Role of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the modulation of biological membranes physical properties

VERSTRAETEN SV

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Sources, Antioxidant Properties and Health Benefits

Nova Publishers

Año: 2013; p. 175 - 198

In 1972, Singer and Nicolson proposed the fluid mosaic model to explain the organization of proteins and lipids in biological membranes. According to this model, membranes are physical barriers constituted by lipids arranged in an asymmetric bilayer where certain proteins are immersed. In the subsequent years, this model evolved with the finding that membranes not only are mere barriers, but also they are highly dynamic platforms for a number of cellular events, p. e. signal transduction. Membranes contain over 1,500 different kinds of lipids and lipid composition varies among tissues and even among the different subcellular membranes. A large and still growing number of biophysical studies indicate that the location of proteins in specific areas of the membrane is determined by their lipid composition and dynamics. In addition, lipids in the immediate surroundings of membrane-associated proteins have a key role in the regulation of their functionality. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are well-known precursors of biological-active compounds but also, due to their chemical features, PUFAs are involved in the regulation of membrane rheology. In this chapter the influence of PUFAs on certain membrane biophysical properties will be discussed, making special focus on their participation in the maintenance of membrane fluidity and the generation of specialized lipid domains. The relationship between the modulation of membrane properties and the functionality of certain membrane-associated proteins and signaling events will be also discussed.