Cell membranes appear as two-dimensional lipid aggregates assembled in bilayers, populated by transmembrane proteins, whose diffusion gives rise to condensed microdomains surrounded by disordered lipid molecules. These denser and thicker zones, i.e. the lipid rafts, are known to be the major communication hubs for cells. Indeed, it has been shown that most of the active signaling proteins (e.g. GPCRs) prefer to cluster on these regions. Such co-localization allows for magnifying the biochemical trafficking of substances from the cytosol to the ECM and vice versa, therefore suggesting that lipid rafts can regulate several membrane-mediated processes. These occur by means of conformational changes of some of the transmembrane protein domains triggered through ligand-binding to chemically affine external agent. From a material standpoint, the bilayer is assumed as a quasi-fluid deformable surface accounting for solid-liquid-like transitions in a system where in-plane fluidity and elasticity simultaneously emerge. In this regard, lipid rafts contribute to membrane heterogeneity by exhibiting higher stiffness and viscosity and by locally altering the bilayer dynamics as well as proteins activity. In particular, the confining work performed to modulate transmembrane protein movements by the surrounding lipids is strongly connected to the deformation of the bilayer and the interspecific kinetics of the involved protein species. Signaling and the associated intra-cellular processes result to be affected by the competition between membrane stress and chemical potentials, determining remodeling, alteration in diffusive walkways and coalescence phenomena. In particular, these last aspects are strongly characterized by the interaction among the above-mentioned GPCRs with the transporters MRPs, that are known to translocate various substances across membranes including the secondary messenger cAMP. Actually, this secondary messenger is produced in the intracellular space in response to receptors activation and so its variation in concentration is a measure of the expression of G-receptors and of transporters. Therefore, the activity of MRPs directly influence on the one of GPCRs that thus induce different membrane reconfiguration and remodeling. Within this context, Finite Element Analyses (FEA) have been carried out on a novel two-dimensional continuum model based on the mechanisms highlighted above. In this way to effectively observe how the mutual interaction of the species involved influence on membrane activity and on the behavior of the bilayer, as a consequence. This may be beneficial for studying alterations of normal cell pathways and gene expression, enabling the comprehension of the mechanisms behind cellular membrane alteration and remodeling.

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Chemo-Mechanical Modeling of G-Proteins Activation-Induced Remodeling of Lipidic Membranes

  • Chiara Bernard,
  • Angelo Rosario Carotenuto,
  • Nicola Maria Pugno,
  • Luca Deseri,
  • Massimiliano Fraldi

摘要

Cell membranes appear as two-dimensional lipid aggregates assembled in bilayers, populated by transmembrane proteins, whose diffusion gives rise to condensed microdomains surrounded by disordered lipid molecules. These denser and thicker zones, i.e. the lipid rafts, are known to be the major communication hubs for cells. Indeed, it has been shown that most of the active signaling proteins (e.g. GPCRs) prefer to cluster on these regions. Such co-localization allows for magnifying the biochemical trafficking of substances from the cytosol to the ECM and vice versa, therefore suggesting that lipid rafts can regulate several membrane-mediated processes. These occur by means of conformational changes of some of the transmembrane protein domains triggered through ligand-binding to chemically affine external agent. From a material standpoint, the bilayer is assumed as a quasi-fluid deformable surface accounting for solid-liquid-like transitions in a system where in-plane fluidity and elasticity simultaneously emerge. In this regard, lipid rafts contribute to membrane heterogeneity by exhibiting higher stiffness and viscosity and by locally altering the bilayer dynamics as well as proteins activity. In particular, the confining work performed to modulate transmembrane protein movements by the surrounding lipids is strongly connected to the deformation of the bilayer and the interspecific kinetics of the involved protein species. Signaling and the associated intra-cellular processes result to be affected by the competition between membrane stress and chemical potentials, determining remodeling, alteration in diffusive walkways and coalescence phenomena. In particular, these last aspects are strongly characterized by the interaction among the above-mentioned GPCRs with the transporters MRPs, that are known to translocate various substances across membranes including the secondary messenger cAMP. Actually, this secondary messenger is produced in the intracellular space in response to receptors activation and so its variation in concentration is a measure of the expression of G-receptors and of transporters. Therefore, the activity of MRPs directly influence on the one of GPCRs that thus induce different membrane reconfiguration and remodeling. Within this context, Finite Element Analyses (FEA) have been carried out on a novel two-dimensional continuum model based on the mechanisms highlighted above. In this way to effectively observe how the mutual interaction of the species involved influence on membrane activity and on the behavior of the bilayer, as a consequence. This may be beneficial for studying alterations of normal cell pathways and gene expression, enabling the comprehension of the mechanisms behind cellular membrane alteration and remodeling.