increasing amounts of encapsulated phytosterols, especially with increasing free sterol content. The phytosterol content, liposomal particle size, and phytosterol encapsulation efficiency started to plateau when liposomes were prepared with MOPS buffer dispersions that contained 50 mg ml -1 soy phospholipid and more than 4% phytosterol blend, suggesting the saturation of phytosterol encapsulation. We proposed an encapsulation mechanism of free sterols and phytosterol esters in liposomes, where free sterols were mainly encapsulated within the lumen of these liposomes as crystals, and sterol esters and some free sterols were incorporated within the phospholipid bilayer of the liposomal membrane. The results from this work could provide the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries a practical method to produce loaded liposomes using inexpensive phospholipid mixtures for the delivery of bioactive ingredients.

  10. The removal of fatty acids from edible oil : removal of the dispersed phase of a water-in-oil dispersion by a hydrophilic membrane

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Keurentjes, J.T.F.; Doornbusch, G.I.; Riet, van 't K.

    1991-01-01

    Fatty acids can be extracted from an oil phase by forming a dispersed phase of saponified fatty acids/water/isopropanol in oil. This dispersion can be separated in the two phases by two membranes of opposite polarity in series. In this study the separation of the water phase from the dispersion by a

  11. Properties of a membrane-bound triglyceride lipase of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) cotyledons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosnitschek, I; Theimer, R R

    1980-04-01

    The properties of the alkaline lipase activity (EC 3.1.1.3) that was recovered almost completely from a microsomal membrane fraction of 4-d-old rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) cotyledons were studied employing a titrimetric test procedure. The apparent KM was 6.5 mmol l(-1), with emulgated sunflower oil as the substrate. The products of triglyceride hydrolysis in vitro were glycerol, free fatty acids, and minor amounts of mono- and diglycerides. Maximum lipase activity depended on the preincubation of the lipolytic membrane fraction in 0.15 mol l(-1) NaCl and on the presence of at least 0.1 mol l(-1) NaCl in the test mixture. Desoxycholate and up to 0.1 mol l(-1) CaCl2 also activated the enzyme while EDTA and detergents such as trito x-100, digitonin, tween 85, and sodium dodecylsulfate were inhibitory. The rapeseed lipase displayed a conspicuous substrate selectivity among different plant triglycerides; the activity was inversely correlated with the oleic acid content of the oils. Water-soluble triacetin and the phospholipid lecithin were not hydrolyzed. Increasing amounts of free fatty acids reduced lipase activity; erucic acid, a major component of rapeseed oil, exhibited the strongest effect, suggesting a possible role in the regulation of lipase activity in vivo. The data demonstrate that the lipolytic membrane fraction houses a triglyceride lipase with properties similar to other plant and animal lipases. It can both qualitatively and quantitatively account for the fat degradation in rapeseed cotyledons. The evidence that provides further reason to acknowledge the membranous appendices of the spherosomes as the intracellular site of lipolysis is discussed.

  12. Long-Term Effects of Docosahexaenoic Acid-Bound Phospholipids and the Combination of Docosahexaenoic Acid-Bound Triglyceride and Egg Yolk Phospholipid on Lipid Metabolism in Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Che, Hongxia; Cui, Jie; Wen, Min; Xu, Jie; Yanagita, Teruyoshi; Wang, Qi; Xue, Changhu; Wang, Yuming

    2018-04-01

    The bioavailability of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) depends on their chemical forms. This study investigated the long-term effects of DHA-bound triglyceride (TG-DHA), DHA-bound phospholipid (PL-DHA), and the combination of TG-DHA and egg yolk phospholipid (Egg-PL) on lipid metabolism in mice fed with a high-fat diet (fat levels of 22.5%). Male C57BL/6J mice were fed with different formulations containing 0.5% DHA, including TG-DHA, PL-DHA, and the combination of TG-DHA and Egg-PL, for 6 weeks. Serum, hepatic, and cerebral lipid concentrations and the fatty acid compositions of the liver and brain were determined. The concentrations of serum total triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), and hepatic TG in the PL-DHA group and the combination group were significantly lower than those in the high-fat (HF) group ( P Egg-PL in decreasing the AI. Long-term dietary supplementation with low amount of DHA (0.5%) may improve hepatic DHA levels, although cerebral DHA levels may not be enhanced.

  13. Conformations of double-headed, triple-tailed phospholipid oxidation lipid products in model membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hermetter, Albin; Kopec, Wojciech; Khandelia, Himanshu

    2013-01-01

    Products of phospholipid oxidation can produce lipids with a carbonyl moiety at the end of a shortened lipid acyl tail, such as 1-palmitoyl-2-(5-oxovaleroyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POVPC). The carbonyl tail of POVPC can covalently bond to the free tertiary amine of a phosphatidylethanolamine...

  14. Overexpression of human fatty acid transport protein 2/very long chain acyl-CoA synthetase 1 (FATP2/Acsvl1) reveals distinct patterns of trafficking of exogenous fatty acids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Melton, Elaina M. [Department of Biochemistry, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE (United States); Center for Cardiovascular Sciences, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY (United States); Cerny, Ronald L. [Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE (United States); DiRusso, Concetta C. [Department of Biochemistry, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE (United States); Black, Paul N., E-mail: pblack2@unl.edu [Department of Biochemistry, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE (United States)

    2013-11-01

    Highlights: •Roles of FATP2 in fatty acid transport/activation contribute to lipid homeostasis. •Use of 13C- and D-labeled fatty acids provide novel insights into FATP2 function. •FATP2-dependent trafficking of FA into phospholipids results in distinctive profiles. •FATP2 functions in the transport and activation pathways for exogenous fatty acids. -- Abstract: In mammals, the fatty acid transport proteins (FATP1 through FATP6) are members of a highly conserved family of proteins, which function in fatty acid transport proceeding through vectorial acylation and in the activation of very long chain fatty acids, branched chain fatty acids and secondary bile acids. FATP1, 2 and 4, for example directly function in fatty acid transport and very long chain fatty acids activation while FATP5 does not function in fatty acid transport but activates secondary bile acids. In the present work, we have used stable isotopically labeled fatty acids differing in carbon length and saturation in cells expressing FATP2 to gain further insights into how this protein functions in fatty acid transport and intracellular fatty acid trafficking. Our previous studies showed the expression of FATP2 modestly increased C16:0-CoA and C20:4-CoA and significantly increased C18:3-CoA and C22:6-CoA after 4 h. The increases in C16:0-CoA and C18:3-CoA suggest FATP2 must necessarily partner with a long chain acyl CoA synthetase (Acsl) to generate C16:0-CoA and C18:3-CoA through vectorial acylation. The very long chain acyl CoA synthetase activity of FATP2 is consistent in the generation of C20:4-CoA and C22:6-CoA coincident with transport from their respective exogenous fatty acids. The trafficking of exogenous fatty acids into phosphatidic acid (PA) and into the major classes of phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), and phosphatidyserine (PS)) resulted in distinctive profiles, which changed with the expression of FATP2. The

  15. Overexpression of human fatty acid transport protein 2/very long chain acyl-CoA synthetase 1 (FATP2/Acsvl1) reveals distinct patterns of trafficking of exogenous fatty acids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Melton, Elaina M.; Cerny, Ronald L.; DiRusso, Concetta C.; Black, Paul N.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Roles of FATP2 in fatty acid transport/activation contribute to lipid homeostasis. •Use of 13C- and D-labeled fatty acids provide novel insights into FATP2 function. •FATP2-dependent trafficking of FA into phospholipids results in distinctive profiles. •FATP2 functions in the transport and activation pathways for exogenous fatty acids. -- Abstract: In mammals, the fatty acid transport proteins (FATP1 through FATP6) are members of a highly conserved family of proteins, which function in fatty acid transport proceeding through vectorial acylation and in the activation of very long chain fatty acids, branched chain fatty acids and secondary bile acids. FATP1, 2 and 4, for example directly function in fatty acid transport and very long chain fatty acids activation while FATP5 does not function in fatty acid transport but activates secondary bile acids. In the present work, we have used stable isotopically labeled fatty acids differing in carbon length and saturation in cells expressing FATP2 to gain further insights into how this protein functions in fatty acid transport and intracellular fatty acid trafficking. Our previous studies showed the expression of FATP2 modestly increased C16:0-CoA and C20:4-CoA and significantly increased C18:3-CoA and C22:6-CoA after 4 h. The increases in C16:0-CoA and C18:3-CoA suggest FATP2 must necessarily partner with a long chain acyl CoA synthetase (Acsl) to generate C16:0-CoA and C18:3-CoA through vectorial acylation. The very long chain acyl CoA synthetase activity of FATP2 is consistent in the generation of C20:4-CoA and C22:6-CoA coincident with transport from their respective exogenous fatty acids. The trafficking of exogenous fatty acids into phosphatidic acid (PA) and into the major classes of phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), and phosphatidyserine (PS)) resulted in distinctive profiles, which changed with the expression of FATP2. The

  16. Phospholipid layer stabilization via Yb(III) on ITIES and facilitated K(I) transport

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Jaklová Dytrtová, Jana; Navrátil, Tomáš; Mareček, Vladimír

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 76, č. 12 (2011), s. 1917-1930 ISSN 0010-0765 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA400400806; GA ČR GAP206/11/1638 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40400503; CEZ:AV0Z40550506 Keywords : phospholipids * membranes * zwitterions Subject RIV: CG - Electrochemistry Impact factor: 1.283, year: 2011

  17. A randomized longitudinal dietary intervention study during pregnancy: effects on fish intake, phospholipids, and body composition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bosaeus, Marja; Hussain, Aysha; Karlsson, Therese; Andersson, Louise; Hulthén, Lena; Svelander, Cecilia; Sandberg, Ann-Sofie; Larsson, Ingrid; Ellegård, Lars; Holmäng, Agneta

    2015-01-02

    Fish and meat intake may affect gestational weight gain, body composition and serum fatty acids. We aimed to determine whether a longitudinal dietary intervention during pregnancy could increase fish intake, affect serum phospholipid fatty acids, gestational weight gain and body composition changes during pregnancy in women of normal weight participating in the Pregnancy Obesity Nutrition and Child Health study. A second aim was to study possible effects in early pregnancy of fish intake and meat intake, respectively, on serum phospholipid fatty acids, gestational weight gain, and body composition changes during pregnancy. In this prospective, randomized controlled study, women were allocated to a control group or to a dietary counseling group that focused on increasing fish intake. Fat mass and fat-free mass were measured by air-displacement plethysmography. Reported intake of fish and meat was collected from a baseline population and from a subgroup of women who participated in each trimester of their pregnancies. Serum levels of phospholipid arachidonic acid (s-ARA), eicosapentaenoic acid (s-EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (s-DHA) were measured during each trimester. Weekly fish intake increased only in the intervention group (n = 18) from the first to the second trimester (median difference 113 g, p = 0.03) and from the first to the third trimester (median difference 75 g, p = 0.01). In the first trimester, fish intake correlated with s-EPA (r = 0.36, p = 0.002, n = 69) and s-DHA (r = 0.34, p = 0.005, n = 69), and meat intake correlated with s-ARA (r = 0.28, p = 0.02, n = 69). Fat-free mass gain correlated with reported meat intake in the first trimester (r = 0.39, p = 0.01, n = 45). Dietary counseling throughout pregnancy could help women increase their fish intake. Intake of meat in early pregnancy may increase the gain in fat-free mass during pregnancy.

  18. pH-Induced Changes in the Surface Viscosity of Unsaturated Phospholipids Monitored Using Active Interfacial Microrheology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghazvini, Saba; Alonso, Ryan; Alhakamy, Nabil; Dhar, Prajnaparamita

    2018-01-23

    Lipid membranes, a major component of cells, are subjected to significant changes in pH depending on their location in the cell: the outer leaflet of the cell membrane is exposed to a pH of 7.4 whereas lipid membranes that make up late endosomes and lysosomes are exposed to a pH of as low as 4.4. The purpose of this study is to evaluate how changes in the environmental pH within cells alter the fluidity of phospholipid membranes. Specifically, we studied pH-induced alterations in the surface arrangement of monounsaturated lipids with zwitterionic headgroups (phosphoethanolamine (PE) and phosphocholine (PC)) that are abundant in plasma membranes as well as anionic lipids (phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG)) that are abundant in inner membranes using a combination of techniques including surface tension vs area measurements, interfacial microrheology, and fluorescence/atomic force microscopy. Using an active interfacial microrheology technique, we find that phospholipids with zwitterionic headgroups show a significant increase in their surface viscosity at acidic pH. This increase in surface viscosity is also found to depend on the size of the lipid headgroup, with a smaller headgroup showing a greater increase in viscosity. The observed pH-induced increase in viscosity is also accompanied by an increase in the cohesion pressure between zwitterionic molecules at acidic pH and a decrease in the average molecular area of the lipids, as measured by fitting the surface pressure isotherms to well-established equations of state. Because fluorescent images show no change in the phase of the lipids, we attribute this change in surface viscosity to the pH-induced reorientation of the P - -N + dipoles that form part of the polar lipid headgroup, resulting in increased lipid-lipid interactions. Anionic PG headgroups do not demonstrate this pH-induced change in viscosity, suggesting that the presence of a net negative charge on the headgroup causes

  19. Forms, Crosstalks, and the Role of Phospholipid Biosynthesis in Autophagy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leanne Pereira

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Autophagy is a highly conserved cellular process occurring during periods of stress to ensure a cell's survival by recycling cytosolic constituents and making products that can be used in energy generation and other essential processes. Three major forms of autophagy exist according to the specific mechanism through which cytoplasmic material is transported to a lysosome. Chaperone-mediated autophagy is a highly selective form of autophagy that delivers specific proteins for lysosomal degradation. Microautophagy is a less selective form of autophagy that occurs through lysosomal membrane invaginations, forming tubes and directly engulfing cytoplasm. Finally, macroautophagy involves formation of new membrane bilayers (autophagosomes that engulf cytosolic material and deliver it to lysosomes. This review provides new insights on the crosstalks between different forms of autophagy and the significance of bilayer-forming phospholipid synthesis in autophagosomal membrane formation.

