Effect of lipid composition on rat liver nuclear membrane fluidity

Nuclear membrane fluidity is measured in rat liver by use of the fluorescence anisotropy of two probes: diphenylhexatriene and its cationic derivative trimethylammonium-diphenylhexatriene. It has been shown that, in 2-month-old rat liver cells, the bilayer surface is less fluid than the hydrophobic core. The fluidity was higher in 6-day-old rat liver nuclei, in which both the amount of cholesterol and the cholesterol/phospholipid ratio decreased. The influence of the single phospholipids, and in particular of phosphatidylcholine, has been studied by increasing the phosphatidylcholine with a choline base exchange reaction in isolated nuclear membranes. After this reaction, the fluorescence anisotropy of the bilayer surface increased, whereas at the hydrophobic core it decreased. Analysis of fatty acid composition shows an increase of phosphatidylcholine unsaturated fatty acids. The results show that the fluidity of nuclear membranes changes in relation to the lipid content and to the fatty acid composition. The role of nuclear membrane fluidity in cell function is discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Change of synaptic membrane lipid composition and fluidity by chronic administration of lithium

The effect of chronic administration of lithium salts on the lipid composition and physical properties of the synaptosomal plasma membrane was examined in rat brain. The effect of lithium treatment has been studied on the fluorescence polarization of synaptosomal plasma membrane and artificial lipid vesicles and on the lipid composition of the membranes. Fluorescence polarization of lipophilic probes was used to study membrane lipid structure. Steady-state polarization of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH), a probe of the hydrophobic core, was significantly lower in plasma membranes from lithium-treated animals. Altered DPH polarization was due to a decrease in the order parameter of the probe. The lithium-treatment also changed the fluorescence of 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS), a probe that binds to the polar head group of the phospholipids and to proteins on the membrane surface. Synaptic plasma membranes from treated rats presented no significant changes on the cholesterol-to-phospholipid ratio, although the phospholipid class distribution was altered and the membrane phospholipid unsaturation increased. In summary, the neural plasma membranes became disorder after chronic lithium administration at therapeutic levels. This structural change may be due to changes in plasma membrane phospholipid distribution and to the degree of unsaturation of phospholipid fatty acids.     

Developmental changes in synaptic membrane lipid composition and fluidity

Synaptic membrane enriched fractions were prepared from 7 and 14 day and adult cortical nerve endings. (a) The levels of synaptic membrane phosphatidylcholine decrease 19% during development while the levels of ethanolamine phosphoglycerides increase 21%. (b) On day 7, desmosterol accounts for 33% of the total membrane sterols. With maturity, the desmosterol disappears and the molar sterol/lipid P ratio increases 56%. (c) The fatty acid composition of the membranes change during development. 16:0 decreases 36% while 18:1 increases 49%. 16:1, a minor component of adult membranes, is found in significant quantities in pup membranes. 22:6 (n-3) increases 34% during development while 22:5 (n-6) decreases 59%. (d) The microviscosity of synaptic membranes, as measured by the fluorescence depolarization technique, increases during development. This effect is observed in both intact membranes and bilayers prepared from lipid extracts of the membrane.     

The lipid fluidity of rat liver membrane subfractions

1. The lipid fluidity of three major rat liver plasma-membrane subfractions, as well as Golgi apparatus and endocytic fractions, was assessed with a fatty acid spin probe by using e.s.r. techniques. 2. The sinusoidal (blood-facing) plasma-membrane subfraction was the most fluid of the three plasma-membrane regions. Fractions originating from the bile-canalicular and contiguous (lateral) regions were most rigid. Endocytic fractions isolated (endosomes and diacytosomes) were of a similar fluidity to fractions originating from the sinusoidal plasma-membrane region. By far the most fluid fractions examined were derived from the Golgi-apparatus complex. 3. The three plasma-membrane subfractions each showed a different response to the bilayer-fluidizing effect of benzyl alcohol. 4. Arrhenius-type plots of the order parameter S and outer hyperfine splitting, 2T, identified lipid-phase separations in the plasma-membrane subfractions.     

Hypochlorous acid damages erythrocyte membrane proteins and alters lipid bilayer structure and fluidity

Treatment of human erythrocyte membranes with active forms of chlorine (hypochlorous acid and chloramine T) resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of the membrane Na(+), K(+)- and Mg(2+)-ATPases. Membrane protein thiol group oxidation was consistent with inactivation of enzymes and preceded oxidation of tryptophan residues and chloramine formation. Erythrocyte exposure to hypochlorous acid led to complex changes of cell membrane rigidity and cell morphological transformations: cell swelling, echinocyte formation, and haemolysis. The inhibition of ion pump ATPases of human erythrocyte membranes may be due to direct oxidation of essential residues of enzyme (thiol groups) and structural rearrangement of the membrane.     

