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Transient domains of ordered water induced by divalent ions lead to lipid membrane curvature fluctuations

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Sylvie Roke, Orly Bagunu Tarun, Halil Ibrahim Okur
2020

Abstract

Cations influence the electrostatic, chemical and mechanical properties of lipid bilayers. Here, label-free second harmonic microscopy shows that cation-induced transient ordering of water also plays a role in driving membrane curvature fluctuations, linking molecular hydration to macroscopic properties.

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https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/61f58b66-8b4f-4d3e-8e70-aaaa4c1a6585

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Related concepts (22)

The lipid bilayer (or phospholipid bilayer) is a thin polar membrane made of two layers of lipid molecules. These membranes are flat sheets that form a continuous barrier around all cells. The cell membranes of almost all organisms and many viruses are made of a lipid bilayer, as are the nuclear membrane surrounding the cell nucleus, and membranes of the membrane-bound organelles in the cell. The lipid bilayer is the barrier that keeps ions, proteins and other molecules where they are needed and prevents them from diffusing into areas where they should not be.

The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment (the extracellular space). The cell membrane consists of a lipid bilayer, made up of two layers of phospholipids with cholesterols (a lipid component) interspersed between them, maintaining appropriate membrane fluidity at various temperatures.

Lipid bilayer phase behavior

One property of a lipid bilayer is the relative mobility (fluidity) of the individual lipid molecules and how this mobility changes with temperature. This response is known as the phase behavior of the bilayer. Broadly, at a given temperature a lipid bilayer can exist in either a liquid or a solid phase. The solid phase is commonly referred to as a “gel” phase. All lipids have a characteristic temperature at which they undergo a transition (melt) from the gel to liquid phase.

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