  20. Perinatal long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supply Are there long term consequences?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Demmelmair Hans

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, are essential components of biological membranes or act as precursors for eicosanoid formation, in case of the 20 carbon atom fatty acids, arachidonic acid (AA, dihomo-c-linolenic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid. During pregnancy LC-PUFA are enriched in the fetal circulation relative to maternal plasma. The corresponding placental processes have not been fully elucidated so far, but there are good indications that the LC-PUFA enrichment during the materno-fetal transfer is mediated by differences in the incorporation into lipid classes within the placenta between fatty acids and that specific fatty acid binding and transfer proteins are of major importance. In vitro a plasma membrane fatty acid binding protein could be identified, which preferentially binds DHA and AA compared to linoleic and oleic acids; in addition the m-RNA expression of fatty acid transfer protein 4 (FATP-4 in placental tissue was found to correlate significantly with the DHA percentage in cord blood phospholipids. After birth the percentage of LC-PUFA in infantile blood rapidly declines to levels depending on the dietary LC-PUFA supply, although preterm and full-term babies can convert linoleic and _-linolenic acids into AA and DHA, respectively. Breast milk provides preformed LC-PUFA, and breastfed infants have higher LC-PUFA levels in plasma and tissue than infants fed formulas without LC-PUFA. The high percentage of DHA in brain and other nervous tissue and the fact that the perinatal period is a period of fast brain growth suggests the importance of placental DHA transfer and dietary DHA content for optimal infantile development. Most but not all randomized, double blind, controlled clinical trials in preterm and in healthy full term infants demonstrated benefits of formulas supplemented with DHA and AA for the neurological development compared to formulas without LC-PUFA. Furthermore

  1. Enhancement of proton transfer in ion channels by membrane phosphate headgroups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wyatt, Debra L; de Godoy, Carlos Marcelo G; Cukierman, Samuel

    2009-05-14

    The transfer of protons (H+) in gramicidin (gA) channels is markedly distinct in monoglyceride and phospholipid membranes. In this study, the molecular groups that account for those differences were investigated using a new methodology. The rates of H+ transfer were measured in single gA channels reconstituted in membranes made of plain ceramides or sphingomyelins and compared to those in monoglyceride and phospholipid bilayers. Single-channel conductances to protons (gH) were significantly larger in sphingomyelin than in ceramide membranes. A novel and unsuspected finding was that H+ transfer was heavily attenuated or completely blocked in ceramide (but not in sphingomyelin) membranes in low-ionic-strength solutions. It is reasoned that H-bond dynamics at low ionic strengths between membrane ceramides and gA makes channels dysfunctional. The rate of H+ transfer in gA channels in ceramide membranes is significantly higher than that in monoglyceride bilayers. This suggests that solvation of the hydrophobic surface of gA channels by two acyl chains in ceramides stabilizes the gA channels and the water wire inside the pore, leading to an enhancement of H+ transfer in relation to that occurring in monoglyceride membranes. gH values in gA channels are similar in ceramide and monoglyceride bilayers and in sphingomyelin and phospholipid membranes. It is concluded that phospho headgroups in membranes have significant effects on the rate of H+ transfer at the membrane gA channel/solution interfaces, enhancing the entry and exit rates of protons in channels.

  2. Insulin and adenosine regulate the phosphatidylcholine concentration in isolated rat adipocyte plasma membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiechle, F L; Sykes, E; Artiss, J D

    1995-01-01

    Blockade of adenosine receptors by 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine or degradation of endogenous adenosine with adenosine deaminase increased the phosphatidylcholine concentration in isolated rat adipocyte plasma membranes, an effect which was suppressed by the phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferase inhibitor, S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine, and reversed by the adenosine analogue, N6-(L-phenylisopropyl)-adenosine. For example, the addition of N6-(L-phenylisopropyl)-adenosine to adenosine deaminase pretreated plasma membranes rapidly lowered the concentration of phosphatidylcholine by 171 nmol/mg at 30 seconds compared to control. Insulin-induced stimulation of phospholipid methylation in membranes treated with 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine or adenosine deaminase was achieved only after the addition of N6-(L-phenylisopropyl)-adenosine. These results suggest that adenosine receptor occupancy inhibits phospholipid methylation, is required for insulin stimulation of phospholipid methylation, and may perhaps activate a phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C or phospholipase D.

  3. Intermolecular crosslinks mediate aggregation of phospholipid vesicles by pulmonary surfactant-associated protein SAP-35

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ross, G.R.; Sawyer, J.; Whitsett, J.

    1987-01-01

    Pulmonary surfactant-associated protein, Mr=35,000 (SAP-35) is known to bind phospholipids and is hypothesized to function in the organization of surfactant lipid membranes. SAP-35 has been observed to accelerate the calcium-induced aggregation of phospholipid vesicles. In order to define the molecular domains of SAP-35 which function in phospholipid aggregation, they have measured the light scattering properties (400nm) of purified canine SAP-35-phospholipid vesicle suspensions. Accelerated aggregation of unilamellar vesicles, requires SAP-35 and at least 2mM free calcium. The initial rate of A 400 change is proportional to the amount of native SAP-35 added over lipid:protein molar ratios ranging from 100:1 to 5000:1. Removal of the SAP-35 collagen-like domain and a specific cysteine residue involved in intermolecular disulfide bonding by bacterial collagenase digestion destroys the protein's lipid aggregation activity. Pre-incubation of SAP-35 with dithiothreitol (DTT) under nondenaturing conditions also results in a time-dependent loss of aggregation activity. Sucrose density gradient floatation of SAP-35 with 14 C dipalmitoyl phosphatidycholine labelled vesicles in the absence or presence of DTT suggests retention of SAP-35 lipid binding capacity. These data demonstrate the importance of SAP-35 triple helix and disulfide crosslinking integrity for the aggregation of unilamellar phospholipid vesicles

  4. Cross-sectional associations of cortical β-amyloid with erythrocyte membrane long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in older adults with subjective memory complaints.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hooper, Claudie; De Souto Barreto, Philipe; Payoux, Pierre; Salabert, Anne Sophie; Guyonnet, Sophie; Andrieu, Sandrine; Vellas, Bruno

    2017-08-01

    Omega-3 (n-3) and 6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been associated with reduced cognitive decline in observational studies. Hence, we examined the cross-sectional associations between cortical β-amyloid (Aβ) and erythrocyte membrane PUFAs in 61 non-demented elderly individuals reporting subjective memory complaints from the Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial placebo arm. Cortical-to-cerebellar standard uptake value ratios were obtained using [ 18 F] florbetapir positron emission tomography. Fatty acids were measured in erythrocyte membranes by gas chromatography. Associations were explored using adjusted multiple linear regression models and were considered significant at p ≤ 0.005 after correction for multiple testing (10 comparisons). We found no significant associations between cortical Aβ and erythrocyte membrane PUFAs. The associations closest to significance after adjustment were those between Aβ and erythrocyte membrane arachidonic acid (without apolipoprotein E status adjustment: B-coefficient, 0.03; CI, 0.01, 0.05; p = 0.02. Including Apolipoprotein E adjustment: B-coefficient, 0.03; CI, 0.00, 0.06; p = 0.04) and Aβ and erythrocyte membrane linoleic acid (without apolipoprotein E status adjustment: B-coefficient, -0.02; CI, -0.04, 0.00; p = 0.02. Including Apolipoprotein E adjustment: B-coefficient, -0.02; CI, -0.04, 0.00; p = 0.09). Furthermore, the association between Aβ and erythrocyte membrane arachidonic acid seemed to be specific to Apolipoprotein E ε4 non-carriers (B-coefficient 0.03, CI: 0.00, 0.06, p = 0.03, n = 36). In contrast, no association was found between Aβ and erythrocyte membrane linoleic acid in Apolipoprotein E ε4 stratified analysis. Investigating the relationships between Aβ and PUFAs longitudinally would provide further evidence as to whether fatty acids, particularly arachidonic acid and linoleic acid, might modulate cognition through Aβ-dependent mechanisms. © 2017 International

  5. Small changes in environmental parameters lead to alterations in antibiotic resistance, cell morphology and membrane fatty acid composition in Staphylococcus lugdunensis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcus J Crompton

    Full Text Available Staphylococcus lugdunensis has emerged as a major cause of community-acquired and nosocomial infections. This bacterium can rapidly adapt to changing environmental conditions to survive and capitalize on opportunities to colonize and infect through wound surfaces. It was proposed that S. lugdunensis would have underlying alterations in metabolic homeostasis to provide the necessary levels of adaptive protection. The aims of this project were to examine the impacts of subtle variations in environmental conditions on growth characteristics, cell size and membrane fatty acid composition in S. lugdunensis. Liquid broth cultures of S. lugdunensis were grown under varying combinations of pH (6-8, temperature (35-39°C and osmotic pressure (0-5% sodium chloride w/w to reflect potential ranges of conditions encountered during transition from skin surfaces to invasion of wound sites. The cells were harvested at the mid-exponential phase of growth and assessed for antibiotic minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC, generation time, formation of small colony variants, cell size (by scanning electron microscopy and membrane fatty acid composition. Stress regimes with elevated NaCl concentrations resulted in significantly higher antibiotic resistance (MIC and three of the combinations with 5% NaCl had increased generation times (P<0.05. It was found that all ten experimental growth regimes, including the control and centroid cultures, yielded significantly different profiles of plasma membrane fatty acid composition (P<0.0001. Alterations in cell size (P<0.01 were also observed under the range of conditions with the most substantial reduction occurring when cells were grown at 39°C, pH 8 (514±52 nm, mean ± Standard Deviation compared with cells grown under control conditions at 37°C with pH 7 (702±76 nm, P<0.01. It was concluded that S. lugdunensis responded to slight changes in environmental conditions by altering plasma membrane fatty acid composition

  6. Annexin A4 and A6 induce membrane curvature and constriction during cell membrane repair

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boye, Theresa Louise; Maeda, Kenji; Pezeshkian, Weria

    2017-01-01

    Efficient cell membrane repair mechanisms are essential for maintaining membrane integrity and thus for cell life. Here we show that the Ca2+- and phospholipid-binding proteins annexin A4 and A6 are involved in plasma membrane repair and needed for rapid closure of micron-size holes. We demonstrate...... that annexin A4 binds to artificial membranes and generates curvature force initiated from free edges, whereas annexin A6 induces constriction force. In cells, plasma membrane injury and Ca2+ influx recruit annexin A4 to the vicinity of membrane wound edges where its homo-trimerization leads to membrane...... that induction of curvature force around wound edges is an early key event in cell membrane repair....

  7. Changes induced by gamma radiation in microsomal membranes of storage of garlic; Cambios provocados por la radiacion gamma en membranas microsomales de hoja de reserva de ajo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perez, M B; Croci, C A [Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahia Blanca (Argentina). Laboratorio de Radioisotopos; Aveldano, M I [Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahia Blanca (Argentina). Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquimicas

    2003-07-01

    This study evaluates the effects of the radio inhibition process on garlic bulbs in terms of phase properties of microsomal membranes and their lipid and fatty acid composition. Garlic bulbs were irradiated with an average dose of 60 Gy of {sup 60}Co gamma rays 30-40 days after harvest. The treatment was carried out in the facilities of the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA). Rough and smooth microsomal membranes were isolated by ultracentrifugation from tissues of irradiated and non-irradiated storage leaves. Wide angle X-ray diffractograms of both fractions were recorded along 270 days of storage. Lipids were separated by thin layer chromatography. The fatty acid composition of major lipid fractions was studied by gas-liquid chromatography. The diffractograms featured peaks at Bragg spacing of 4.15 Armstrong and 3.75 Armstrong, revealing the presence of a gel (crystalline) phase, while the characteristic peak of the liquid-crystalline phase (4.6 Armstrong) was not observed in both sorts of membranes. Irradiation was found to bring about modifications in the intensity of 4.15 Armstrong and 3.75 Armstrong peaks from smooth microsomal membranes, but not in the behaviour along the studied period. Data from the rough microsomal fraction were erratic. Parallel to these changes, radiation induced significant modifications in the level of smooth microsomal membrane triacylglycerols in relation to phospholipids and their fatty acids. These findings indicate that the storage leaf tissues of garlic are radiosensitive both in terms of physical and chemical properties of their microsomal membranes. From the practical point of view, these results could be the basis for the development of techniques to be applied to storage garlic to evaluate if it was irradiated. (author)

  8. FATTY ACID STABLE ISOTOPE INDICATORS OF MICROBIAL CARBON SOURCE IN TROPICAL SOILS

    Science.gov (United States)

    The soil microbial community plays an important role in tropical ecosystem functioning because of its importance in the soil organic matter (SOM) cycle. We have measured the stable carbon isotopic ratio (delta13C) of individual phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) in a variety of tr...

  9. Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase 1 Is a Key Determinant of Membrane Lipid Composition in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergio Rodriguez-Cuenca

    Full Text Available Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1 is a lipogenic enzyme important for the regulation of membrane lipid homeostasis; dysregulation likely contributes to obesity associated metabolic disturbances. SCD1 catalyses the Δ9 desaturation of 12-19 carbon saturated fatty acids to monounsaturated fatty acids. To understand its influence in cellular lipid composition we investigated the effect of genetic ablation of SCD1 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes on membrane microdomain lipid composition at the species-specific level. Using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry, we quantified 70 species of ceramide, mono-, di- and trihexosylceramide, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, bis(monoacylglycerophosphate, phosphatidylinositol and cholesterol in 3T3-L1 adipocytes in which a 90% reduction in scd1 mRNA expression was achieved with siRNA. Cholesterol content was unchanged although decreases in other lipids resulted in cholesterol accounting for a higher proportion of lipid in the membranes. This was associated with decreased membrane lateral diffusion. An increased ratio of 24:0 to 24:1 in ceramide, mono- and dihexosylceramide, and sphingomyelin likely also contributed to this decrease in lateral diffusion. Of particular interest, we observed a decrease in phospholipids containing arachidonic acid. Given the high degree of structural flexibility of this acyl chain this will influence membrane lateral diffusion, and is likely responsible for the transcriptional activation of Lands' cycle enzymes lpcat3 and mboat7. Of relevance these profound changes in the lipidome were not accompanied by dramatic changes in gene expression in mature differentiated adipocytes, suggesting that adaptive homeostatic mechanisms to ensure partial maintenance of the biophysical properties of membranes likely occur at a post-transcriptional level.

  10. Fatty acid uptake in normal human myocardium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vyska, K.; Meyer, W.; Stremmel, W.; Notohamiprodjo, G.; Minami, K.; Machulla, H.J.; Gleichmann, U.; Meyer, H.; Koerfer, R.