Effect of ethanol intake on human erythrocyte membrane fluidity and lipid composition

Erythrocyte membrane fluidity was evaluated in chronic alcoholic patients without any liver alteration, assuming different daily ethanol amounts, and in normal subjects and related to ghost fatty acid and total lipid composition obtained by high resolution gas chromatography. Erythrocyte membrane fluidity was significantly increased in a dose dependent manner in chronic alcoholic patients respect to normal subjects. This real fluidizing effect of ethanol "in vivo" was attributed mainly to a significant increase in the polyunsaturated fatty acids amount in patient ghosts in comparison with control subjects. On the other hand the cholesterol/phospholipid ratio was not significantly affected by chronic ethanol assumption.     

Postnatal maturation of rat intestinal membrane: lipid composition and fluidity.

1. We studied the lipid composition and the fluidity of small intestine brush border membrane (BBM) of rats of different age: 'very young' (5-7 weeks old), 'young' (9 weeks old), 'adult' (30 weeks old) and 'old' (85 weeks old). 2. Fluorescence anisotropy, as assessed by 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene probe (DPH), was increased from very young to adult rats. 3. In agreement with these results the lipid composition in adult animals showed a lower lipid/protein ratio (derived mainly from a lower content of total polar lipids) and an increase of cholesterol esters and sphingomyelin (SM) saturation index. 4. A marked decrease of the order parameter was observed in the 'old' group, accompanied by a decreased cholesterol/phospholipid ratio. 5. The percentage distribution of membrane phospholipids significantly changed during development, but the modifications were not correlated with the anisotropy of DPH.     

Changes in cerebral membrane lipid composition and fluidity during thioacetamide-induced hepatic encephalopathy

Lipids are an essential structural and functional component of cellular membranes. Changes in membrane lipid composition are known to affect the activities of many membrane-associated enzymes, endocytosis, exocytosis, membrane fusion and neurotransmitter uptake, and have been implicated in the pathophysiology of many neurodegenerative disorders. In the present study, we investigated changes in the lipid composition of membranes isolated from the cerebral cortex of rats treated with thioacetamide (TAA), a hepatotoxin that induces fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) and thereon hepatic encephalopathy (HE). HE refers to acute neuropsychiatric changes accompanying FHF. The estimation of membrane phospholipids, cholesterol and fatty acid content in cerebral cortex membranes from TAA-treated rats revealed a decrease in cholesterol, phosphatidylserine, sphingomyelin, a monounsaturated fatty acid, namely oleic acid, and the polyunsaturated fatty acids gamma-linolenic acid, decosa hexanoic acid and arachidonic acid compared with controls. Assessment of membrane fluidity with pyrene, 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene and 1-[4-(trimethylammonio)phenyl]-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene revealed a decrease in the annular membrane fluidity, whereas the global fluidity was unaffected. The level of the thiobarbituric acid reactive species marker for lipid peroxidation also increased in membranes from TAA-treated rats, thereby indicating the prevalence of oxidative stress. Results from the present study demonstrate gross alterations in cerebral cortical membrane lipid composition and fluidity during TAA-induced HE, and their possible implications in the pathogenesis of this condition are also discussed.     

Salt-induced changes in lipid composition and membrane fluidity of halophilic yeast-like melanized fungi

The halophilic melanized yeast-like fungi Hortaea werneckii, Phaeotheca triangularis, and the halotolerant Aureobasidium pullulans, isolated from salterns as their natural environment, were grown at different NaCl concentrations and their membrane lipid composition and fluidity were examined. Among sterols, besides ergosterol, which was the predominant one, 23 additional sterols were identified. Their total content did not change consistently or significantly in response to raised NaCl concentrations in studied melanized fungi. The major phospholipid classes were phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, followed by anionic phospholipids. The most abundant fatty acids in phospholipids contained C₁₆ and C₁₈ chain lengths with a high percentage of C18:2^9,12. Salt stress caused an increase in the fatty acid unsaturation in the halophilic H. werneckii and halotolerant A. pullulans but a slight decrease in halophilic P. triangularis. All the halophilic fungi maintained their sterol-to-phospholipid ratio at a significantly lower level than did the salt-sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae and halotolerant A. pullulans. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy measurements showed that the membranes of all halophilic fungi were more fluid than those of the halotolerant A. pullulans and salt-sensitive S. cerevisiae, which is in good agreement with the lipid composition observed in this study.Communicated by W.D. Grant     

Thyroid hormones control lipid composition and membrane fluidity of skeletal muscle sarcolemma.

