This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: biophysj.105.067652v1 90/5/1639    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Henriksen, J. Articles by Ipsen, J. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Henriksen, J. Articles by Ipsen, J. H.

Universal Behavior of Membranes with Sterols

J. Henriksen ^*, A. C. Rowat ^*, E. Brief , Y. W. Hsueh , J. L. Thewalt  , M. J. Zuckermann  and J. H. Ipsen ^*

^* MEMPHYS - Centre for Biomembrane Physics, Department of Physics, Syddansk Universitet, Odense, Denmark; Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Physics, National Central University, Chungli, Taiwan; and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Correspondence: Address reprint requests to J. H. Ipsen, Tel.: 45-6550-2560; E-mail: ipsen{at}memphys.sdu.dk.

Lanosterol is the biosynthetic precursor of cholesterol and ergosterol, sterols that predominate in the membranes of mammals and lower eukaryotes, respectively. These three sterols are structurally quite similar, yet their relative effects on membranes have been shown to differ. Here we study the effects of cholesterol, lanosterol, and ergosterol on 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine lipid bilayers at room temperature. Micropipette aspiration is used to determine membrane material properties (area compressibility modulus), and information about lipid chain order (first moments) is obtained from deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance. We compare these results, along with data for membrane-bending rigidity, to explore the relationship between membrane hydrophobic thickness and elastic properties. Together, such diverse approaches demonstrate that membrane properties are affected to different degrees by these structurally distinct sterols, yet nonetheless exhibit universal behavior.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. Sabatini, J.-P. Mattila, and P. K. J. Kinnunen Interfacial Behavior of Cholesterol, Ergosterol, and Lanosterol in Mixtures with DPPC and DMPC Biophys. J., September 1, 2008; 95(5): 2340 - 2355. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. Rawicz, B. A. Smith, T. J. McIntosh, S. A. Simon, and E. Evans Elasticity, Strength, and Water Permeability of Bilayers that Contain Raft Microdomain-Forming Lipids Biophys. J., June 15, 2008; 94(12): 4725 - 4736. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Krivanek, L. Okoro, and R. Winter Effect of Cholesterol and Ergosterol on the Compressibility and Volume Fluctuations of Phospholipid-Sterol Bilayers in the Critical Point Region: A Molecular Acoustic and Calorimetric Study Biophys. J., May 1, 2008; 94(9): 3538 - 3548. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. J. Mason, A. Marquette, and B. Bechinger Zwitterionic Phospholipids and Sterols Modulate Antimicrobial Peptide-Induced Membrane Destabilization Biophys. J., December 15, 2007; 93(12): 4289 - 4299. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. L. Frazier, J. R. Wright, A. Pokorny, and P. F. F. Almeida Investigation of Domain Formation in Sphingomyelin/Cholesterol/POPC Mixtures by Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer and Monte Carlo Simulations Biophys. J., April 1, 2007; 92(7): 2422 - 2433. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y.-W. Hsueh, M.-T. Chen, P. J. Patty, C. Code, J. Cheng, B. J. Frisken, M. Zuckermann, and J. Thewalt Ergosterol in POPC Membranes: Physical Properties and Comparison with Structurally Similar Sterols Biophys. J., March 1, 2007; 92(5): 1606 - 1615. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				X. Zhai, X.-M. Li, M. M. Momsen, H. L. Brockman, and R. E. Brown Lactosylceramide: Lateral Interactions with Cholesterol Biophys. J., October 1, 2006; 91(7): 2490 - 2500. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. Shahedi, G. Oradd, and G. Lindblom Domain-Formation in DOPC/SM Bilayers Studied by pfg-NMR: Effect of Sterol Structure Biophys. J., October 1, 2006; 91(7): 2501 - 2507. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Pokorny, L. E. Yandek, A. I. Elegbede, A. Hinderliter, and P. F. F. Almeida Temperature and Composition Dependence of the Interaction of {delta}-Lysin with Ternary Mixtures of Sphingomyelin/Cholesterol/POPC Biophys. J., September 15, 2006; 91(6): 2184 - 2197. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]