    1991-01-01

    Fatty acid binding protein has been found in rat aortic endothelial cell membrane. It has been identified to be a 40-kDa protein that corresponds to a 40-kDa fatty acid binding protein with high affinity for a variety of long chain fatty acids isolated from rat heart myocytes. It is proposed that this endothelial membrane fatty acid binding protein might mediate the myocardial uptake of fatty acids. For evaluation of this hypothesis in vivo, influx kinetics of tracer-labeled fatty acids was examined in 15 normal subjects by scintigraphic techniques. Variation of the plasma fatty acid concentration and plasma perfusion rate has been achieved by modulation of nutrition state and exercise conditions. The clinical results suggest that the myocardial fatty acid influx rate is saturable by increasing fatty acid plasma concentration as well as by increasing plasma flow. For analysis of these data, functional relations describing fatty acid transport from plasma into myocardial tissue in the presence and absence of an unstirred layer were developed. The fitting of these relations to experimental data indicate that the free fatty acid influx into myocardial tissue reveals the criteria of a reaction on a capillary surface in the vicinity of flowing plasma but not of a reaction in extravascular space or in an unstirred layer and that the fatty acid influx into normal myocardium is a saturable process that is characterized by the quantity corresponding to the Michaelis-Menten constant, Km, and the maximal velocity, Vmax, 0.24 ± 0.024 mumol/g and 0.37 ± 0.013 mumol/g(g.min), respectively. These data are compatible with a nondiffusional uptake process mediated by the initial interaction of fatty acids with the 40-kDa membrane fatty acid binding protein of cardiac endothelial cells

  11. Effect of growth media modifications on cell biomass and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are chemically present as esters, ethers, glycerides glycolipids, phospholipids, phosphonolipids, glycosphingolipids, sulpholipids and lipoproteins in storage oils and membranes lipids. Marine microorganisms such as Shewanella frigidimarina are important sources of polyunsaturated ...

  12. Increased blood pressure later in life may be associated with perinatal n-3 fatty acid deficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armitage, James A; Pearce, Adrian D; Sinclair, Andrew J; Vingrys, Algis J; Weisinger, Richard S; Weisinger, Harrison S

    2003-04-01

    Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Previous work in both animals and humans with high blood pressure has demonstrated the antihypertensive effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), although it is not known whether these nutrients are effective in preventing hypertension. The predominant n-3 PUFA in the mammalian nervous system, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is deposited into synaptic membranes at a high rate during the perinatal period, and recent observations indicate that the perinatal environment is important for the normal development of blood pressure control. This study investigated the importance of perinatal n-3 PUFA supply in the control of blood pressure in adult Sprague-Dawley rats. Pregnant rat dams were fed semisynthetic diets that were either deficient in (DEF) or supplemented with (CON) n-3 PUFA. Offspring were fed the same diets as their mothers until 9 wk; then, half of the rats from each group were crossed over to the opposite diet creating four groups, i.e., CON-CON; CON-DEF; DEF-DEF, DEF-CON. Mean arterial blood pressures (MAP) were measured directly, at 33 wk of age, by cannulation of the femoral artery. The phospholipid fatty acid profile of the hypothalamic region was determined by capillary gas-liquid chromatography. The tissue phospholipid fatty acid profile reflected the diet that the rats were consuming at the time of testing. Both groups receiving DEF after 9 wk of age (i.e., DEF-DEF and CON-DEF) had similar profiles with a reduction in DHA levels of 30%, compared with rats receiving CON (i.e., CON-CON and DEF-CON). DEF-DEF rats had significantly raised MAP compared with all other groups, with differences as great as 17 mm Hg. DEF-CON rats had raised MAP compared with CON-CON rats, and DEF-DEF rats had higher MAP than CON-DEF rats, despite the fact that their respective fatty acid profiles were not different. These findings indicate that inadequate levels of DHA in the perinatal

  13. Inflammatory markers in dependence on the plasma concentration of 37 fatty acids after the coronary stent implantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handl, Jiří; Meloun, Milan; Mužáková, Vladimíra

    2018-02-05

    Using the regression model building the relationships between the concentration of 37 fatty acids of blood plasma phospholipids of 41 patients with coronary artery disease after coronary stent implantation, the inflammatory response and oxidative stress markers were estimated. The dynamics of the inflammatory response and the oxidative stress was indicated by measuring plasma concentrations of highly sensitive C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, serum amyloid A and malondialdehyde before, 24h after stent implantation. The multiple linear regression analysis was preceded by an exploratory data analysis, principal component analysis, factor analysis and cluster analysis, which proved a hidden internal relation of 37 fatty acids. The concentration of cerotic acid (C26:0) has been positively associated with an increase of malondialdehyde concentration after stent implantation, while the concentrations of tetracosatetraenoic (C24:4 N6) and nonadecanoic (C19:0) acids were associated with decrease of lipoperoxidation. The increase of interleukin-6 during the 24h after implantation was associated with higher levels of pentadecanoic acid (C15:0) and lower levels of α-linolenic acid (C18:3 N3). Regression models found several significant fatty acids at which the strength of the parameter β for each fatty acid on selected markers of C-reactive protein, malondialdehyde, interleukin-6 and serum amyloid A was estimated. Parameter β testifies to the power of the positive or negative relationship of the fatty acid concentration on the concentration of selected markers. The influencing effect of the cerotic acid (C26:0) concentration in plasma phospholipids exhibiting parameter β=140.4 is, for example, 3.5 times higher than this effect of n-3 tetracosapentaenoic acid (C24:5 N3) with β=40.0. Composition of fatty acids in plasma phospholipids shows spectrum of fatty acids available for intercellular communication in systemic inflammatory response of organism and should affect

  14. Phospholipid composition of Dipylidium caninum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chopra, A K; Jain, S K; Vinayak, V K; Khuller, G K

    1978-11-15

    The phospholipid composition of Dipylidium caninum has been studied. Chloroform-methanol-soluble fraction amounted to 2.4% and phospholipids to 0.5% of the wet weight of the parasite. Phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine represented the bulk of the phospholipids, whereas phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidyl inositol, lysolecithin and lysophosphatidyl ethanolamine were present in minor amounts. Sulfatides were also identified in this parasite.

  15. Progress in surface and membrane science

    CERN Document Server

    Cadenhead, D A

    1976-01-01

    Progress in Surface and Membrane Science, Volume 10 covers the advances in surface and membrane science. The book discusses the selective changes of cellular particles influencing sedimentation properties; and the rotating disk and ring-disk electrodes in investigations of surface phenomena at the metal-electrolyte interface. The text also describes the membrane potential of phospholipid bilayer and biological membranes; the adsorption of surfactant monolayers at gas/liquid and liquid/liquid interfaces; and the enzymes immobilized on glass. Chemists and people involved in electrochemistry will

  16. Progress in surface and membrane science

    CERN Document Server

    Danielli, J F; Cadenhead, D A

    1972-01-01

    Progress in Surface and Membrane Science, Volume 5 covers the developments in the study of surface and membrane science. The book discusses the Mössbauer effect in surface science; the surface functional groups on carbon and silica; and the wetting phenomena pertaining to adhesion. The text also describes the physical state of phospholipids and cholesterol in monolayers, bilayers, and membranes; the characteristics of heterocoagulation; and the effects of calcium on excitable membranes and neurotransmitter action. Chemists, physiologists, biophysicists, and civil engineers will find the book i

  17. Tailored fatty acid synthesis via dynamic control of fatty acid elongation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Torella, JP; Ford, TJ; Kim, SN; Chen, AM; Way, JC; Silver, PA

    2013-07-09

    Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs, 4-12 carbons) are valuable as precursors to industrial chemicals and biofuels, but are not canonical products of microbial fatty acid synthesis. We engineered microbial production of the full range of even-and odd-chain-length MCFAs and found that MCFA production is limited by rapid, irreversible elongation of their acyl-ACP precursors. To address this limitation, we programmed an essential ketoacyl synthase to degrade in response to a chemical inducer, thereby slowing acyl-ACP elongation and redirecting flux from phospholipid synthesis to MCFA production. Our results show that induced protein degradation can be used to dynamically alter metabolic flux, and thereby increase the yield of a desired compound. The strategy reported herein should be widely useful in a range of metabolic engineering applications in which essential enzymes divert flux away from a desired product, as well as in the production of polyketides, bioplastics, and other recursively synthesized hydrocarbons for which chain-length control is desired.

  18. Tailored fatty acid synthesis via dynamic control of fatty acid elongation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torella, Joseph P.; Ford, Tyler J.; Kim, Scott N.; Chen, Amanda M.; Way, Jeffrey C.; Silver, Pamela A.

    2013-01-01

    Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs, 4–12 carbons) are valuable as precursors to industrial chemicals and biofuels, but are not canonical products of microbial fatty acid synthesis. We engineered microbial production of the full range of even- and odd-chain–length MCFAs and found that MCFA production is limited by rapid, irreversible elongation of their acyl-ACP precursors. To address this limitation, we programmed an essential ketoacyl synthase to degrade in response to a chemical inducer, thereby slowing acyl-ACP elongation and redirecting flux from phospholipid synthesis to MCFA production. Our results show that induced protein degradation can be used to dynamically alter metabolic flux, and thereby increase the yield of a desired compound. The strategy reported herein should be widely useful in a range of metabolic engineering applications in which essential enzymes divert flux away from a desired product, as well as in the production of polyketides, bioplastics, and other recursively synthesized hydrocarbons for which chain-length control is desired. PMID:23798438

  19. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in model bacterial membranes - Langmuir monolayer studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broniatowski, Marcin; Binczycka, Martyna; Wójcik, Aneta; Flasiński, Michał; Wydro, Paweł

    2017-12-01

    High molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HMW-PAHs) are persistent organic pollutants which due to their limited biodegradability accumulate in soils where their increased presence can lead to the impoverishment of the decomposer organisms. As very hydrophobic PAHs easily penetrate cellular membranes of soil bacteria and can be incorporated therein, changing the membrane fluidity and other functions which in consequence can lead to the death of the organism. The structure and size of PAH molecule can be crucial for its membrane activity; however the correlation between PAH structure and its interaction with phospholipids have not been investigated so far. In our studies we applied phospholipid Langmuir monolayers as model bacterial membranes and investigated how the incorporation of six structurally different PAH molecules change the membrane texture and physical properties. In our studies we registered surface pressure and surface potential isotherms upon the monolayer compression, visualized the monolayer texture with the application of Brewster angle microscopy and searched the ordering of the film-forming molecules with molecular resolution with the application of grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) method. It turned out that the phospholipid-PAH interactions are strictly structure dependent. Four and five-ring PAHs of the angular or cluster geometry can be incorporated into the model membranes changing profoundly their textures and fluidity; whereas linear or large cluster PAHs cannot be incorporated and separate from the lipid matrix. The observed phenomena were explained based on structural similarities of the applied PAHs with membrane steroids and hopanoids. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  20. Transcriptome and membrane fatty acid analyses reveal different strategies for responding to permeating and non-permeating solutes in the bacterium Sphingomonas wittichii

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johnson David R

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Sphingomonas wittichii strain RW1 can completely oxidize dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, which are persistent contaminants of soils and sediments. For successful application in soil bioremediation systems, strain RW1 must cope with fluctuations in water availability, or water potential. Thus far, however, little is known about the adaptive strategies used by Sphingomonas bacteria to respond to changes in water potential. To improve our understanding, strain RW1 was perturbed with either the cell-permeating solute sodium chloride or the non-permeating solute polyethylene glycol with a molecular weight of 8000 (PEG8000. These solutes are assumed to simulate the solute and matric components of the total water potential, respectively. The responses to these perturbations were then assessed and compared using a combination of growth assays, transcriptome profiling, and membrane fatty acid analyses. Results Under conditions producing a similar decrease in water potential but without effect on growth rate, there was only a limited shared response to perturbation with sodium chloride or PEG8000. This shared response included the increased expression of genes involved with trehalose and exopolysaccharide biosynthesis and the reduced expression of genes involved with flagella biosynthesis. Mostly, the responses to perturbation with sodium chloride or PEG8000 were very different. Only sodium chloride triggered the increased expression of two ECF-type RNA polymerase sigma factors and the differential expression of many genes involved with outer membrane and amino acid metabolism. In contrast, only PEG8000 triggered the increased expression of a heat shock-type RNA polymerase sigma factor along with many genes involved with protein turnover and repair. Membrane fatty acid analyses further corroborated these differences. The degree of saturation of membrane fatty acids increased after perturbation with sodium chloride but had the

  1. Enterococcus faecalis Responds to Individual Exogenous Fatty Acids Independently of Their Degree of Saturation or Chain Length.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saito, Holly E; Harp, John R; Fozo, Elizabeth M

    2018-01-01

    Enterococcus faecalis is a commensal of the human gastrointestinal tract that can persist in the external environment and is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections. Given its diverse habitats, the organism has developed numerous strategies to survive a multitude of environmental conditions. Previous studies have demonstrated that E. faecalis will incorporate fatty acids from bile and serum into its membrane, resulting in an induced tolerance to membrane-damaging agents. To discern whether all fatty acids induce membrane stress protection, we examined how E. faecalis responded to individually supplied fatty acids. E. faecalis readily incorporated fatty acids 14 to 18 carbons in length into its membrane but poorly incorporated fatty acids shorter or longer than this length. Supplementation with saturated fatty acids tended to increase generation time and lead to altered cellular morphology in most cases. Further, exogenously supplied saturated fatty acids did not induce tolerance to the membrane-damaging antibiotic daptomycin. Supplementation with unsaturated fatty acids produced variable growth effects, with some impacting generation time and morphology. Exogenously supplied unsaturated fatty acids that are normally produced by E. faecalis and those that are found in bile or serum could restore growth in the presence of a fatty acid biosynthetic inhibitor. However, only the eukaryote-derived fatty acids oleic acid and linoleic acid provided protection from daptomycin. Thus, exogenous fatty acids do not lead to a common physiological effect on E. faecalis The organism responds uniquely to each, and only host-derived fatty acids induce membrane protection. IMPORTANCE Enterococcus faecalis is a commonly acquired hospital infectious agent with resistance to many antibiotics, including those that target its cellular membrane. We previously demonstrated that E. faecalis will incorporate fatty acids found in human fluids, like serum, into its cellular membrane

  2. A mitochondrially targeted compound delays aging in yeast through a mechanism linking mitochondrial membrane lipid metabolism to mitochondrial redox biology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle T. Burstein

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available A recent study revealed a mechanism of delaying aging in yeast by a natural compound which specifically impacts mitochondrial redox processes. In this mechanism, exogenously added lithocholic bile acid enters yeast cells, accumulates mainly in the inner mitochondrial membrane, and elicits an age-related remodeling of phospholipid synthesis and movement within both mitochondrial membranes. Such remodeling of mitochondrial phospholipid dynamics progresses with the chronological age of a yeast cell and ultimately causes significant changes in mitochondrial membrane lipidome. These changes in the composition of membrane phospholipids alter mitochondrial abundance and morphology, thereby triggering changes in the age-related chronology of such longevity-defining redox processes as mitochondrial respiration, the maintenance of mitochondrial membrane potential, the preservation of cellular homeostasis of mitochondrially produced reactive oxygen species, and the coupling of electron transport to ATP synthesis.

