Configurational Entropy-Enabled Thermostability of Cell Membranes in Extremophiles: From Molecular Mechanism to Bioinspired Design.
Nano Lett
; 23(3): 1109-1118, 2023 02 08.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36716197
ABSTRACT
Understanding physicochemical interactions and mechanisms related to the cell membranes of lives under extreme conditions is of essential importance but remains scarcely explored. Here, using a combination of computer simulations and experiments, we demonstrate that the structural integrity and controllable permeability of cell membranes at high temperatures are predominantly directed by configurational entropy emerging from distorted intermolecular organization of bipolar tethered lipids peculiar to the extremophiles. Detailed simulations across multiple scalesâfrom an all-atom exploration of molecular mechanism to a mesoscale examination of its universal natureâsuggest that this configurational entropy effect can be generalized to diverse systems, such as block copolymers. This offers biomimetic inspiration for designing heat-tolerant materials based on entropy, as validated by our experiments of synthetic polymers. The findings provide new insight into the basic nature of the mechanism underlying the adaptation of organisms to extreme conditions and might open paths for designed materials inspired by entropic effects in biological systems.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Extremófilos
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Nano Lett
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
China