We used positively charged lipids to prepare lipid bilayer assemblies (LBAs) upon which we assembled negatively charged gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Treatment of the assembly with zirconium chloride resulted in the formation of nanorings of the diameters inversely related to the zirconium ion concentration. The nanorings were attributed to the zirconium ion coordinated AuNPs formed during the lipid bilayer budding process promoted by the acid effect of zirconium chloride. Nanoring organization was also dependent on the fluidity of lipid bilayers, an indication of LBA-assisted nanomaterials organization. We suggest that such bioorganic-inorganic hybrid assemblies coupled to unique topological and morphological variations might be useful as stimuli-responsive sensors or storage compartments for proteins or drugs.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/la2014754 | DOI Listing |
Biochemistry
January 2025
BHF Centre of Research Excellence, School of Medicine and Life Sciences, King's College London, London SE1 9NH, United Kingdom.
Transmembrane glucose transport, facilitated by glucose transporters (GLUTs), is commonly understood through the simple mobile carrier model (SMCM), which suggests that the central binding site alternates exposure between the inside and outside of the cell, facilitating glucose exchange. An alternative "multisite model" posits that glucose transport is a stochastic diffusion process between ligand-operated gates within the transporter's central channel. This study aims to test these models by conducting atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of multiple glucose molecules docked along the central cleft of GLUT1 at temperatures both above and below the lipid bilayer melting point.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Chem Phys
January 2025
School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom.
Membrane properties are determined in part by lipid composition, and cholesterol plays a large role in determining these properties. Cellular membranes show a diverse range of cholesterol compositions, the effects of which include alterations to cellular biomechanics, lipid raft formation, membrane fusion, signaling pathways, metabolism, pharmaceutical therapeutic efficacy, and disease onset. In addition, cholesterol plays an important role in non-cellular membranes, with its concentration in the skin lipid matrix being implicated in several skin diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Appl Crystallogr
January 2024
NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA.
Neutron reflectometry (NR) is a powerful technique for interrogating the structure of thin films at interfaces. Because NR measurements are slow and instrument availability is limited, measurement efficiency is paramount. One approach to improving measurement efficiency is active learning (AL), in which the next measurement configurations are selected on the basis of information gained from the partial data collected so far.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLangmuir
January 2025
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States.
We demonstrate, using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, that lipid membrane capacitance varies with surface charge accumulation linked to membrane shape and curvature changes. Specifically, we show that lipid membranes exhibit a hysteretic response when exposed to oscillatory electric fields. The electromechanical coupling in these membranes leads to hysteretic buckling, in which the membrane can spontaneously buckle in one of two distinct directions along the electric field, even for the same ionic charge accumulation at the water-membrane interface.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
February 2025
Department of Microbiology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115.
The cytoplasmic membrane of bacteria is composed of a phospholipid bilayer made up of a diverse set of lipids. Phosphatidylglycerol (PG) is one of the principal constituents and its production is essential for growth in many bacteria. All the enzymes required for PG biogenesis in have been identified and characterized decades ago.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!