  3. Kinetic stability and membrane structure of liposomes during in vitro infant intestinal digestion: Effect of cholesterol and lactoferrin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Weilin; Wei, Fuqiang; Ye, Aiqian; Tian, Mengmeng; Han, Jianzhong

    2017-09-01

    The effects of cholesterol and lactoferrin on the kinetic stability and membrane structural integrity of negatively charged liposomes under in vitro infant intestinal digestion conditions were elucidated using dynamic light scattering, pH-stat titration, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and pyrene steady state fluorescence probes. The liposomes had a smaller particle diameter, a wider size distribution, and a greater negative charge after digestion. The incorporation of cholesterol into the phospholipid bilayers resulted in a more ordered conformation in the aliphatic tail region and reduced micropolarity, indicating that cholesterol can improve the structural stability of liposomal membranes against intestinal environmental stress. Lactoferrin coverage facilitated the release of free fatty acids and increased the microfluidity of the bilayers, reducing the structural integrity of the liposomes. This study provides useful information on the design of liposomes and other microcapsules with improved and controlled release properties during digestion for particular groups of people. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Visualization and analysis of lipopolysaccharide distribution in binary phospholipid bilayers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Henning, Maria Florencia [Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquimicas La Plata (INIBIOLP), CCT-La Plata, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas, UNLP, Calles 60 y 120, 1900 La Plata (Argentina); Sanchez, Susana [Laboratory for Fluorescence Dynamics, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA (United States); Bakas, Laura, E-mail: lbakas@biol.unlp.edu.ar [Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquimicas La Plata (INIBIOLP), CCT-La Plata, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas, UNLP, Calles 60 y 120, 1900 La Plata (Argentina); Departamento de Ciencias Biologicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, UNLP, Calles 47 y 115, 1900 La Plata (Argentina)

    2009-05-22

    Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an endotoxin released from the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria during infections. It have been reported that LPS may play a role in the outer membrane of bacteria similar to that of cholesterol in eukaryotic plasma membranes. In this article we compare the effect of introducing LPS or cholesterol in liposomes made of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine/dioleoylphosphatidylcholine on the solubilization process by Triton X-100. The results show that liposomes containing LPS or cholesterol are more resistant to solubilization by Triton X-100 than the binary phospholipid mixtures at 4 {sup o}C. The LPS distribution was analyzed on GUVs of DPPC:DOPC using FITC-LPS. Solid and liquid-crystalline domains were visualized labeling the GUVs with LAURDAN and GP images were acquired using a two-photon microscope. The images show a selective distribution of LPS in gel domains. Our results support the hypothesis that LPS could aggregate and concentrate selectively in biological membranes providing a mechanism to bring together several components of the LPS-sensing machinery.

  5. Investigation of the chemical mechanisms involved in the electropulsation of membranes at the molecular level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breton, Marie; Mir, Lluis M

    2018-02-01

    The chemical consequences of electropulsation on giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs), in particular the possible oxidation of unsaturated phospholipids, have been investigated by mass spectrometry, flow cytometry and absorbance methods. Pulse application induced oxidation of the GUV phospholipids and the oxidation level depended on the duration of the pulse. Light and O 2 increased the level of pulse-induced lipid peroxidation whereas the presence of antioxidants either in the membrane or in the solution completely suppressed peroxidation. Importantly, pulse application did not create additional reactive oxygen species (ROS) in GUV-free solution. Lipid peroxidation seems to result from a facilitation of the lipid peroxidation by the ROS already present in the solution before pulsing, not from a direct pulse-induced peroxidation. The pulse would facilitate the entrance of ROS in the core of the membrane, allowing the contact between ROS and lipid chains and provoking the oxidation. Our findings demonstrate that the application of electric pulses on cells could induce the oxidation of the membrane phospholipids since cell membranes contain unsaturated lipids. The chemical consequences of electropulsation will therefore have to be taken into account in future biomedical applications of electropulsation since oxidized phospholipids play a key role in many signaling pathways and diseases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. [Lipid and fatty acid profile of Perna viridis, green mussel (Mollusca: Bivalvia) in different areas of the Eastern Venezuela and the West Coast of Trinidad].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koftayan, Tamar; Milano, Jahiro; D'Armas, Haydelba; Salazar, Gabriel

    2011-03-01

    The species Perna viridis is a highly consumed species, which fast growth makes it an interesting aquaculture alternative for Venezuelan and Trinidad coasts. With the aim to contribute with its nutritional value information, this study analyzed lipid and fatty acid contents from samples taken in five locations from Eastern Venezuela and three from Trinidad West Coast. Total lipids were extracted and quantified, from a pooled sample of 100 organisms per location, by standard gravimetric methods, and their identification and quantification was done by TLC/FID (Iatroscan system). Furthermore, the esterified fatty acids of total lipid, phospholipids and triacylglycerols were identified and quantified by gas chromatography. Eastern Venezuela samples from Los Cedros, La Brea and Chaguaramas showed the highest total lipid values of 7.92, 7.74 and 7.53, respectively, and the minimum values were obtained for La Restinga (6.08%). Among lipid composition, Chacopata samples showed the lowest phospholipid concentration (48.86%) and the maximum values for cholesterol (38.87%) and triacylglycerols (12.26%); besides, La Esmeralda and Rio Caribe samples exhibited maximum phospholipids (88.71 and 84.93 respectively) and minimum cholesterol (6.50 and 4.42%) concentrations. Saturated fatty acids represented between 15.04% and 65.55% within total lipid extracts, with maximum and minimum values for La Esmeralda and Chacopata, respectively. Polyunsaturated results resulted between 7.80 and 37.18%, with higher values in La Brea and lower values in La Esmeralda. For phospholipids, saturated fatty acids concentrations varied between 38.81 and 48.68% for Chaguaramas and Chacopata samples, respectively. In the case of polyunsaturated fatty acids, these varied between non detected and 34.51%, with high concentrations in Los Cedros (27.97%) and Chaguaramas (34.51%) samples. For the triacylglycerols, the saturated fatty acids composition oscillated between 14.27 and 53.80% with low

  7. Phospholipid mediated activation of calcium dependent protein kinase 1 (CaCDPK1 from chickpea: a new paradigm of regulation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ajay Kumar Dixit

    Full Text Available Phospholipids, the major structural components of membranes, can also have functions in regulating signaling pathways in plants under biotic and abiotic stress. The effects of adding phospholipids on the activity of stress-induced calcium dependent protein kinase (CaCDPK1 from chickpea are reported here. Both autophosphorylation as well as phosphorylation of the added substrate were enhanced specifically by phosphatidylcholine and to a lesser extent by phosphatidic acid, but not by phosphatidylethanolamine. Diacylgylerol, the neutral lipid known to activate mammalian PKC, stimulated CaCDPK1 but at higher concentrations. Increase in V(max of the enzyme activity by these phospholipids significantly decreased the K(m indicating that phospholipids enhance the affinity towards its substrate. In the absence of calcium, addition of phospholipids had no effect on the negligible activity of the enzyme. Intrinsic fluorescence intensity of the CaCDPK1 protein was quenched on adding PA and PC. Higher binding affinity was found with PC (K(½ = 114 nM compared to PA (K(½ = 335 nM. We also found that the concentration of PA increased in chickpea plants under salt stress. The stimulation by PA and PC suggests regulation of CaCDPK1 by these phospholipids during stress response.

  8. New insights into the molecular mechanism of intestinal fatty acid absorption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Tony Y; Liu, Min; Portincasa, Piero; Wang, David Q-H

    2013-11-01

    Dietary fat is one of the most important energy sources of all the nutrients. Fatty acids, stored as triacylglycerols (also called triglycerides) in the body, are an important reservoir of stored energy and derived primarily from animal fats and vegetable oils. Although the molecular mechanisms for the transport of water-insoluble amphipathic fatty acids across cell membranes have been debated for many years, it is now believed that the dominant means for intestinal fatty acid uptake is via membrane-associated fatty acid-binding proteins, that is, fatty acid transporters on the apical membrane of enterocytes. These findings indicate that intestinal fatty acid absorption is a multistep process that is regulated by multiple genes at the enterocyte level, and intestinal fatty acid absorption efficiency could be determined by factors influencing intraluminal fatty acid molecules across the brush border membrane of enterocytes. To facilitate research on intestinal, hepatic and plasma triacylglycerol metabolism, it is imperative to establish standard protocols for precisely and accurately measuring the efficiency of intestinal fatty acid absorption in humans and animal models. In this review, we will discuss the chemical structure and nomenclature of fatty acids and summarize recent progress in investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying the intestinal absorption of fatty acids, with a particular emphasis on the physical chemistry of intestinal lipids and the molecular physiology of intestinal fatty acid transporters. A better understanding of the molecular mechanism of intestinal fatty acid absorption should lead to novel approaches to the treatment and the prevention of fatty acid-related metabolic diseases that are prevalent worldwide. © 2013 Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Influence of maternal dietary n-3 fatty acids on breast milk and liver lipids of rat dams and offspring - a preliminary study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hartvigsen, M.S.; Mu, Huiling; Høy, Carl-Erik

    2003-01-01

    The impact of triacylglycerol (TAG) structure and level of n-3 fatty acids on the fatty acid profile of total breast milk lipids and total liver phospholipids (PL) of dams and offspring (1, 3 and 13 weeks of age), when administered during development, was examined. Pregnant rats were fed experime......The impact of triacylglycerol (TAG) structure and level of n-3 fatty acids on the fatty acid profile of total breast milk lipids and total liver phospholipids (PL) of dams and offspring (1, 3 and 13 weeks of age), when administered during development, was examined. Pregnant rats were fed...... experimental diets from the 8(th) day of pregnancy throughout lactation. After weaning and until 13 weeks of age, the offspring were fed the same diet as their dams. The experimental diets contained either a specific structured oil, linseed oil or fish oil. In the specific structured oil, a-linolenic acid (18...... fatty acids. Samples from three animals in each group were analyzed. The highest level of 22:6n-3 in the breast milk was obtained with diets containing this fatty acid itself. The fatty acid profile of rat dam liver PL was very different from the milk lipids indicating that the maternal dietary fats...

  10. Trienoic fatty acids and plant tolerance of temperature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Routaboul Jean-Marc

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available The biophysical reactions of light harvesting and electron transport during photosynthesis take place in a uniquely constructed bilayer, the thylakoid. In all photosynthetic eukaryotes, the complement of atypical glycerolipid molecules that form the foundation of this membrane are characterised by sugar head-groups and a very high level of unsaturation in the fatty acids that occupy the central portion of the thylakoid bilayer. alpha-linolenic (18:3 or a combination of 18:3 and hexadecatrienoic (16:3 acids typically account for approximately two-thirds of all thylakoid membrane fatty acids and over 90% of the fatty acids of monogalactosyl diacylglycerol, the major thylakoid lipid [1, 2]. The occurrence of trienoic fatty acids as a major component of the thylakoid membrane is especially remarkable since these fatty acids form highly reactive targets for active oxygen species and free radicals, which are often the by-products of oxygenic photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is one of the most temperature-sensitive functions of plant [3, 4]. There remains a widespread belief that these trienoic fatty acids might have some crucial role in plants to be of such universal occurrence, especially in photosynthesis tolerance of temperature [5].

  11. Interference of a short-chain phospholipid with ion transport pathways in frog skin

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Unmack, M A; Frederiksen, O; Willumsen, N J

    1997-01-01

    The effects of mucosal application of the short-chain phospholipid didecanoyl-L-alpha-phosphatidylcholine (DDPC; with two saturated 10-carbon acyl chains) on active Na+ transport and transepithelial conductance (G) in the frog skin (Rana temporaria) were investigated. Active Na+ transport...... of the frog skin epithelium and opens a paracellular tight junction pathway. Both effects may be caused by incorporation of DDPC in the apical cell membrane....

  12. Sensing Phosphatidylserine in Cellular Membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jason G. Kay

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Phosphatidylserine, a phospholipid with a negatively charged head-group, is an important constituent of eukaryotic cellular membranes. On the plasma membrane, rather than being evenly distributed, phosphatidylserine is found preferentially in the inner leaflet. Disruption of this asymmetry, leading to the appearance of phosphatidylserine on the surface of the cell, is known to play a central role in both apoptosis and blood clotting. Despite its importance, comparatively little is known about phosphatidylserine in cells: its precise subcellular localization, transmembrane topology and intracellular dynamics are poorly characterized. The recent development of new, genetically-encoded probes able to detect phosphatidylserine within live cells, however, is leading to a more in-depth understanding of the biology of this phospholipid. This review aims to give an overview of the current methods for phosphatidylserine detection within cells, and some of the recent realizations derived from their use.

  13. Phospholipids in Milk Fat: Composition, Biological and Technological Significance, and Analytical Strategies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giovanna Contarini

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids are quantitatively the most important phospholipids (PLs in milk. They are located on the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM and in other membranous material of the skim milk phase. They include principally phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylserine, while sphingomyelin is the dominant species of sphingolipids There is considerable evidence that PLs have beneficial health effects, such as regulation of the inflammatory reactions, chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activity on some types of cancer, and inhibition of the cholesterol absorption. PLs show good emulsifying properties and can be used as a delivery system for liposoluble constituents. Due to the amphiphilic characteristics of these molecules, their extraction, separation and detection are critical points in the analytical approach. The extraction by using chloroform and methanol, followed by the determination by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC, coupled with evaporative light scattering (ELSD or mass detector (MS, are the most applied procedures for the PL evaluation. More recently, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry (NMR was also used, but despite it demonstrating high sensitivity, it requires more studies to obtain accurate results. This review is focused on milk fat phospholipids; their composition, biological activity, technological properties, and significance in the structure of milk fat. Different analytical methodologies are also discussed.

