Line Activity of Ganglioside GM1 Regulates the Raft Size Distribution in a Cholesterol-Dependent Manner.

Liquid-ordered lipid domains, also called rafts, are assumed to be important players in different cellular processes, mainly signal transduction and membrane trafficking. They are thicker than the disordered part of the membrane and are thought to form to compensate for the hydrophobic mismatch between transmembrane proteins and the lipid environment. Despite the existence of such structures in vivo still being an open question, they are observed in model systems of multicomponent lipid bilayers. Moreover, the predictions obtained from model experiments allow the explanation of different physiological processes possibly involving rafts. Here we present the results of the study of the regulation of raft size distribution by ganglioside GM1. Combining atomic force microscopy with theoretical considerations based on the theory of membrane elasticity, we predict that this glycolipid should change the line tension of raft boundaries in two different ways, mainly depending on the cholesterol content. These results explain the shedding of gangliosides from the surface of tumor cells and the following ganglioside-induced apoptosis of T-lymphocytes in a raft-dependent manner. Moreover, the generality of the model allows the prediction of the line activity of different membrane components based on their molecular geometry.

pH-Dependent Formation and Disintegration of the Influenza A Virus Protein Scaffold To Provide Tension for Membrane Fusion.

UNLABELLED: Influenza virus is taken up from a pH-neutral extracellular milieu into an endosome, whose contents then acidify, causing changes in the viral matrix protein (M1) that coats the inner monolayer of the viral lipid envelope. At a pH of ~6, M1 interacts with the viral ribonucleoprotein (RNP) in a putative priming stage; at this stage, the interactions of the M1 scaffold coating the lipid envelope are intact. The M1 coat disintegrates as acidification continues to a pH of ~5 to clear a physical path for the viral genome to transit from the viral interior to the cytoplasm. Here we investigated the physicochemical mechanism of M1's pH-dependent disintegration. In neutral media, the adsorption of M1 protein on the lipid bilayer was electrostatic in nature and reversible. The energy of the interaction of M1 molecules with each other in M1 dimers was about 10 times as weak as that of the interaction of M1 molecules with the lipid bilayer. Acidification drives conformational changes in M1 molecules due to changes in the M1 charge, leading to alterations in their electrostatic interactions. Dropping the pH from 7.1 to 6.0 did not disturb the M1 layer; dropping it lower partially desorbed M1 because of increased repulsion between M1 monomers still stuck to the membrane. Lipid vesicles coated with M1 demonstrated pH-dependent rupture of the vesicle membrane, presumably because of the tension generated by this repulsive force. Thus, the disruption of the vesicles coincident with M1 protein scaffold disintegration at pH 5 likely stretches the lipid membrane to the point of rupture, promoting fusion pore widening for RNP release. IMPORTANCE: Influenza remains a top killer of human beings throughout the world, in part because of the influenza virus's rapid binding to cells and its uptake into compartments hidden from the immune system. To attack the influenza virus during this time of hiding, we need to understand the physical forces that allow the internalized virus to infect the cell. In particular, we need to know how the protective coat of protein inside the viral surface reacts to the changes in acid that come soon after internalization. We found that acid makes the molecules of the protein coat push each other while they are still stuck to the virus, so that they would like to rip the membrane apart. This ripping force is known to promote membrane fusion, the process by which infection actually occurs.

[Role of DNA repair genes in radiation-induced changes of lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster].

One of the main effects of various stress factors, including ionizing radiation, is DNA damage. Accumulation of DNA damage and somatic mutations in the somatic tissues is regarded as one of the basic mechanisms of aging. We have developed an approach to the study of molecular and genetic mechanisms of radioadaptation, which is based on the analysis of changes in the lifespan of Drosophila with a transformed genotype. In this study we investigated the radioadaptive response and hormesis by radiation-induced changed of the lifespan of different strains of Drosophila melanogaster, such as a wild type strain Canton-Sand strains with mutations in DNA damage response gene (homologue of GADD45), excision repair genes (homologues of XPF, XPC, PCNA) and double-strand breaks repair genes (homologues of RAD54, XRCC3, BLM). The exposure to irradiation at the dose rate of 40 cGy was performed chronically through the stages of fly development; an acute exposure at the dose rate of 30 Gy was applied to the adult stages of flies. Also, we investigated the resistance to acute gamma-radiation of Drosophila with conditional ubiquitous overexpression of genes that are involved in DNA damage recognition (homologues of GADD45, HUS1, CHK2), excision repair (homologues of XPF, XPC, AP-endonuclease-1) and double-strand break repair (homologues of BRCA2, XRCC3, KU80, WRNexo). In the wild type strain Canton-S, manifestation of the radioadaptive response and radiation hormesis were observed. In individuals with DNA repair gene mutations, no radioadaptive response was observed, or observed to a lesser extent than in wild type flies. Mifepristone--inducible transgene activation does not lead to an increase in resistance to acute irradiation by the parameters of lifespan of Drosophila. Overexpression of DNA repair genes led to a sharp decline in lifespan also in the absence of irradiation.