Poster: Disrafting effect of new sterol derivatives

CARRER, D. C.; SCHMIDT A.; KNÖLKER H.-J.; SCHWILLE, P.

Dresden

Congreso; ELSO Conference; 2007

ELSO

A wide range of cellular functions are thought to be regulated not only by the activity of membrane proteins, butalso by the local membrane organization, including domains of specific lipid composition. Thus, molecules and drugstargeting and disrupting this lipid pattern, particularly of the plasma membrane, will not only help to investigate therole of membrane domains in cell biology, but might also be interesting candidates for therapy. We have identifiedthree 4-substituted cholesterol derivatives that are able to induce a domain-disrupting effect in model membranes.When applied to giant unilamellar vesicles displaying liquid-ordered-liquid-disordered phase coexistence, extensivereorganization of the membrane can be observed, such as the budding of membrane tubules or changes in the geometryof the domains, to the point of complete abolition of phase separation. In this case, the resulting membranes displaya fluidity intermediate between those of liquid-disordered and liquid-ordered phases.