Transcript Slide 1

‘40s
‘70s
‘50s
Membrane Rafts
Membrane Microdomains
Raft is a specific type of microdomain – sphingolipid/cholesterol rich region
“Separation of discrete liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered phase
domains occurring with sufficient amounts of cholesterol”
Microdomain formation is believed to be involved in following
cellular processes:
•Cell sorting
•Signal transduction
•Endocytosis
•Calcium homeostasis
•And others
Rafts: liquid ordered domain – lipids are fluid in that they have a high degree
of lateral diffusion, but the acyl chains are closed packed and ordered.
Glycosphingolipids (particularly sphingolmyelin and glycosylphosphoinositolGPI anchored proteins preferentially partition into rafts.)
The debate: Rafts in model membranes vs Rafts in Biological Membranes
Origin: TritonX 100 insoluble components isolated from biological membranes:
Detergent Resistant Membranes DRM.
Does DRM always equal a “raft”
TritonX100 can solubilize DOPC:chol but
Not DPPC:chol
Sphingomyelin – cholesterol interactions
Sphingomyelin
POPC
December 2005
4 reviews on domain formation in model membranes and physical properties that
underlie raft formation
2 reviews to describe techniques used for studying rafts (FRET) – and
uncertainty for detecting rafts in cell membranes
Raft Function in Cells:
4 on signal transduction(IgE receptor signaling, Growth factors, Ras signaling)
Ceremide Raft function in apoptotic signaling
3 reviews on raft involvement in Endocytosis (mammalian viruses, bacterial
infections, bacterial toxins)
2 reviews of caveloae
Membrane raft Organization
DRMs detergent resistant membranes
DIGs detergent insoluble glycolipidenriched membranes
GEMs glycolipid enriched membranes
TIFFs Triton insoluble membranes
Raft is more generic as the microdomain
can be “caused” by protein association,
not just physical properties of the lipids
themselves
Rafts may or may not contain
caveolin
Caveolin1, caveolin2,
caveolin 3, hemagglutinin
and GPI anchored proteins
serve as markers for raft
formation
A: liquid domains enriched in
cholesterol and sphingolipids – large
scale > 50 nm
B: lipid shells, small dynamic,
regulated processes
C: mosaic of domains, maybe
regulated by cholesterol-based
mechanism
D: small dynamic multimeric lipid
assemblies, dynamic and transient
Protein sorting
Melittin: 26 aa cationic bee venom: channels
Role of structural and mechanical
properties of bilayers on peptidelipid partitioning
1:1:1 mixture of DOPC:SPM:CHOL, the detergent insoluble fraction has a
thickness that is 9Å greater than that of the DSM
Role of Bilayer thickness in protein-lipid interactions: possible role in
sorting of proteins via hydrophobic mismatch of the transmembrane
domain (TMD).
Hydrophobic mismatch: if there is a
mismatch between the length of the TMD
and the hydrocarbon thickness, then the
bilayer would need to deform to prevent
exposure of the hydrophobic amino acids
to water. This would be energetically
unfavorable. So, if the protein can “move”
to a “raft” of different thickness, there
would be a driving force for such
partitioning.
Bio significance: in GOLGI, proteins with short TMDs reside in
non raft regions, whereas proteins with longer TMDs reside in
raft regions destined to the plasma membrane (rich in
cholesterol and SPM). Length of TMD has been indicated to
be an important factor in controlling protein trafficing.
Experimental studies of peptide sorting by length
Thermal kT = 0.6 kcal/mol at 37oC.
Big Question: We can see rafts in Model Membranes (GUVs or
Supported Lipid Bilayers, LM), but how to study in cells? Do rafts
really exist in cells? Are they static large structures? Are they small
transient structures?
FRET and FRET based Microscopy Techniques
FRET fluorescence resonance
energy transfer