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Emerging Roles of Air Gases in Lipid Bilayers
- Source :
- Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany). 14(40)
- Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Recent studies indicate that changing the physical properties of lipid bilayers may profoundly change the function of membrane proteins. Here, the effects of dissolved nitrogen and oxygen molecules on the mechanical properties and stability of lipid bilayers are investigated using differential confocal microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations. All experiments evidence the presence of dissolved air gas in lipid bilayers prepared without gas control. The lipid bilayers in degassed solutions are softer and less stable than those in ambient solutions. High concentrations of nitrogen increase the bending moduli and stability of the lipid bilayers and impede phase separation in ternary lipid bilayers. The effect of oxygen is less prominent. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that higher nitrogen affinity accounts for increased rigidity. These findings have fundamental and wide implications for phenomena related to lipid bilayers and cell membranes, including the origin of life.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Lipid Bilayers
chemistry.chemical_element
02 engineering and technology
Molecular Dynamics Simulation
Microscopy, Atomic Force
Oxygen
Biomaterials
03 medical and health sciences
Molecular dynamics
Molecule
General Materials Science
Lipid bilayer
Microscopy, Confocal
General Chemistry
021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology
Nitrogen
030104 developmental biology
Membrane
Membrane protein
chemistry
Biophysics
0210 nano-technology
Ternary operation
Biotechnology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 16136829
- Volume :
- 14
- Issue :
- 40
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....ff6d220a6bd2a29027e74b4413256df8