  14. Structural basis of control of inward rectifier Kir2 channel gating by bulk anionic phospholipids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sun-Joo; Ren, Feifei; Zangerl-Plessl, Eva-Maria; Heyman, Sarah; Stary-Weinzinger, Anna; Yuan, Peng; Nichols, Colin G

    2016-09-01

    Inward rectifier potassium (Kir) channel activity is controlled by plasma membrane lipids. Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) binding to a primary site is required for opening of classic inward rectifier Kir2.1 and Kir2.2 channels, but interaction of bulk anionic phospholipid (PL(-)) with a distinct second site is required for high PIP2 sensitivity. Here we show that introduction of a lipid-partitioning tryptophan at the second site (K62W) generates high PIP2 sensitivity, even in the absence of PL(-) Furthermore, high-resolution x-ray crystal structures of Kir2.2[K62W], with or without added PIP2 (2.8- and 2.0-Å resolution, respectively), reveal tight tethering of the C-terminal domain (CTD) to the transmembrane domain (TMD) in each condition. Our results suggest a refined model for phospholipid gating in which PL(-) binding at the second site pulls the CTD toward the membrane, inducing the formation of the high-affinity primary PIP2 site and explaining the positive allostery between PL(-) binding and PIP2 sensitivity. © 2016 Lee et al.

  15. Molecular distributions of phospholipid ester-linked fatty acids in a soil profile of the Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve

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    Shengyi Mao

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Phospholipid ester-linked fatty acids (PLFA were used to investigate the microbial ecology and its association with carbon accumulation in one soil profile from the Dinghushan Biosphere Preserve in south China, in order to probe the mechanisms that control the carbon accumulation at the depth of 0 - 20 cm in the Dinghushan forest soil profile. The data show that sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB occur in the top 10 cm, and methanotrophic bacteria and fungi are not present below 10 cm, and the gram-negative bacteria are reduced with gram-positive bacteria dominating at that depth; all of which indicated that the activities of some of the microorganisms were inhibited, from which we infer that the available carbon source and oxygen content of micro environment may be reduced below 10 cm of the profile. The shallow depth (top 10 cm of the soil anaerobic zone at the Wukesong profile, compared to the normal soil anaerobic zone (top 20 - 30 cm, is considered to be mainly the result of the high precipitation of acidic rain. The physicochemical reactions caused by acid rain in the soil system result in a decreased soil porosity, and a correspondingly decreased porosity-dependent oxygen concentration, leading to the thriving of SRB in the shallow depth. Although the increase of soil organic carbon stock is attributed to numerous factors, the decreasing rate of litter decomposition in the topsoil layer, together with the rise of the depth of the anaerobic zone, may play key roles in the carbon accumulation in the depth of 0 - 20 cm in the soil profile from the Dinghushan Biosphere Preserve.

  16. Free and membrane-bound calcium in microgravity and microgravity effects at the membrane level

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belyavskaya, N. A.

    The changes of [Ca^2+]_i controlled is known to play a key regulatory role in numerous cellular processes especially associated with membranes. Previous studies from our laboratory have demonstrated an increase in calcium level in root cells of pea seedlings grown aboard orbital station ``Salyut 6'' /1/. These results: 1) indicate that observed Ca^2+-binding sites of membranes also consist in proteins and phospholipids; 2) suggest that such effects of space flight in membrane Ca-binding might be due to the enhancement of Ca^2+ influx through membranes. In model presented, I propose that Ca^2+-activated channels in plasma membrane in response to microgravity allow the movement of Ca^2+ into the root cells, causing a rise in cytoplasmic free Ca^2+ levels. The latter, in its turn, may induce the inhibition of a Ca^2+ efflux by Ca^2+-activated ATPases and through a Ca^2+/H^+ antiport. It is possible that increased cytosolic levels of Ca^2+ ions have stimulated hydrolysis and turnover of phosphatidylinositols, with a consequent elevation of cytosolic [Ca^2+]_i. Plant cell can response to such a Ca^2+ rise by an enhancement of membranous Ca^2+-binding activities to rescue thus a cell from an abundance of a cytotoxin. A Ca^2+-induced phase separation of membranous lipids assists to appear the structure nonstable zones with high energy level at the boundary of microdomains which are rich by some phospholipid components; there is mixing of molecules of the membranes contacted in these zones, the first stage of membranous fusion, which was found in plants exposed to microgravity. These results support the hypothesis that a target for microgravity effect is the flux mechanism of Ca^2+ to plant cell.

  17. Effects of phosphonium-based ionic liquids on phospholipid membranes studied by small-angle X-ray scattering

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kontro, I.; Svedström, K.; Duša, Filip; Ahvenainen, P.; Ruokonen, S. K.; Witos, J.; Wiedmer, S. K.

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 201, DEC (2016), s. 59-66 ISSN 0009-3084 Institutional support: RVO:68081715 Keywords : phospholipids * x-ray scattering Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation Impact factor: 3.361, year: 2016

  18. Comparison between the AA/EPA ratio in depressed and non depressed elderly females: omega-3 fatty acid supplementation correlates with improved symptoms but does not change immunological parameters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rizzo Angela

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Depression is one of the most frequently missed diagnoses in elderly people, with obvious negative effects on quality of life. Various studies have shown that long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA may be useful in its management. Our objective was to evaluate whether a supplement containing n-3 PUFA improves depressive symptoms in depressed elderly patients, and whether the blood fatty acid pattern is correlated with these changes. Methods The severity of depressive symptoms according to the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS, blood fatty acid composition and erythrocyte phospholipids were analyzed in 46 depressed females aged 66-95y, diagnosed with depression according to DSMIV, within the context of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 22 depressed females were included in the intervention group (2.5 g/day of n-3 PUFA for 8 weeks, and 24 in the placebo group. We also measured immunological parameters (CD2, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16, CD19 and cytokines (IL-5, IL-15. Results The mean GDS score and AA/EPA ratio, in whole blood and RBC membrane phospholipids, were significantly lower after 2 months supplementation with n-3 PUFA. A significant correlation between the amelioration of GDS and the AA/EPA ratio with some immunological parameters, such as CD2, CD19, CD4, CD16 and the ratio CD4/CD8, was also found. Nevertheless, omega-3 supplementation did not significantly improve the studied immunological functions. Conclusions n-3 PUFA supplementation ameliorates symptoms in elderly depression. The n-3 PUFA status may be monitored by means of the determination of whole blood AA/EPA ratio.

  19. Temperature and metal exposure affect membrane fatty acid composition and transcription of desaturases and elongases in fathead minnow muscle and brain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fadhlaoui, Mariem; Pierron, Fabien; Couture, Patrice

    2018-02-01

    In this study, we tested the hypothesis that metal exposure affected the normal thermal response of cell membrane FA composition and of elongase and desaturase gene transcription levels. To this end, muscle and brain membrane FA composition and FA desaturase (fads2, degs2 and scd2) and elongase (elovl2, elovl5 and elovl6) gene transcription levels were analyzed in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) acclimated for eight weeks to 15, 25 or 30°C exposed or not to cadmium (Cd, 6μg/l) or nickel (Ni, 450 6μg/l). The response of membrane FA composition to temperature variations or metal exposure differed between muscle and brain. In muscle, an increase of temperature induced a decrease of polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) and an increase of saturated FA (SFA) in agreement with the current paradigm. Although a similar response was observed in brain between 15 and 25°C, at 30°C, brain membrane unsaturation was higher than predicted. In both tissues, metal exposure affected the normal thermal response of membrane FA composition. The transcription of desaturases and elongases was higher in the brain and varied with acclimation temperature and metal exposure but these variations did not generally reflect changes in membrane FA composition. The mismatch between gene transcription and membrane composition highlights that several levels of control other than gene transcription are involved in adjusting membrane FA composition, including post-transcriptional regulation of elongases and desaturases and de novo phospholipid biosynthesis. Our study also reveals that metal exposure affects the mechanisms involved in adjusting cell membrane FA composition in ectotherms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Proteome and membrane fatty acid analyses on Oligotropha carboxidovorans OM5 grown under chemolithoautotrophic and heterotrophic conditions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Debarati Paul

    Full Text Available Oligotropha carboxidovorans OM5 T. (DSM 1227, ATCC 49405 is a chemolithoautotrophic bacterium able to utilize CO and H(2 to derive energy for fixation of CO(2. Thus, it is capable of growth using syngas, which is a mixture of varying amounts of CO and H(2 generated by organic waste gasification. O. carboxidovorans is capable also of heterotrophic growth in standard bacteriologic media. Here we characterize how the O. carboxidovorans proteome adapts to different lifestyles of chemolithoautotrophy and heterotrophy. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME analysis of O. carboxidovorans grown with acetate or with syngas showed that the bacterium changes membrane fatty acid composition. Quantitative shotgun proteomic analysis of O. carboxidovorans grown in the presence of acetate and syngas showed production of proteins encoded on the megaplasmid for assimilating CO and H(2 as well as proteins encoded on the chromosome that might have contributed to fatty acid and acetate metabolism. We found that adaptation to chemolithoautotrophic growth involved adaptations in cell envelope, oxidative homeostasis, and metabolic pathways such as glyoxylate shunt and amino acid/cofactor biosynthetic enzymes.

  1. Membrane properties involved in calcium-stimulated microparticle release from the plasma membranes of S49 lymphoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Lauryl E; Nelson, Jennifer; Gibbons, Elizabeth; Judd, Allan M; Bell, John D

    2014-01-01

    This study answered the question of whether biophysical mechanisms for microparticle shedding discovered in platelets and erythrocytes also apply to nucleated cells: cytoskeletal disruption, potassium efflux, transbilayer phospholipid migration, and membrane disordering. The calcium ionophore, ionomycin, disrupted the actin cytoskeleton of S49 lymphoma cells and produced rapid release of microparticles. This release was significantly inhibited by interventions that impaired calcium-activated potassium current. Microparticle release was also greatly reduced in a lymphocyte cell line deficient in the expression of scramblase, the enzyme responsible for calcium-stimulated dismantling of the normal phospholipid transbilayer asymmetry. Rescue of the scrambling function at high ionophore concentration also resulted in enhanced particle shedding. The effect of membrane physical properties was addressed by varying the experimental temperature (32-42°C). A significant positive trend in the rate of microparticle release as a function of temperature was observed. Fluorescence experiments with trimethylammonium diphenylhexatriene and Patman revealed significant decrease in the level of apparent membrane order along that temperature range. These results demonstrated that biophysical mechanisms involved in microparticle release from platelets and erythrocytes apply also to lymphocytes.

  2. Lipidomics and H218O labeling techniques reveal increased remodeling of DHA-containing membrane phospholipids associated with abnormal locomotor responses in α-tocopherol deficient zebrafish (danio rerio embryos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa Q. McDougall

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available We hypothesized that vitamin E (α-tocopherol is required by the developing embryonic brain to prevent depletion of highly polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6, the loss of which we predicted would underlie abnormal morphological and behavioral outcomes. Therefore, we fed adult 5D zebrafish (Danio rerio defined diets without (E− or with added α-tocopherol (E+, 500 mg RRR-α-tocopheryl acetate/kg diet for a minimum of 80 days, and then spawned them to obtain E− and E+ embryos. The E− compared with E+ embryos were 82% less responsive (p<0.01 to a light/dark stimulus at 96 h post-fertilization (hpf, demonstrating impaired locomotor behavior, even in the absence of gross morphological defects. Evaluation of phospholipid (PL and lysophospholipid (lyso-PL composition using untargeted lipidomics in E− compared with E+ embryos at 24, 48, 72, and 120 hpf showed that four PLs and three lyso-PLs containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, including lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC 22:6, required for transport of DHA into the brain, p<0.001, were at lower concentrations in E− at all time-points. Additionally, H218O labeling experiments revealed enhanced turnover of LPC 22:6 (p<0.001 and three other DHA-containing PLs in the E− compared with the E+ embryos, suggesting that increased membrane remodeling is a result of PL depletion. Together, these data indicate that α-tocopherol deficiency in the zebrafish embryo causes the specific depletion and increased turnover of DHA-containing PL and lyso-PLs, which may compromise DHA delivery to the brain and thereby contribute to the functional impairments observed in E− embryos.

  3. Neutron reflectivity study of substrate surface chemistry effects on supported phospholipid bilayer formation on (1120) sapphire.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oleson, Timothy A. [University of Wisconsin, Madison; Sahai, Nita [University of Akron; Wesolowski, David J [ORNL; Dura, Joseph A [ORNL; Majkrzak, Charles F [ORNL; Giuffre, Anthony J. [University of Wisconsin, Madison

    2012-01-01

    Oxide-supported phospholipid bilayers (SPBs) used as biomimetric membranes are significant for a broad range of applications including improvement of biomedical devices and biosensors, and in understanding biomineralization processes and the possible role of mineral surfaces in the evolution of pre-biotic membranes. Continuous-coverage and/or stacjed SPBs retain properties (e.,g. fluidity) more similar to native biological membranes, which is desirable for most applications. Using neutron reflectivity, we examined face coverage and potential stacking of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayers on the (1120) face of sapphire (a-Al2O3). Nearly full bilayers were formed at low to neutral pH, when the sapphire surface is positively charged, and at low ionic strength (l=15 mM NaCl). Coverage decreased at higher pH, close to the isoelectric point of sapphire, and also at high I>210mM, or with addition of 2mM Ca2+. The latter two effects are additive, suggesting that Ca2+ mitigates the effect of higher I. These trends agree with previous results for phospholipid adsorption on a-Al2O3 particles determined by adsorption isotherms and on single-crystal (1010) sapphire by atomic force microscopy, suggesting consistency of oxide surface chemistry-dependent effects across experimental techniques.

  4. Packing of ganglioside-phospholipid monolayers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Majewski, J.; Kuhl, T.L.; Kjær, K.

    2001-01-01

    Using synchrotron grazing-incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXD) and reflectivity, the in-plane and out-of-plane structure of mixed ganglioside-phospholipid monolayers was investigated at the air-water interface. Mixed monolayers of 0, 5, 10, 20, and 100 mol% ganglioside GM, and the phospholipid...... monolayers did not affect hydrocarbon tail packing (fluidization or condensation of the hydrocarbon region). This is in contrast to previous investigations of lipopolymer-lipid mixtures, where the packing structure of phospholipid monolayers was greatly altered by the inclusion of lipids bearing hydrophilic...

