scholarly journals Transport efficiency of membrane-anchored kinesin-1 motors depends on motor density and diffusivity

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahul Grover ◽  
Janine Fischer ◽  
Friedrich W. Schwarz ◽  
Wilhelm J. Walter ◽  
Petra Schwille ◽  
...  

AbstractIn eukaryotic cells, membranous vesicles and organelles are transported by ensembles of motor proteins. These motors, such as kinesin-1, have been well characterized in vitro as single molecules or as ensembles rigidly attached to non-biological substrates. However, the collective transport by membrane-anchored motors, i.e. motors attached to a fluid lipid bilayer, is poorly understood. Here, we investigate the influence of motors anchorage to a lipid bilayer on the collective transport characteristics. We reconstituted ‘membrane-anchored’ gliding motility assays using truncated kinesin-1 motors with a streptavidin-binding-peptide tag that can attach to streptavidin-loaded, supported lipid bilayers. We found that the diffusing kinesin-1 motors propelled the microtubules in presence of ATP. Notably, we found the gliding velocity of the microtubules to be strongly dependent on the number of motors and their diffusivity in the lipid bilayer. The microtubule gliding velocity increased with increasing motor density and membrane viscosity, reaching up to the stepping velocity of single-motors. This finding is in contrast to conventional gliding motility assays where the density of surface-immobilized kinesin-1 motors does not influence the microtubule velocity over a wide range. We reason, that the transport efficiency of membrane-anchored motors is reduced because of their slippage in the lipid bilayer, an effect which we directly observed using singlemolecule fluorescence microscopy. Our results illustrate the importance of the motor-cargo coupling, which potentially provides cells with an additional means of regulating the efficiency of cargo transport.

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (46) ◽  
pp. E7185-E7193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahul Grover ◽  
Janine Fischer ◽  
Friedrich W. Schwarz ◽  
Wilhelm J. Walter ◽  
Petra Schwille ◽  
...  

In eukaryotic cells, membranous vesicles and organelles are transported by ensembles of motor proteins. These motors, such as kinesin-1, have been well characterized in vitro as single molecules or as ensembles rigidly attached to nonbiological substrates. However, the collective transport by membrane-anchored motors, that is, motors attached to a fluid lipid bilayer, is poorly understood. Here, we investigate the influence of motors’ anchorage to a lipid bilayer on the collective transport characteristics. We reconstituted “membrane-anchored” gliding motility assays using truncated kinesin-1 motors with a streptavidin-binding peptide tag that can attach to streptavidin-loaded, supported lipid bilayers. We found that the diffusing kinesin-1 motors propelled the microtubules in the presence of ATP. Notably, we found the gliding velocity of the microtubules to be strongly dependent on the number of motors and their diffusivity in the lipid bilayer. The microtubule gliding velocity increased with increasing motor density and membrane viscosity, reaching up to the stepping velocity of single motors. This finding is in contrast to conventional gliding motility assays where the density of surface-immobilized kinesin-1 motors does not influence the microtubule velocity over a wide range. We reason that the transport efficiency of membrane-anchored motors is reduced because of their slippage in the lipid bilayer, an effect that we directly observed using single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. Our results illustrate the importance of motor–cargo coupling, which potentially provides cells with an additional means of regulating the efficiency of cargo transport.


2022 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyunhyuk Tae ◽  
Soohyun Park ◽  
Gamaliel Junren Ma ◽  
Nam-Joon Cho

AbstractCell-membrane-mimicking supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) provide an ultrathin, self-assembled layer that forms on solid supports and can exhibit antifouling, signaling, and transport properties among various possible functions. While recent material innovations have increased the number of practically useful SLB fabrication methods, typical SLB platforms only work in aqueous environments and are prone to fluidity loss and lipid-bilayer collapse upon air exposure, which limits industrial applicability. To address this issue, herein, we developed sucrose–bicelle complex system to fabricate air-stable SLBs that were laterally mobile upon rehydration. SLBs were fabricated from bicelles in the presence of up to 40 wt% sucrose, which was verified by quartz crystal microbalance-dissipation (QCM-D) and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) experiments. The sucrose fraction in the system was an important factor; while 40 wt% sucrose induced lipid aggregation and defects on SLBs after the dehydration–rehydration process, 20 wt% sucrose yielded SLBs that exhibited fully recovered lateral mobility after these processes. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that sucrose–bicelle complex system can facilitate one-step fabrication of air-stable SLBs that can be useful for a wide range of biointerfacial science applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Luchini ◽  
Samantha Micciulla ◽  
Giacomo Corucci ◽  
Krishna Chaithanya Batchu ◽  
Andreas Santamaria ◽  
...  

