Composition-driven surface domain structuring mediated by sphingolipids and membrane-active proteins. Above the Nano- but under the Micro-scale: Mesoscopic Biochemical/Structural Cross-talk in Biomembranes

?. B. MAGGIO, G. A. BORIOLI, M. DEL BOCA, L. DE TULLIO, M. L. FANANI, R. G. OLIVEIRA, C. M. ROSETTI Y N. WILKE

CELL BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS

Humana Press Inc.

Año: 2008 vol. 50 p. 79 - 109

1085-9195

Biomembrane surfaces contain a wide variety of lipids and proteins within an essentially two-dimensional structure. The coexistence of  such a large number of molecular species causes inevitable development of local tensions that frequently relax into phase or compositional immiscibility along the lateral and transverse planes of the interface. As a consequence, a substantial microheterogeneity of the surface topography develops that depends not only on the lipid-protein composition but also on the lateral and transverse tensions generated as a consequence of molecular interactions. The presence of proteins, and immiscibility among lipids, constitute major perturbing factors for the membrane sculpturing both in terms of its surface topography and dynamics. In this work we will summarize some recent evidences for the involvement of membrane-associated, extrinsic and amphitropic, proteins as well as membrane-active phosphohydrolytic enzymes in driving lateral segregation of phase domains and determining long-range surface topography.