  5. Structural role of lipids in mitochondrial and sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes: freeze-fracture electron microscopy studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Packer, L; Mehard, C W; Meissner, G; Zahler, W L; Fleischer, S

    1974-01-01

    The role of phospholipid in the structure of the membranes of beef heart mitochondria and of the sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes from rabbit skeletal muscle has been investigated by freeze-fracture electron microscopy. Progressive removal of membrane phospholipids, by phospholipase A treatment or detergent treatment, or by organic solvent extraction, results in loss of the smooth background seen in membrane fracture faces and decreased ability of membrane to undergo freeze fracture to yield fracture faces. Instead cross-sections of vesicles or particle clusters are observed. Sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles have a 9 to 1 asymmetry in the distribution of particles between the convex and concave fracture faces. There is also a wide range of particle size distribution in both of these fracture faces with 85-A particles in greatest number. The removal of membrane associated proteins by detergent extraction does not appreciably change the distribution in particle size. Sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles were dissolved with detergent and reassembled to form membrane vesicles containing mainly one protein (approx. 90%), i.e., the Ca/sup 2 +/ pump protein, and with a ratio of lipid to protein similar to the original membrane. The reconstituted vesicles readily underwent freeze fracture but the asymmetric particle distribution between the fracture faces was no longer observed. The size distribution of particles in the reconstituted membrane, consisting mainly of Ca/sup 2 +/ pump protein, and phospholipid, was similar in heterogeneity to the original sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane. Thus the heterogeneity in particle size could reflect variation in the orientation of the Ca/sup 2 +/ pump protein within the membrane.

  6. Antibiotic interaction with phospholipid monolayers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gambinossi, F.; Mecheri, B.; Caminati, G.; Nocentini, M.; Puggelli, M.; Gabrielli, G.

    2002-01-01

    We studied the interactions of tetracycline (TC) antibiotic molecules with phospholipid monolayers with the two-fold aim of elucidating the mechanism of action and providing a first step for the realization of bio-mimetic sensors for such drugs by means of the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. We examined spreading monolayers of three phospholipids in the presence of tetracycline in the subphase by means of surface pressure-area and surface potential-area isotherms as a function of bulk pH. We selected phospholipids with hydrophobic chains of the same length but polar head groups differing either in dimensions and protonation equilibria, i.e. dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE) and dipalmitoylphosphatidic acid (DPPA). The interaction of tetracycline with the three phospholipids was found to be highly dependent on the electric charge of the antibiotic and on the ionization state of the lipid. Significant interactions are established between the negatively charged form of dipalmitoylphosphatidic acid and the zwitterionic form of tetracycline. The drug was found to migrate at the interface where it is adsorbed underneath or/and among the head groups, depending on the surface pressure of the film, whereas penetration through the hydrophobic layer was excluded for all the three phospholipids

  7. Antibiotic interaction with phospholipid monolayers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gambinossi, F.; Mecheri, B.; Caminati, G.; Nocentini, M.; Puggelli, M.; Gabrielli, G

    2002-12-01

    We studied the interactions of tetracycline (TC) antibiotic molecules with phospholipid monolayers with the two-fold aim of elucidating the mechanism of action and providing a first step for the realization of bio-mimetic sensors for such drugs by means of the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. We examined spreading monolayers of three phospholipids in the presence of tetracycline in the subphase by means of surface pressure-area and surface potential-area isotherms as a function of bulk pH. We selected phospholipids with hydrophobic chains of the same length but polar head groups differing either in dimensions and protonation equilibria, i.e. dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE) and dipalmitoylphosphatidic acid (DPPA). The interaction of tetracycline with the three phospholipids was found to be highly dependent on the electric charge of the antibiotic and on the ionization state of the lipid. Significant interactions are established between the negatively charged form of dipalmitoylphosphatidic acid and the zwitterionic form of tetracycline. The drug was found to migrate at the interface where it is adsorbed underneath or/and among the head groups, depending on the surface pressure of the film, whereas penetration through the hydrophobic layer was excluded for all the three phospholipids.

  8. Domain 4 (D4) of Perfringolysin O to Visualize Cholesterol in Cellular Membranes-The Update.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maekawa, Masashi

    2017-03-03

    The cellular membrane of eukaryotes consists of phospholipids, sphingolipids, cholesterol and membrane proteins. Among them, cholesterol is crucial for various cellular events (e.g., signaling, viral/bacterial infection, and membrane trafficking) in addition to its essential role as an ingredient of steroid hormones, vitamin D, and bile acids. From a micro-perspective, at the plasma membrane, recent emerging evidence strongly suggests the existence of lipid nanodomains formed with cholesterol and phospholipids (e.g., sphingomyelin, phosphatidylserine). Thus, it is important to elucidate how cholesterol behaves in membranes and how the behavior of cholesterol is regulated at the molecular level. To elucidate the complexed characteristics of cholesterol in cellular membranes, a couple of useful biosensors that enable us to visualize cholesterol in cellular membranes have been recently developed by utilizing domain 4 (D4) of Perfringolysin O (PFO, theta toxin), a cholesterol-binding toxin. This review highlights the current progress on development of novel cholesterol biosensors that uncover new insights of cholesterol in cellular membranes.

  9. Interaction of arsenic compounds with model phospholipid membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jemiola-Rzeminska, Malgorzata; Rivera, Cecilia; Suwalsky, Mario; Strzalka, Kazimierz

    2007-01-01

    This study is part of a project aimed at examining the influence of arsenic on biological membranes. By the use of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) we have followed the thermotropic behavior of multilamellar vesicles prepared from dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and dimyristoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DMPE) upon incorporation of sodium arsenite (AsI), disodium arsenate (AsII), cacodylic acid (AsIII) and disodium methyl arsenate (AsIV). The effectiveness of perturbations exerted by various arsenic compounds on thermotropic phase transition was further analysed in terms of thermodynamic parameters: transition temperature, enthalpy and molar heat capacity, determined for lipid/As systems on the basis of heating and cooling scans. It is found that while it only has a slight influence on the thermotropic properties of DMPC, arsenic is able to significantly modify DMPE model membranes

  10. Spectroscopic characterization of cell membranes and their constituents of the plant-associated soil bacterium Azospirillum brasilense

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamnev, A. A.; Antonyuk, L. P.; Matora, L. Yu.; Serebrennikova, O. B.; Sumaroka, M. V.; Colina, M.; Renou-Gonnord, M.-F.; Ignatov, V. V.

    1999-05-01

    Structural and compositional features of bacterial membranes and some of their isolated constituents (cell surface lipopolysaccharide, phospholipids) of the plant-growth-promoting diazotrophic rhizobacterium Azospirillum brasilense (wild-type strain Sp245) were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and some other techniques. FTIR spectra of the cell membranes were shown to comprise the main vibration modes of the relevant lipopolysaccharide and protein components which are believed to be involved in associative plant-bacterium interactions, as well as of phospholipid constituents. The role and functions of metal cations in the structural organization and physicochemical properties of bacterial cell membranes are also discussed considering their accumulation in the membranes from the culture medium.

  11. Accumulation of macular xanthophylls in unsaturated membrane domains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wisniewska, Anna; Subczynski, Witold K

    2006-05-15

    The distribution of macular xanthophylls, lutein and zeaxanthin, between domains formed in membranes made from an equimolar ternary mixture of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine/sphingomyelin/cholesterol, called a raft-forming mixture, was investigated. In these membranes, two domains are formed: the raft domain enriched in saturated lipids and cholesterol (detergent-resistant membranes, DRM), and the bulk domain enriched in unsaturated lipids (detergent-soluble membranes, DSM). These membrane domains have been separated using cold Triton X-100 extraction from membranes containing 1 mol% of either lutein or zeaxanthin. The results indicated that xanthophylls are substantially excluded from DRM and remain concentrated in DSM. Concentrations of xanthophylls in DRM and DSM calculated as the mole ratio of either xanthophyll to phospholipid were 0.005 and 0.03, respectively, and calculated as the mole ratio of either xanthophyll to total lipid (phospholipid + cholesterol) were 0.003 and 0.025, respectively. Thus, xanthophylls are over eight times more concentrated in DSM than in DRM. No significant difference in the distribution of lutein and zeaxanthin was found. It was also demonstrated using saturation-recovery EPR that at 1 mol%, neither lutein nor zeaxanthin affect the formation of membrane domains. The location of xanthophylls in domains formed from unsaturated lipids is ideal if they are to act as a lipid antioxidant, which is the most accepted mechanism through which lutein and zeaxanthin protect the retina from age-related macular diseases.

  12. Solvent accessible surface area (ASA) of simulated phospholipid membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tuchsen, E.; Jensen, Morten Østergaard; Westh, P.

    2003-01-01

    The membrane-solvent interface has been investigated through calculations of the solvent accessible surface area (ASA) for simulated membranes of DPPC and POPE. For DPPC at 52 degreesC we found an ASA of 126 +/- 8 Angstrom(2) per lipid molecule, equivalent to twice the projected lateral area......, even the most exposed parts of the PC head-group show average ASAs of less than half of its maximal or 'fully hydrated' value. The average ASA of a simulated POPE membrane was 96 +/- 7 Angstrom(2) per lipid. The smaller value than for DPPC reflects much lower ASA of the ammonium ion, which is partially...... compensated by increased exposure of the ethylene and phosphate moieties. The ASA of the polar moieties Of (PO4, NH3 and COO) constitutes 65% of the total accessible area for POPE, making this interface more polar than that of DPPC. It is suggested that ASA information can be valuable in attempts...

  13. ESR technique for noninvasive way to quantify cyclodextrins effect on cell membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grammenos, A.; Mouithys-Mickalad, A.; Guelluy, P.H.; Lismont, M.; Piel, G.; Hoebeke, M.

    2010-01-01

    Research highlights: → ESR: a new tool for cyclodextrins study on living cells. → Cholesterol and phospholipid extraction by Rameb in a dose- and time-dependent way. → Extracted phospholipids and cholesterol form stable aggregates. → ESR spectra show that lipid rafts are damaged by Rameb. → Quantification of the cholesterol extraction on cell membranes in a noninvasive way. -- Abstract: A new way to study the action of cyclodextrin was developed to quantify the damage caused on cell membrane and lipid bilayer. The Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) spectroscopy was used to study the action of Randomly methylated-beta-cyclodextrin (Rameb) on living cells (HCT-116). The relative anisotropy observed in ESR spectrum of nitroxide spin probe (5-DSA and cholestane) is directly related to the rotational mobility of the probe, which can be further correlated with the microviscosity. The use of ESR probes clearly shows a close correlation between cholesterol contained in cells and cellular membrane microviscosity. This study also demonstrates the Rameb ability to extract cholesterol and phospholipids in time- and dose-dependent ways. In addition, ESR spectra enabled to establish that cholesterol is extracted from lipid rafts to form stable aggregates. The present work supports that ESR is an easy, reproducible and noninvasive technique to study the effect of cyclodextrins on cell membranes.

  14. Binding of Neurotransmitters to Lipid Membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Peters, Günther H.J.; Werge, Mikkel; Elf-Lind, Maria Northved

    2014-01-01

    / acetylated g-aminobutyrate (GABAneu) with a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayer. This study was motivated by recent research results that suggested that neural transmission may also be affected by nonspecific interactions of NTs with the lipid matrix of the synaptic membrane. Our results revealed...... backbone of the phospholipids. It is surprising that hydrophilic solutes can deeply penetrate into the membrane pointing to the fact that membrane affinity is governed by specific interactions. Our MD simulations identified the salt-bridge between the primary amine of NTs and the lipid phosphate group...

  15. Association of n3 and n6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in red blood cell membrane and plasma with severity of normal tension glaucoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Man Yu

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available AIM:To determine whether red blood cell (RBC membrane and plasma lipids, particularly long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, arachidonic acid (AA are significantly correlated with severity of normal tension glaucoma (NTG.METHODS:This study included 35 patients with NTG and 12 healthy normal control subjects, matched for age and sex with the study group. The stage of glaucoma was determined according to the Hodapp-Parrish-Anderson classification. Lipids were extracted from RBC membranes and plasma, and fatty acid methyl esters prepared and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS.RESULTS:When RBC lipids were analyzed, the levels of EPA, the levels of DHA and the ratio of n3 to n6 were positively associated with the Humphrey Perimetry mean deviation (MD score (r=0.617, P<0.001; r=0.727, P<0.001 and r=0.720, P<0.001, respectively, while the level of AA was negatively associated with the MD score (r=-0.427, P=0.001. When plasma lipids were analyzed, there was a significant positive relationship between the levels of EPA and the MD score (r=0.648, P<0.001, and the levels of AA were inversely correlated with the MD score (r=-0.638, P<0.001.CONCLUSION:The levels of n3 and n6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in RBC membrane and plasma lipids were associated with severity of NTG.

  16. INTERACTION OF ALDEHYDES DERIVED FROM LIPID PEROXIDATION AND MEMBRANE PROTEINS.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefania ePizzimenti

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available A great variety of compounds are formed during lipid peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids of membrane phospholipids. Among them, bioactive aldehydes, such as 4-hydroxyalkenals, malondialdehyde (MDA and acrolein, have received particular attention since they have been considered as toxic messengers that can propagate and amplify oxidative injury. In the 4-hydroxyalkenal class, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE is the most intensively studied aldehyde, in relation not only to its toxic function, but also to its physiological role. Indeed, HNE can be found at low concentrations in human tissues and plasma and participates in the control of biological processes, such as signal transduction, cell proliferation and differentiation. Moreover, at low doses, HNE exerts an anti-cancer effect, by inhibiting cell proliferation, angiogenesis, cell adhesion and by inducing differentiation and/or apoptosis in various tumor cell lines. It is very likely that a substantial fraction of the effects observed in cellular responses, induced by HNE and related aldehydes, be mediated by their interaction with proteins, resulting in the formation of covalent adducts or in the modulation of their expression and/or activity. In this review we focus on membrane proteins affected by lipid peroxidation-derived aldehydes, under physiological and pathological conditions.