Sarcolemma membrane lipid phase of skeletal muscles of hyperthyroid animals was compared to that of control (euthyroid) ones. Hyperthyroidism caused 15% decrease in cholesterol and 70% increase in the phospholipid content of the membrane. This was accompanied by the alterations in proportions between individual phospholipid classes, and was followed by changes in the composition of phospholipid fatty acids. The calculated fatty acid unsaturation index was higher for membrane lipid phase of hyperthyroid animals than of euthyroid ones. Thyroxine-induced alterations in the lipid composition of sarcolemma caused changes in the membrane fluidity and the activity of calmodulin-stimulated (Ca(2+)-Mg(2+)-ATPase. Measurements of the steady-state fluorescence polarization of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene indicated that the lipid phase transition of membrane vesicles occurred at 25.9 degrees C and at 28.9 degrees C for preparations isolated from hyperthyroid and euthyroid rabbits, respectively. Arrhenius plot break-point temperature for CaM-stimulated (Ca(2+)-Mg(2+)-ATPase activity was lower in membrane preparations isolated from hyperthyroid (26.9 degrees C) than from euthyroid ones (30.0 degrees C). Thus, the increase of the membrane fluidity presumably caused that the enzyme was characterized by the lower activation energy value. This phenomenon may be viewed as a supplementary mechanism for activation of the enzyme by thyroid hormones to previously reported elevation of the amount of (Ca(2+)-Mg(2+)-ATPase protein exerted by hyperthyroidism (Famulski et al. (1988) Eur. J. Biochem., 171, 363-368; Famulski and Wrzosek (1988) in The Ion Pumps-Structure, Function and Regulation (Stein, W.D., ed.), pp. 355-360, Alan R. Liss, New York).     

Membrane lipid composition defines membrane protein spectrum

In addition to glycerophospholipids, bacterial membranes often include amino acid-containing acyloxyacyl lipids. The functional implications of these aminolipids are largely unknown. However, a recent study by Stirrup et al. expands our understanding and shows that they are major determinants for membrane properties and the relative abundance of distinct membrane proteins in bacterial membranes.     

Alterations in lipid composition and fluidity of liver plasma membranes in copper-deficient rats

In view of the importance of membrane fluidity on cell functions, the influence of phospholipid acyl groups on membrane fluidity, and the changes in lipid metabolism induced by copper (Cu) deficiency, this study was designed to examine the influence of dietary Cu on the lipid composition and fluidity of liver plasma membranes. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two dietary treatments, namely Cu deficient and Cu adequate. After 8 weeks of treatment, liver plasma membranes were isolated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The lipid fluidity of plasma membranes, as assessed by the intramolecular eximer fluorescence of 1,3-di(1-pyrenyl) propane, was significantly depressed by Cu deficiency. In addition, Cu deficiency significantly reduced the content of arachidonic and palmitoleic acids but increased the docosatetraenoic and docosahexaenoic acids of membrane phospholipids. This alteration in unsaturated phospholipid fatty acid composition, especially the large reduction in arachidonic acid, may have contributed to the depressed membrane fluidity. Furthermore, Cu deficiency also markedly altered the fatty acid composition of the triacylglycerols associated with the plasma membranes. Thus, the lipid composition and fluidity of liver plasma membranes are responsive to the animal's Cu status.     

Calcium alters the acyl chain composition and lipid fluidity of rat hepatocyte plasma membranes in vitro

Calcium ion decreases the lipid fluidity of isolated rat hepatocyte plasma membranes by modulating the activity of membrane enzymes which alter the lipid composition. To explore the mechanism of the effect of the cation, eight fluorophores were used to assess lipid fluidity via estimations of either steady-state fluorescence polarization or excimer fluorescence intensity. The results demonstrate that the reduction in fluidity occurs in the hydrophobic interior of the bilayer and that both the dynamic and static (lipid order) components of fluidity are affected by treatment with calcium. Analysis of the membrane lipids demonstrates that calcium treatment decreases the arachidonic acid content of the polar lipid fraction and, thereby, reduces the double-bond index of the fatty acids. This change in composition, which is expected to reduce the lipid fluidity, may result from activation by calcium of the endogenous hepatocyte plasma membrane phospholipase A2.     

