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Thermodynamic and Morphological Properties of Ceramide-1-phosphate Model Monolayer Systems

Alexandra Hill

出版	Kent State University, 2010
URL	http://books.google.com.hk/books?id=fi2pAQAACAAJ&hl=&source=gbs_api

註釋

For years, it was thought that sphingolipids were only structural elements in the plasma membrane found in cells but it has recently been found that sphingolipids are active participants in many different cell processes. Lipid rafts, a type of domain, are enriched with sphingolipids and cholesterol. Lipid rafts are important in the mechanisms of disease because their specific physical properties allow for more efficient facilitation of certain cell signaling processes to occur. An important sphingolipid is ceramide-1-phosphate (Cer-1-P), which is an inhibitor of the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway and induces cell proliferation. Beyond proliferation, the binding of Ca2+ to the phosphate headgroup of Cer-1-P is vital to facilitating inflammatory responses and Ca2+ likely plays an important role in phase properties of Cer-1-P. The mechanisms of how Cer-1-P controls different processes are currently being researched, but more information is needed about its phase behavior in model membranes with cholesterol and Ca2+. My experiments centered on investigating the monolayer morphology and phase behavior of Cer-1-P with these two constituents. My findings show that Ca2+ strongly affects the Cer-1-P monolayer phase behavior and morphology by inducing the formation of solid phase Cer-1-P domains. Furthermore, the phase behavior of Cer-1-P is also greatly affected by the presence or absence of Ca2+. Finally, my results demonstrate that cholesterol transforms expanded Cer-1-P phases to more condensed phases.