  17. Membrane omega-3 Fatty Acid deficiency as a preventable risk factor for comorbid coronary heart disease in major depressive disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McNamara, Robert K

    2009-01-01

    Major depression disorder (MDD) significantly increases the risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) which is a leading cause of mortality in patients with MDD. Moreover, depression is frequently observed in a subset of patients following acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and increases risk for mortality. Here evidence implicating omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid deficiency in the pathoaetiology of CHD and MDD is reviewed, and the hypothesis that n-3 fatty acid deficiency is a preventable risk factor for CHD comorbidity in MDD patients is evaluated. This hypothesis is supported by cross-national and cross-sectional epidemiological surveys finding an inverse correlation between n-3 fatty acid status and prevalence rates of both CHD and MDD, prospective studies finding that lower dietary or membrane EPA+DHA levels increase risk for both MDD and CHD, case-control studies finding that the n-3 fatty acid status of MDD patients places them at high risk for emergent CHD morbidity and mortality, meta-analyses of controlled n-3 fatty acid intervention studies finding significant advantage over placebo for reducing depression symptom severity in MDD patients, and for secondary prevention of cardiac events in CHD patients, findings that n-3 fatty acid status is inversely correlated with other documented CHD risk factors, and patients diagnosed with MDD after ACS exhibit significantly lower n-3 fatty acid status compared with nondepressed ACS patients. This body of evidence provides strong support for future studies to evaluate the effects of increasing dietary n-3 fatty acid status on CHD comorbidity and mortality in MDD patients.

  18. Trophodynamics and functional feeding groups of North Sea fauna: a combined stable isotope and fatty acid approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kürten, B.; Frutos, I.; Struck, U.; Painting, S.J.; Polunin, N.V.C.; Middelburg, J.J.

    The trophodynamics of pelagic and benthic animals of the North Sea, North Atlantic shelf, were assessed using stable isotope analysis (SIA) of natural abundance carbon and nitrogen isotopes, lipid fingerprinting and compound-specific SIA (CSIA) of phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFAs).

  19. Trophodynamics and functional feeding groups of North Sea fauna: a combined stable isotope and fatty acid approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kürten, B.; Frutos, I.; Struck, U.; Painting, S.J.; Polunin, N.V.C.; Middelburg, J.J.

    2013-01-01

    The trophodynamics of pelagic and benthic animals of the North Sea, North Atlantic shelf, were assessed using stable isotope analysis (SIA) of natural abundance carbon and nitrogen isotopes, lipid fingerprinting and compound-specific SIA (CSIA) of phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFAs).

  20. The interaction of insulin with phospholipids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry, M. C.; Tampion, W.; Lucy, J. A.

    1971-01-01

    1. A simple two-phase chloroform–aqueous buffer system was used to investigate the interaction of insulin with phospholipids and other amphipathic substances. 2. The distribution of 125I-labelled insulin in this system was determined after incubation at 37°C. Phosphatidic acid, dicetylphosphoric acid and, to a lesser extent, phosphatidylcholine and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide solubilized 125I-labelled insulin in the chloroform phase, indicating the formation of chloroform-soluble insulin–phospholipid or insulin–amphipath complexes. Phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingomyelin, cholesterol, stearylamine and Triton X-100 were without effect. 3. Formation of insulin–phospholipid complex was confirmed by paper chromatography. 4. The two-phase system was adapted to act as a simple functional system with which to investigate possible effects of insulin on the structural and functional properties of phospholipid micelles in chloroform, by using the distribution of [14C]glucose between the two phases as a monitor of phospholipid–insulin interactions. The ability of phospholipids to solubilize [14C]glucose in chloroform increased in the order phosphatidylcholineInsulin decreased the [14C]glucose solubilized by phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidic acid, but not by sphingomyelin. 5. The significance of these results and the molecular requirements for the formation of insulin–phospholipid complexes in chloroform are discussed. PMID:5158903

  1. Effect of phospholipid, detergent and protein-protein interaction on stability and phosphoenzyme isomerization of soluble sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vilsen, B; Andersen, J P

    1987-12-30

    The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the separate roles of lipid, detergent and protein-protein interaction for stability and catalytic properties of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase solubilized in the non-ionic detergent octa(ethylene glycol) monododecyl ether (C12E8). The use of large-zone high-performance liquid chromatography permitted us to define the self-association state of Ca-ATPase peptide at various detergent, phospholipid and protein concentrations, and also during enzymatic turnover with ATP. Conditions were established for monomerization of Ca-ATPase in the presence of a high concentration of phospholipid relative to detergent. The lipid-saturated monomeric preparation was relatively resistant to inactivation in the absence of Ca2+, whereas delipidated enzyme in monomeric or in oligomeric form was prone to inactivation. Kinetics of phosphoenzyme turnover were examined in the presence and absence of Mg2+. Dephosphorylation rates were sensitive to Mg2+, irrespective of whether the peptide was present in soluble monomeric form or was membrane-bound. C12E8-solubilized monomer without added phospholipid was, however, characterized by a fast initial phase of dephosphorylation in the absence of Mg2+. This was not observed with monomer saturated with phospholipid or with monomer solubilized in myristoylglycerophosphocholine or deoxycholate. The mechanism underlying this difference was shown to be a C12E8-induced acceleration of conversion of ADP-sensitive phosphoenzyme (E1P) to ADP-insensitive phosphoenzyme (E2P). The phosphoenzyme isomerization rate was also found to be enhanced by low-affinity binding of ATP. This was demonstrated both in membrane-bound and in soluble monomeric Ca-ATPase. Our results indicate that a single peptide chain constitutes the target for modulation of phosphoenzyme turnover by Mg2+ and ATP, and that detergent effects, distinct from those arising from disruption of protein-protein contacts, are the major determinants of

  2. Radiation carcinogenesis from a membrane perspective

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Petkau, A

    1980-01-01

    Radiation damage in phospholipid membranes involves free radical chain reactions which propagate on their own. These reactions oxidize the constituent fatty acids (LH) to alkyl radicals (L) which upon oxygenation, form lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH), some of which absorb light at 232 nm. The response (R) of these membranes to irradiation from tritium (/sup 3/H) in tritiated water increases with dose (D) in accordance with R = aD/sup m/, where m = 1.44 +- 0.30 in the absence of superoxide dismutase and 0.80 +- 0.14 in its presence. The parameter a is expressible in terms of dose rate (..delta..D/..delta..t) by a = c (..delta..D/..delta..t)/sup -n/, where n = 1.18 +- 0.05 in the absence of superoxide dismutase and 0.82 +- 0.02 in its presence. Thus, R = cD/sup m/..delta..D/..delta..t)/sup -n/ where the values of m, n depend on the presence or absence of the free radical scavenger, superoxide dismutase. From this composite relationship, the response per annum for 100 to 250 millirem/y is calculable and found to differ qualitatively, that is, in the absence of superoxide dismutase the response increases whereas in the enzyme's presence it decreases. The latter trend is reminiscent of the correlation between radiation dose rate and the per annum malignant mortality rate in humans. This coincidence is interesting in that LOOH are linked in the literature to several forms of carcinogenesis.

  3. Dietary fat intake and red blood cell fatty acid composition of children and women from three different geographical areas in South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ford, Rosalyn; Faber, Mieke; Kunneke, Ernesta; Smuts, Cornelius M

    2016-06-01

    Dietary fat intake, particularly the type of fat, is reflected in the red blood cell (RBC) fatty acid (FA) profile and is vital in growth, development and health maintenance. The FA profile (%wt/wt) of RBC membrane phospholipids (as determined by gas chromatography) and dietary intake (as determined by 24h recall) was assessed in 2-6y old South African children and their caregivers randomly selected from three communities, i.e. an urban Northern Cape community (urban-NC; n=104), an urban coastal Western Cape community (urban-WC; n=93) and a rural Limpopo Province community (rural-LP; n=102). Mean RBC FA values across groups were compared using ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc test while controlling for age and gender (children); median dietary intake values were compared using a Kruskal-Wallis test. Dietary intakes for total fat, saturated FAs and polyunsaturated FAs were higher in the two urban areas compared to the rural area. Total fat intake in rural-LP, and omega-3 FA dietary intake in all three areas were lower than the South African adopted guidelines. Dietary SFA intake in both urban areas was higher than recommended by South African guidelines; this was reflected in the RBC membrane FA profile. Rural-LP children had the lowest intake of omega-3 and omega-6 FAs yet presented with the highest RBC docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) profile and highest arachidonic acid percentage. Although differences observed in dietary fat intake between the two urban and the rural area were reflected in the RBC membrane total phospholipid FA profile, the lowest total fat and α-linolenic acid (ALA) intake by rural children that presented with the highest RBC DHA profile warrants further investigation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Omega-3 fatty acids status in human subjects estimated using a food frequency questionnaire and plasma phospholipids levels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Garneau Véronique

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Intakes of omega-3 (n-3 fatty acids (FA are associated with several health benefits. The aim of this study was to verify whether intakes of n-3 FA estimated from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ correlate with n-3 FA levels measured in plasma phospholipids (PL. Methods The study sample consisted of 200 French-Canadians men and women aged between 18 to 55 years. Dietary data were collected using a validated FFQ. Fasting blood samples were collected and the plasma PL FA profile was measured by gas chromatography. Results Low intakes of n-3 long-chain FA together with low percentages of n-3 long-chain FA in plasma PL were found in French-Canadian population. Daily intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA were similar between men and women. Yet, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA and total n-3 FA intakes were significantly higher in men compared to women (ALA: 2.28 g and 1.69 g, p n-3 FA: 2.57 g and 1.99 g, p n-3 FA (men: r = 0.47, p  Conclusion Estimated n-3 long-chain FA intake among this young and well-educated French-Canadian population is lower than the recommendations. Further, FFQ data is comparable to plasma PL results to estimate DHA and total n-3 FA status in healthy individuals as well as to evaluate the EPA and DPA status in women. Overall, this FFQ could be used as a simple, low-cost tool in future studies to rank n-3 FA status of individuals.

  5. Behavior of 4-Hydroxynonenal in Phospholipid Membranes

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Vazdar, Mario; Jurkiewicz, Piotr; Hof, Martin; Jungwirth, Pavel; Cwiklik, Lukasz

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 116, č. 22 (2012), s. 6411-6415 ISSN 1520-6106 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA203/08/0114; GA ČR GAP208/10/0376; GA MŠk LH12001; GA AV ČR GEMEM/09/E006 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40550506; CEZ:AV0Z40400503 Keywords : fluorescence spectroscopy * molecular dynamics * membrane s * 4-hydroxynonenal Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 3.607, year: 2012

  6. Plasma membrane fatty acid-binding protein and mitochondrial glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase of rat liver are related

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berk, P.D.; Potter, B.J.; Sorrentino, D.; Zhou, S.L.; Isola, L.M.; Stump, D.; Kiang, C.L.; Thung, S.; Wada, H.; Horio, Y.

    1990-01-01

    The hepatic plasma membrane fatty acid-binding protein (h-FABP PM ) and the mitochondrial isoenzyme of glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (mGOT) of rat liver have similar amino acid compositions and identical amino acid sequences for residues 3-24. Both proteins migrate with an apparent molecular mass of 43 kDa on SDS/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, have a similar pattern of basic charge isomers on isoelectric focusing, are eluted similarly from four different high-performance liquid chromatographic columns, have absorption maxima at 435 nm under acid conditions and 354 nm at pH 8.3, and bind oleate. Sinusoidally enriched liver plasma membranes and purified h-FABP PM have GOT enzymatic activity. Monospecific rabbit antiserum against h-FABP PM reacts on Western blotting with mGOT, and vice versa. Antisera against both proteins produce plasma membrane immunofluorescence in rat hepatocytes and selectively inhibit the hepatocellular uptake of [ 3 H]oleate but not that of [ 35 S]sulfobromophthalein or [ 14 C]taurocholate. The inhibition of oleate uptake produced by anti-h-FABP PM can be eliminated by preincubation of the antiserum with mGOT; similarly, the plasma membrane immunofluorescence produced by either antiserum can be eliminated by preincubation with the other antigen. These data suggest that h-FABP PM and mGOT are closely related

  7. Fatty acid fouling of forward osmosis membrane: Effects of pH, calcium, membrane orientation, initial permeate flux and foulant composition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Pin; Gao, Baoyu; Yue, Qinyan; Liu, Pan; Shon, Ho Kyong

    2016-08-01

    Octanoic acid (OA) was selected to represent fatty acids in effluent organic matter (EOM). The effects of feed solution (FS) properties, membrane orientation and initial permeate flux on OA fouling in forward osmosis (FO) were investigated. The undissociated OA formed a cake layer quickly and caused the water flux to decline significantly in the initial 0.5hr at unadjusted pH3.56; while the fully dissociated OA behaved as an anionic surfactant and promoted the water permeation at an elevated pH of 9.00. Moreover, except at the initial stage, the sudden decline of water flux (meaning the occurrence of severe membrane fouling) occurred in two conditions: 1. 0.5mmol/L Ca(2+), active layer facing draw solution (AL-DS) and 1.5mol/L NaCl (DS); 2. No Ca(2+), active layer-facing FS (AL-FS) and 4mol/L NaCl (DS). This demonstrated that cake layer compaction or pore blocking occurred only when enough foulants were absorbed into the membrane surface, and the water permeation was high enough to compact the deposit inside the porous substrate. Furthermore, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was selected as a co-foulant. The water flux of both co-foulants was between the fluxes obtained separately for the two foulants at pH3.56, and larger than the two values at pH9.00. This manifested that, at pH3.56, BSA alleviated the effect of the cake layer caused by OA, and OA enhanced BSA fouling simultaneously; while at pH9.00, the mutual effects of OA and BSA eased the membrane fouling. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  8. Perfil em ácidos graxos do tecido hepático de ratos submetidos a dieta cetogênica rica em trienatina

    OpenAIRE

    Melo, Ingrid Sofia Vieira de

    2011-01-01

    Dietary lipids determine the incorporation and fatty acid composition of the organism, especially in organs most susceptible to its modulating action on membrane phospholipids esterified fatty acids, such as the liver. Ketogenic diets, widely used to treat various disorders, often use long-chain triacylglycerols, however, medium chain triglycerides are considered an alternative source, since they are digested, absorbed, oxidized and removed from circulation more rapidly than long chain triacy...