High-fat diet alters protein composition of detergent-resistant membrane microdomains

A high-lipid diet is one of the main risk factors in atherosclerosis and can induce changes in the composition of plasma membrane microdomains. In response, important functions such as vesicle trafficking, protein docking, signaling and receptor recognition are significantly altered. In particular, interactions of heat-shock proteins (Hsps), acting as danger signals, with components of the membrane microdomains can influence signaling pathways and the inflammatory response of cells. Our study focuses on the composition of detergent-resistant membrane (DRM) isolated from ApoE?/? mice fed a standard or high-fat diet with and without fluvastatin treatment versus appropriate controls. Biochemical studies, immunoblotting and liquid chromatography mass spectrometric analysis were performed to investigate whether the structural components (such as caveolin and cavin) of the detergent-resistant microdomains were correlated with the expression and secretion of stress-inducible Hsps (Hsp70 and Hsp90) and AKT phosphorylation in experimental atherosclerosis. ApoE-/? mice challenged with a high-fat diet developed extensive atherosclerotic plaques in lesion-prone areas. DRM harvested from hyperlipidemic animals showed a modified biochemical composition with cholesterol, glycerolipids, caveolin-1 and phospho-AKT being up-regulated, whereas cavin-1 and dynamin were down-regulated. The data also demonstrated the co-fractionation of Hsps with caveolin-1 in isolated DRM, expression being positively correlated with their secretion into blood serum. Statin therapy significantly attenuated the processes induced by the development of atherosclerosis in ApoE?/? mice under a high-fat diet. Thus, high-lipid stress induces profound changes in DRM biochemistry and modifies the cellular response, supporting the systemic inflammatory onset of atherosclerosis.     

Alterations in erythrocyte membrane lipid composition and fluidity in primary lipoprotein lipase deficiency.

Lipid composition of plasma lipoproteins and erythrocyte ghost membranes has been studied in 16 healthy normolipidaemic subjects and in 16 patients affected by primary lipoprotein lipase deficiency, resulting in severe chylomicronaemia and in cholesterol-depleted low-density lipoproteins and high-density lipoproteins. A significant decrease in membrane cholesterol/phospholipid ratio was observed in lipoprotein lipase deficient patients compared to controls (3.27 +/- 0.33 vs. 3.95 +/- 0.50, mean +/- S.D.; P less than 0.0001). There was also an increase in the erythrocyte membrane phosphatidylcholine/sphingomyelin ratio in lipoprotein lipase deficient patients compared to controls (1.53 +/- 0.10 vs. 1.05 +/- 0.13; P less than 0.0001) due to a concurrent increase in phosphatidylcholine and decrease in sphingomyelin relative concentrations in these patients. Erythrocyte ghost membrane fluidity was determined by fluorescence anisotropy and found to be higher in membranes from lipoprotein lipase deficient patients. This increase in membrane fluidity can be attributed in part to changes in membrane cholesterol and phospholipid concentrations in response to abnormal plasma lipoprotein composition.     

Ontogeny of proximal colon basolateral membrane lipid composition and fluidity in the rabbit.

Basolateral membranes from rabbit proximal colon were prepared from isolated colonocytes throughout postnatal maturation, using a modification of published techniques. In suckling (14-20 day) and post-weaning/mature (35-49 day) animals, membranes were purified approx. 10-fold, based upon the enrichment of ouabain-sensitive, sodium-potassium dependent adenosine triphosphatase activity. Membrane lipid analyses demonstrated age-dependent increases in total cholesterol and the cholesterol/phospholipid molar ratio, as well as decreases in phosphatidylethanolamine content and the fatty acid unsaturation index. Fluidity of basolateral membranes and membrane liposomes, determined from fluorescence anisotropy measurements using the lipid probes 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene and DL-12-(9-anthroyl)stearic acid, demonstrated significant, ontogenic decreases in fluidity; and, additional studies showed that fluidity changes occurred early in the weaning period (by day 24 postnatally). Arrhenius plots of liposome anisotropies suggested a bilayer lipid thermotropic transition temperature of 22 degrees C in sucklings 26 degrees C in mature rabbits. These findings demonstrate that ontogeny of colonic basolateral membranes is associated with significant modulations in lipid composition and fluidity.     

