Tryptophan residues promote membrane association for a plant lipid glycosyltransferase involved in phosphate stress.
AuthorsGe C, Georgiev A, Öhman A, Wieslander Å, Kelly AA,
JournalJ Biol Chem
PubMed ID21156807
'Chloroplast membranes contain a substantial excess of the nonbilayer-prone monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (GalDAG) over the biosynthetically consecutive, bilayer-forming digalactosyldiacylglycerol (GalGalDAG), yielding a high membrane curvature stress. During phosphate shortage, plants replace phospholipids with GalGalDAG to rescue phosphate while maintaining membrane homeostasis. Here we investigate how the activity of the corresponding glycosyltransferase (GT) ... More
Distinct structural rearrangements of the VSV glycoprotein drive membrane fusion.
AuthorsLibersou S, Albertini AA, Ouldali M, Maury V, Maheu C, Raux H, de Haas F, Roche S, Gaudin Y, Lepault J,
JournalJ Cell Biol
PubMed ID20921141
The entry of enveloped viruses into cells requires the fusion of viral and cellular membranes, driven by conformational changes in viral glycoproteins. Many studies have shown that fusion involves the cooperative action of a large number of these glycoproteins, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We used electron microscopy and ... More
An artificial lipid bilayer formed on an agarose-coated glass for simultaneous electrical and optical measurement of single ion channels.
AuthorsIde T, Yanagida T
JournalBiochem Biophys Res Commun
PubMed ID10558915
The purpose of this study is to develop an apparatus for simultaneous measurement of electrical and spectroscopic parameters of single ion channels. We have combined the single channel recording apparatus with an artificial lipid bilayer and a fluorescence microscope designed to detect single fluorescent molecules. The artificial membranes were formed ... More
Purification and analysis of a phospholipase A2-like lytic factor of Trichomonas vaginalis.
AuthorsLubick KJ, Burgess DE
JournalInfect Immun
PubMed ID14977929
Trichomonas vaginalis produces soluble factors that have been reported to have the ability to damage target cells in vitro, and it has been hypothesized that these factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of human trichomoniasis. A lytic factor (LF) was purified from T. vaginalis, and the molecular characteristics ... More
Spontaneous, intervesicular transfer rates of fluorescent, acyl chain-labeled phosphatidylcholine analogs.
AuthorsElvington SM, Nichols JW
JournalBiochim Biophys Acta
PubMed ID17198675
It was recently shown that the structure of the fluorophore attached to the acyl chain of phosphatidylcholine analogs determines their mechanism of transport across the plasma membrane of yeast cells (Elvington et al., J. Biol Chem. 280:40957, 2005). In order to gain further insight into the physical properties of these ... More