  9. Hydrophobic nanoparticles promote lamellar to inverted hexagonal transition in phospholipid mesophases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bulpett, Jennifer M; Snow, Tim; Quignon, Benoit; Beddoes, Charlotte M; Tang, T-Y D; Mann, Stephen; Shebanova, Olga; Pizzey, Claire L; Terrill, Nicholas J; Davis, Sean A; Briscoe, Wuge H

    2015-12-07

    This study focuses on how the mesophase transition behaviour of the phospholipid dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) is altered by the presence of 10 nm hydrophobic and 14 nm hydrophilic silica nanoparticles (NPs) at different concentrations. The lamellar to inverted hexagonal phase transition (Lα-HII) of phospholipids is energetically analogous to the membrane fusion process, therefore understanding the Lα-HII transition with nanoparticulate additives is relevant to how membrane fusion may be affected by these additives, in this case the silica NPs. The overriding observation is that the HII/Lα boundaries in the DOPE p-T phase diagram were shifted by the presence of NPs: the hydrophobic NPs enlarged the HII phase region and thus encouraged the inverted hexagonal (HII) phase to occur at lower temperatures, whilst hydrophilic NPs appeared to stabilise the Lα phase region. This effect was also NP-concentration dependent, with a more pronounced effect for higher concentration of the hydrophobic NPs, but the trend was less clear cut for the hydrophilic NPs. There was no evidence that the NPs were intercalated into the mesophases, and as such it was likely that they might have undergone microphase separation and resided at the mesophase domain boundaries. Whilst the loci and exact roles of the NPs invite further investigation, we tentatively discuss these results in terms of both the surface chemistry of the NPs and the effect of their curvature on the elastic bending energy considerations during the mesophase transition.

  10. Xanthomonas campestris RpfB is a Fatty Acyl-CoA Ligase Required to Counteract the Thioesterase Activity of the RpfF Diffusible Signal Factor (DSF) Synthase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bi, Hongkai; Yu, Yonghong; Dong, Huijuan; Wang, Haihong; Cronan, John E.

    2014-01-01

    SUMMARY In Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc), the proteins encoded by the rpf (regulator of pathogenicity factor) gene cluster produce and sense a fatty acid signal molecule called diffusible signaling factor (DSF, 2(Z)-11-methyldodecenoic acid). RpfB was reported to be involved in DSF processing and was predicted to encode an acyl-CoA ligase. We report that RpfB activates a wide range of fatty acids to their CoA esters in vitro. Moreover, RpfB can functionally replace the paradigm bacterial acyl-CoA ligase, Escherichia coli FadD, in the E. coli β-oxidation pathway and deletion of RpfB from the Xcc genome results in a strain unable to utilize fatty acids as carbon sources. An essential RpfB function in the pathogenicity factor pathway was demonstrated by the properties of a strain deleted for both the rpfB and rpfC genes. The ΔrpfB ΔrpfC strain grew poorly and lysed upon entering stationary phase. Deletion of rpfF, the gene encoding the DSF synthetic enzyme, restored normal growth to this strain. RpfF is a dual function enzyme that synthesizes DSF by dehydration of a 3-hydroxyacyl-acyl carrier protein (ACP) fatty acid synthetic intermediate and also cleaves the thioester bond linking DSF to ACP. However, the RpfF thioesterase activity is of broad specificity and upon elimination of its RpfC inhibitor RpfF attains maximal activity and its thioesterase activity proceeds to block membrane lipid synthesis by cleavage of acyl-ACP intermediates. This resulted in release of the nascent acyl chains to the medium as free fatty acids. This lack of acyl chains for phospholipid synthesis results in cell lysis unless RpfB is present to counteract the RpfF thioesterase activity by catalyzing uptake and activation of the free fatty acids to give acyl-CoAs that can be utilized to restore membrane lipid synthesis. Heterologous expression of a different fatty acid activating enzyme, the Vibrio harveyi acyl-ACP synthetase, replaced RpfB in counteracting the effects of

  11. Electrospun Phospholipid Fibers as Micro-Encapsulation and Antioxidant Matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shekarforoush, Elhamalsadat; Mendes, Ana C; Baj, Vanessa; Beeren, Sophie R; Chronakis, Ioannis S

    2017-10-17

    Electrospun phospholipid (asolectin) microfibers were investigated as antioxidants and encapsulation matrices for curcumin and vanillin. These phospholipid microfibers exhibited antioxidant properties which increased after the encapsulation of both curcumin and vanillin. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and the total phenolic content (TPC) of curcumin/phospholipid and vanillin/phospholipid microfibers remained stable over time at different temperatures (refrigerated, ambient) and pressures (vacuum, ambient). ¹H-NMR confirmed the chemical stability of both encapsulated curcumin and vanillin within phospholipid fibers. Release studies in aqueous media revealed that the phenolic bioactives were released mainly due to swelling of the phospholipid fiber matrix over time. The above studies confirm the efficacy of electrospun phospholipid microfibers as encapsulation and antioxidant systems.

  12. Electrospun Phospholipid Fibers as Micro-Encapsulation and Antioxidant Matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elhamalsadat Shekarforoush

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Electrospun phospholipid (asolectin microfibers were investigated as antioxidants and encapsulation matrices for curcumin and vanillin. These phospholipid microfibers exhibited antioxidant properties which increased after the encapsulation of both curcumin and vanillin. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC and the total phenolic content (TPC of curcumin/phospholipid and vanillin/phospholipid microfibers remained stable over time at different temperatures (refrigerated, ambient and pressures (vacuum, ambient. 1H-NMR confirmed the chemical stability of both encapsulated curcumin and vanillin within phospholipid fibers. Release studies in aqueous media revealed that the phenolic bioactives were released mainly due to swelling of the phospholipid fiber matrix over time. The above studies confirm the efficacy of electrospun phospholipid microfibers as encapsulation and antioxidant systems.

  13. Conversion of polar and non-polar algae oil lipids to fatty acid methyl esters with solid acid catalysts--A model compound study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asikainen, Martta; Munter, Tony; Linnekoski, Juha

    2015-09-01

    Bio-based fuels are becoming more and more important due to the depleting fossil resources. The production of biodiesel from algae oil is challenging compared to terrestrial vegetable oils, as algae oil consists of polar fatty acids, such as phospholipids and glycolipids, as well as non-polar triglycerides and free fatty acids common in vegetable oils. It is shown that a single sulphonated solid acid catalyst can perform the esterification and transesterification reactions of both polar and non-polar lipids. In mild reaction conditions (60-70 °C) Nafion NR50 catalyst produces methyl palmitate (FAME) from the palmitic acid derivatives of di-, and tri-glyceride, free fatty acid, and phospholipid with over 80% yields, with the glycolipid derivative giving nearly 40% yields of FAME. These results demonstrate how the polar and non-polar lipid derivatives of algal oil can be utilised as feedstocks for biodiesel production with a single catalyst in one reaction step. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Essential fatty acid deficiency in patients with severe fat malabsorption

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jeppesen, Palle B; Christensen, Michael Søberg; Høy, Carl-Erik

    1997-01-01

    Essential fatty acid deficiency is commonly described in patients receiving parenteral nutrition, but the occurrence in patients with severe fat malabsorption not receiving parenteral nutrition is uncertain. One hundred twelve patients were grouped according to their degree of fat malabsorption......: group 1, 50% (n = 15). Fecal fat was measured by the method of Van de Kamer the last 2 of 5 d of a 75-g fat diet. Serum fatty acids in the phospholipid fraction were measured by gas-liquid chromatography after separation...... by thin-layer chromatography and expressed as a percentage of total fatty acids. The concentration of linoleic acid in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 was 21.7%, 19.4%, 16.4%, and 13.4% respectively (P acid in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 was 0.4%, 0.4%, 0.3% and 0.3%, respectively...

  15. Omega-6 and trans fatty acids in blood cell membranes: a risk factor for acute coronary syndromes?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Block, Robert C; Harris, William S; Reid, Kimberly J; Spertus, John A

    2008-12-01

    Although fatty acid intake has been associated with risk of coronary disease events, the association between blood omega-6 and trans fatty acids (FAs) at the time of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is unknown. The relationship of blood FA composition to ACS was analyzed in 768 incident cases and 768 controls (matched on age, sex, and race). Compared to controls, ACS cases' blood cell membrane content of linoleic acid was 13% lower (P 3 times the odds for being a case (odds ratio [OR] 3.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.63-4.17). The relationship of arachidonic acid to ACS was U shaped; compared to the first quartile of arachidonic acid, the ORs for case status in the second, third, and fourth quartiles were 0.73 (95% CI 0.47-1.13), 0.65 (95% CI 0.41-1.04), and 2.32 (95% CI 1.39-3.90), respectively. The OR for a 1-SD increase in trans oleic acid was 1.24 (95% CI 1.06-1.45), and for trans-trans linoleic acid, 1.1 (95% CI 0.93-1.30). All associations were independent of membrane omega-3 FA content. High blood levels of linoleic acid but low levels of trans oleic acid are inversely associated with ACS. The relationship of arachidonic acid to ACS appears more complex.

  16. Supported Phospholipid Membranes Formation at a Gel Electrode and Transport of Divalent Cations across them

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Navrátil, Tomáš; Šestáková, Ivana; Mareček, Vladimír

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 6, č. 1 (2011), s. 6032-6046 ISSN 1452-3981 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA400400806; GA ČR GAP206/11/1638 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40400503 Keywords : gel * agar * phospholipids Subject RIV: CG - Electrochemistry Impact factor: 3.729, year: 2011 http://www.electrochemsci.org/list11.htm

  17. Relationship between oxidizable fatty acid content and level of antioxidant glutathione peroxidases in marine fish

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grim, Jeffrey M.; Hyndman, Kelly A.; Kriska, Tamas; Girotti, Albert W.; Crockett, Elizabeth L.

    2011-01-01

    SUMMARY Biological membranes can be protected from lipid peroxidation by antioxidant enzymes including catalase (CAT) and selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidases 1 and 4 (GPx1 and GPx4). Unlike GPx1, GPx4 can directly detoxify lipid hydroperoxides in membranes without prior action of phospholipase A2. We hypothesized that (1) GPx4 is enhanced in species that contain elevated levels of highly oxidizable polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and (2) activities of antioxidant enzymes are prioritized to meet species-specific oxidative stresses. In this study we examined (i) activities of the oxidative enzyme citrate synthase (CS) and antioxidant (CAT, GPx1 and GPx4) enzymes, (ii) GPx4 protein expression, and (iii) phospholipid composition in livers of five species of marine fish (Myxine glutinosa, Petromyzon marinus, Squalus acanthias, Fundulus heteroclitus and Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus) that contain a range of PUFA. GPx4 activity was, on average, 5.8 times higher in F. heteroclitus and S. acanthias than in the other three marine fish species sampled. Similarly, activities of CAT and GPx1 were highest in S. acanthias and F. heteroclitus, respectively. GPx4 activity for all species correlates with membrane unsaturation, as well as oxidative activity as indicated by CS. These data support our hypothesis that GPx4 level in marine fish is a function, at least in part, of high PUFA content in these animals. GPx1 activity was also correlated with membrane unsaturation, indicating that marine species partition resources among glutathione-dependent defenses for protection from the initial oxidative insult (e.g. H2O2) and to repair damaged lipids within biological membranes. PMID:22031739

  18. Desipramine induces disorder in cholesterol-rich membranes: implications for viral trafficking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pakkanen, Kirsi; Salonen, Emppu; Mäkelä, Anna R.; Oker-Blom, Christian; Vattulainen, Ilpo; Vuento, Matti

    2009-12-01

    In this study, the effect of desipramine (DMI) on phospholipid bilayers and parvoviral entry was elucidated. In atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, DMI was found to introduce disorder in cholesterol-rich phospholipid bilayers. This was manifested by a decrease in the deuterium order parameter SCD as well as an increase in the membrane area. Disordering of the membrane suggested DMI to destabilize cholesterol-rich membrane domains (rafts) in cellular conditions. To relate the raft disrupting ability of DMI with novel biological relevance, we studied the intracellular effect of DMI using canine parvovirus (CPV), a virus known to interact with endosomal membranes and sphingomyelin, as an intracellular probe. DMI was found to cause retention of the virus in intracellular vesicular structures leading to the inhibition of viral proliferation. This implies that DMI has a deleterious effect on the viral traffic. As recycling endosomes and the internal vesicles of multivesicular bodies are known to contain raft components, the effect of desipramine beyond the plasma membrane step could be caused by raft disruption leading to impaired endosomal function and possibly have direct influence on the penetration of the virus through an endosomal membrane.

  19. Desipramine induces disorder in cholesterol-rich membranes: implications for viral trafficking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pakkanen, Kirsi; Mäkelä, Anna R; Oker-Blom, Christian; Vuento, Matti; Salonen, Emppu; Vattulainen, Ilpo

    2009-01-01

    In this study, the effect of desipramine (DMI) on phospholipid bilayers and parvoviral entry was elucidated. In atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, DMI was found to introduce disorder in cholesterol-rich phospholipid bilayers. This was manifested by a decrease in the deuterium order parameter S CD as well as an increase in the membrane area. Disordering of the membrane suggested DMI to destabilize cholesterol-rich membrane domains (rafts) in cellular conditions. To relate the raft disrupting ability of DMI with novel biological relevance, we studied the intracellular effect of DMI using canine parvovirus (CPV), a virus known to interact with endosomal membranes and sphingomyelin, as an intracellular probe. DMI was found to cause retention of the virus in intracellular vesicular structures leading to the inhibition of viral proliferation. This implies that DMI has a deleterious effect on the viral traffic. As recycling endosomes and the internal vesicles of multivesicular bodies are known to contain raft components, the effect of desipramine beyond the plasma membrane step could be caused by raft disruption leading to impaired endosomal function and possibly have direct influence on the penetration of the virus through an endosomal membrane

  20. Porphyrin-phospholipid interaction and ring metallation depending on the phospholipid polar head type.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramos, Ana P; Pavani, Christiane; Iamamoto, Yassuko; Zaniquelli, Maria E D

    2010-10-01

    The interaction between a hydrophobically modified 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-N-tetradecyl-pyridyl) porphyrin and three phospholipids: two negatively charged, DMPA (the sodium salt of dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-phosphatidyl acid) and DMPG (the sodium salt of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)]) and a zwitterionic DMPC (dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-phosphatidylcholine), were studied by means of surface pressure isotherms and spectroscopic methods. The interaction results in partial or total metallation of the porphyrin with zinc ions in the presence of negatively charged phospholipids, as attested by UV-vis and luminescence spectroscopy of the transferred films. In the presence of the zwitterionic phospholipid no insertion of zinc ion in the porphyrin ring is detected. These results are relevant for the understanding of photosensitizer-lipid-carrier binding for use in photodynamic therapy. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.