Perforation of the outer mitochondrial membrane triggered by BAX and facilitated by its main activator cBID is a fundamental process in cell apoptosis. Here, we employ a newly designed correlative approach based on a combination of a fluorescence cross correlation binding with a calcein permeabilization assay to understand the involvement of BAX in pore formation under oxidative stress conditions. To mimic the oxidative stress, we enriched liposomal membranes by phosphatidylcholines with truncated sn-2 acyl chains terminated by a carboxyl or aldehyde moiety. Our observations revealed that oxidative stress enhances proapoptotic conditions involving accelerated pore-opening kinetics. This enhancement is achieved through increased recruitment of BAX to the membrane and facilitation of BAX membrane insertion. Despite these effects, the fundamental mechanism of pore formation remained unchanged, suggesting an all-or-none mechanism. In line with this mechanism, we demonstrated that the minimal number of BAX molecules at the membrane necessary for pore formation remains constant regardless of BAX activation by cBID or the presence of oxidized lipids. Overall, our findings give a comprehensive picture of the molecular mechanisms underlying apoptotic pore formation and highlight the selective amplifying role of oxidized lipids in triggering formation of membrane pores.

• MeSH
• apoptóza MeSH
• fluoresceiny chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• fosfatidylcholiny chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• liposomy chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• mitochondriální membrány metabolismus   MeSH
• oxidační stres * MeSH
• poréznost MeSH
• protein X asociovaný s bcl-2 * metabolismus   chemie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• fluoresceiny MeSH
• fluorexon MeSH Prohlížeč
• fosfatidylcholiny MeSH
• liposomy MeSH
• protein X asociovaný s bcl-2 * MeSH

Products of lipid peroxidation induce detrimental structural changes in cell membranes, such as the formation of water pores, which occur in the presence of lipids with partially oxidized chains. However, the influence of another class of products, dicarboxylic acids, is still unclear. These products have greater mobility in the lipid bilayer, which enables their aggregation and the formation of favorable sites for the appearance of pores. Therefore, dodecanedioic acid (DDA) was selected as a model product. Additionally, the influence of several structurally different flavonoids on DDA aggregation via formation of hydrogen bonds with carboxyl groups was investigated. The molecular dynamics of DDA in DOPC lipid bilayer revealed the formation of aggregates extending over the hydrophobic region of the bilayer and increasing its polarity. Consequently, water penetration and the appearance of water wires was observed, representing a new step in the mechanism of pore formation. Furthermore, DDA molecules were found to interact with lipid polar groups, causing them to be buried in the bilayer. The addition of flavonoids to the system disrupted aggregate formation, resulting in the displacement of DDA molecules from the center of the bilayer. The placement of DDA and flavonoids in the lipid bilayer was confirmed by small-angle X-ray scattering. Atomic force microscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance were used to characterize the structural properties. The presence of DDA increased bilayer roughness and decreased the ordering of lipid chains, confirming its detrimental effects on the membrane surface, while flavonoids were found to reduce or reverse these changes.

• Klíčová slova
• antioxidant, dicarboxylic acid, flavone, flavonol, lipid/peroxidation, oxidized lipid, phospholipid/phosphatidylcholine, physical biochemistry,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

The organization of biomolecules and bioassemblies is highly governed by the nature and extent of their interactions with water. These interactions are of high intricacy and a broad range of methods based on various principles have been introduced to characterize them. As these methods view the hydration phenomena differently (e.g., in terms of time and length scales), a detailed insight in each particular technique is to promote the overall understanding of the stunning "hydration world." In this prospective mini-review we therefore critically examine time-dependent fluorescence shift (TDFS)-an experimental method with a high potential for studying the hydration in the biological systems. We demonstrate that TDFS is very useful especially for phospholipid bilayers for mapping the interfacial region formed by the hydrated lipid headgroups. TDFS, when properly applied, reports on the degree of hydration and mobility of the hydrated phospholipid segments in the close vicinity of the fluorophore embedded in the bilayer. Here, the interpretation of the recorded TDFS parameters are thoroughly discussed, also in the context of the findings obtained by other experimental techniques addressing the hydration phenomena (e.g., molecular dynamics simulations, NMR spectroscopy, scattering techniques, etc.). The differences in the interpretations of TDFS outputs between phospholipid biomembranes and proteins are also addressed. Additionally, prerequisites for the successful TDFS application are presented (i.e., the proper choice of fluorescence dye for TDFS studies, and TDFS instrumentation). Finally, the effects of ions and oxidized phospholipids on the bilayer organization and headgroup packing viewed from TDFS perspective are presented as application examples.