Temperature-dependent changes in phospholipid and fatty acid composition and membrane lipid fluidity of Yersinia enterocolitica

Temperature-dependent compositional changes of phospholipids and their fatty acids were analysed in Yersinia enterocolitica grown at 5°, 25° and 37°C. The relative amounts of the four phospholipids, phosphatidylethanolamine (75–78%), phosphatidylglycerol (10–11%), cardiolipin (<7%) and lysophosphatidylethanolamine (<5%), were essentially the same at all growth temperatures. The degree of fatty acid unsaturation of the four phospholipids increased with decrease in growth temperature, mainly due to an increase of C_16:1 and C_18:1 and a corresponding decrease of C_16;0, C_18:0 and cyclo C_17:0. An electron spin resonance spectroscopic study of the membrane lipids showed that membrane lipid fluidity was enhanced by decreasing the growth temperatures. The changes in fatty acid composition of phospholipids in response to varied temperatures were consistent with the temperature-dependent changes in the membrane lipid fluidity of Y. enterocolitica , and were similar to those reported for other bacteria.     

Low membrane fluidity triggers lipid phase separation and protein segregation in living bacteria

All living organisms adapt their membrane lipid composition in response to changes in their environment or diet. These conserved membrane‐adaptive processes have been studied extensively. However, key concepts of membrane biology linked to regulation of lipid composition including homeoviscous adaptation maintaining stable levels of membrane fluidity, and gel‐fluid phase separation resulting in domain formation, heavily rely upon in vitro studies with model membranes or lipid extracts. Using the bacterial model organisms Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, we now show that inadequate in vivo membrane fluidity interferes with essential complex cellular processes including cytokinesis, envelope expansion, chromosome replication/segregation and maintenance of membrane potential. Furthermore, we demonstrate that very low membrane fluidity is indeed capable of triggering large‐scale lipid phase separation and protein segregation in intact, protein‐crowded membranes of living cells; a process that coincides with the minimal level of fluidity capable of supporting growth. Importantly, the in vivo lipid phase separation is not associated with a breakdown of the membrane diffusion barrier function, thus explaining why the phase separation process induced by low fluidity is biologically reversible.     

A dietary regimen alters hepatocyte plasma membrane lipid fluidity and ameliorates ethinyl estradiol cholestasis in the rat

The beta-adrenergic receptor mediating the inhibition of sterol synthesis by catecholamines in freshly isolated human mononuclear leukocytes was defined pharmacologically by using selective beta 1- and beta 2-agonists and -antagonists. Incubation of cells for 6 h in a medium containing lipid-depleted serum resulted in a 3-fold increase in the incorporation of [14C]acetate or tritiated water into sterols. The beta-agonist (-)-isoproterenol was approximately equipotent with (-)-epinephrine and (-)-norepinephrine in suppressing sterol synthesis, yielding a sigmoidal log-dose-effect curve. Accordingly, the effects of the catecholamines were reversed by the beta-antagonist (+/-)-propranolol. The beta 2-agonists terbutaline and salbutamol inhibited sterol synthesis by 42 and 26%, respectively, at a concentration of 0.1 mmol/l. Contrary to that, the beta 1-agonists prenalterol and dobutamine had no effect. In accordance with the influence of the agonists, the beta 2-antagonist butoxamine, but not the beta 1-antagonists atenolol, metoprolol and practolol, reversed the catecholamine action on sterol synthesis. The results provide evidence that catecholamines may regulate sterol synthesis by stimulating beta 2-adrenergic receptors.     

Lipid fluidity and membrane protein dynamics

Membrane fluidity plays an important role in cellular functions. Membrane proteins are mobile in the lipid fluid environment; lateral diffusion of membrane proteins is slower than expected by theory, due to both the effect of protein crowding in the membrane and to constraints from the aqueous matrix. A major aspect of diffusion is in macromolecular associations: reduction of dimensionality for membrane diffusion facilitates collisional encounters, as those concerned with receptor-mediated signal transduction and with electron transfer chains. In mitochondrial electron transfer, diffusional control is prevented by the excess of collisional encounters between fast-diffusing ubiquinone and the respiratory complexes. Another aspect of dynamics of membrane proteins is their conformational flexibility. Lipids may induce the optimal conformation for catalytic activity. Breaks in Arrhenius plots of membrane-bound enzymes may be related to lipid fluidity: the break could occur when a limiting viscosity is reached for catalytic activity. Viscosity can affect protein conformational changes by inhibiting thermal fluctuations to the inner core of the protein molecule.