• Klíčová slova
• biomembranes, calcium, cholesterol, hydration, lipid headgroups, membrane dynamics, oxidized phosholipids, time-dependent fluorescence shift,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

Biological membranes are tricky to investigate. They are complex in terms of molecular composition and structure, functional over a wide range of time scales, and characterized by nonequilibrium conditions. Because of all of these features, simulations are a great technique to study biomembrane behavior. A significant part of the functional processes in biological membranes takes place at the molecular level; thus computer simulations are the method of choice to explore how their properties emerge from specific molecular features and how the interplay among the numerous molecules gives rise to function over spatial and time scales larger than the molecular ones. In this review, we focus on this broad theme. We discuss the current state-of-the-art of biomembrane simulations that, until now, have largely focused on a rather narrow picture of the complexity of the membranes. Given this, we also discuss the challenges that we should unravel in the foreseeable future. Numerous features such as the actin-cytoskeleton network, the glycocalyx network, and nonequilibrium transport under ATP-driven conditions have so far received very little attention; however, the potential of simulations to solve them would be exceptionally high. A major milestone for this research would be that one day we could say that computer simulations genuinely research biological membranes, not just lipid bilayers.

• MeSH
• biologické modely * MeSH
• fosfolipidy chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• kyseliny karboxylové chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• lipidomika metody   MeSH
• membránové lipidy chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• membrány chemie   metabolismus   fyziologie   MeSH
• počítačová simulace MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• fosfolipidy MeSH
• kyseliny karboxylové MeSH
• membránové lipidy MeSH

In an effort to delineate how cholesterol protects membrane structure under oxidative stress conditions, we monitored the changes to the structure of lipid bilayers comprising 30 mol% cholesterol and an increasing concentration of Class B oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC) glycerophospholipids, namely, 1-palmitoyl-2-(9'-oxo-nonanoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PoxnoPC), and 1-palmitoyl-2-azelaoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PazePC), using atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Increasing the content of oxidized phospholipids (oxPLs) from 0 to 60 mol% oxPL resulted in a characteristic reduction in bilayer thickness and increase in area per lipid, thereby increasing the exposure of the membrane hydrophobic region to water. However, cholesterol was observed to help reduce water injury by moving into the bilayer core and forming more hydrogen bonds with the oxPLs. Cholesterol also resists altering its tilt angle, helping to maintain membrane integrity. Water that enters the 1-nm-thick core region remains part of the bulk water on either side of the bilayer, with relatively few water molecules able to traverse through the bilayer. In cholesterol-rich membranes, the bilayer does not form pores at concentrations of 60 mol% oxPL as was shown in previous simulations in the absence of cholesterol.

• Klíčová slova
• Cholesterol protection, Lipid oxidation, Oxidative stress, Oxidized membranes, Pore formation,
• MeSH
• cholesterol chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• fosfatidylcholiny chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• fosfolipidy chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• fosforylcholin analogy a deriváty   chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• lipidové dvojvrstvy chemie   metabolismus   MeSH
• oxidace-redukce MeSH
• oxidační stres MeSH
• simulace molekulární dynamiky MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• 1-palmitoyl-2-azelaoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine MeSH Prohlížeč
• 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine MeSH Prohlížeč
• cholesterol MeSH
• fosfatidylcholiny MeSH
• fosfolipidy MeSH
• fosforylcholin MeSH
• lipidové dvojvrstvy MeSH