AbstractSARS-CoV-2 spike proteins are responsible for the membrane fusion event, which allows the virus to enter the host cell and cause infection. This process starts with the binding of the spike extramembrane domain to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a membrane receptor highly abundant in the lungs. In this study, the extramembrane domain of SARS-CoV-2 Spike (sSpike) was injected on model membranes formed by supported lipid bilayers in presence and absence of the soluble part of receptor ACE2 (sACE2), and the structural features were studied at sub-nanometer level by neutron reflection. In all cases the presence of the protein produced a remarkable degradation of the lipid bilayer. Indeed, both for membranes from synthetic and natural lipids, a significant reduction of the surface coverage was observed. Quartz crystal microbalance measurements showed that lipid extraction starts immediately after sSpike protein injection. All measurements indicate that the presence of proteins induces the removal of membrane lipids, both in the presence and in the absence of ACE2, suggesting that sSpike molecules strongly associate with lipids, and strip them away from the bilayer, via a non-specific interaction. A cooperative effect of sACE2 and sSpike on lipid extraction was also observed.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sagardip Majumder ◽  
Patrick T. Willey ◽  
Maxwell S. DeNies ◽  
Allen P. Liu ◽  
G.W. Gant Luxton

ABSTRACTThe linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) is a conserved nuclear envelope-spanning molecular bridge that is responsible for the mechanical integration of the nucleus with the cytoskeleton. LINC complexes are formed by a transluminal interaction between the outer and inner nuclear membrane KASH and SUN proteins, respectively. Despite recent structural insights, our mechanistic understanding of LINC complex assembly remains limited by the lack of an experimental system for its in vitro reconstitution and manipulation. Here, we describe artificial nuclear membranes (ANMs) as a synthetic biology platform based on mammalian cell-free expression for the rapid reconstitution of SUN proteins in supported lipid bilayers. We demonstrate that SUN1 and SUN2 are oriented in ANMs with solvent-exposed C-terminal KASH-binding SUN domains. We also find that SUN2 possesses a single transmembrane domain, while SUN1 possesses three. Finally, SUN protein-containing ANMs bind synthetic KASH peptides, thereby reconstituting the LINC complex core. This work represents the first in vitro reconstitution of KASH-binding SUN proteins in supported lipid bilayers using cell-free expression, which will be invaluable for testing proposed models of LINC complex assembly and its regulation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 2348-2358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malak Kawan ◽  
Tania C. Hidalgo ◽  
Weiyuan Du ◽  
Anna-Maria Pappa ◽  
Róisín M. Owens ◽  
...  

An n-type, accumulation mode, microscale organic electrochemical transistor monitors the activity of a pore-forming protein integrated into a lipid bilayer.


2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (15) ◽  
pp. 5067-5080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akello J. Agwa ◽  
Poanna Tran ◽  
Alexander Mueller ◽  
Hue N. T. Tran ◽  
Jennifer R. Deuis ◽  
...  

Huwentoxin-IV (HwTx-IV) is a gating modifier peptide toxin from spiders that has weak affinity for the lipid bilayer. As some gating modifier toxins have affinity for model lipid bilayers, a tripartite relationship among gating modifier toxins, voltage-gated ion channels, and the lipid membrane surrounding the channels has been proposed. We previously designed an HwTx-IV analogue (gHwTx-IV) with reduced negative charge and increased hydrophobic surface profile, which displays increased lipid bilayer affinity and in vitro activity at the voltage-gated sodium channel subtype 1.7 (NaV1.7), a channel targeted in pain management. Here, we show that replacements of the positively-charged residues that contribute to the activity of the peptide can improve gHwTx-IV's potency and selectivity for NaV1.7. Using HwTx-IV, gHwTx-IV, [R26A]gHwTx-IV, [K27A]gHwTx-IV, and [R29A]gHwTx-IV variants, we examined their potency and selectivity at human NaV1.7 and their affinity for the lipid bilayer. [R26A]gHwTx-IV consistently displayed the most improved potency and selectivity for NaV1.7, examined alongside off-target NaVs, compared with HwTx-IV and gHwTx-IV. The lipid affinity of each of the three novel analogues was weaker than that of gHwTx-IV, but stronger than that of HwTx-IV, suggesting a possible relationship between in vitro potency at NaV1.7 and affinity for lipid bilayers. In a murine NaV1.7 engagement model, [R26A]gHwTx-IV exhibited an efficacy comparable with that of native HwTx-IV. In summary, this study reports the development of an HwTx-IV analogue with improved in vitro selectivity for the pain target NaV1.7 and with an in vivo efficacy similar to that of native HwTx-IV.


2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 3040-3047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Chul Kim ◽  
Anders Gunnarsson ◽  
Seyed R. Tabaei ◽  
Fredrik Höök ◽  
Nam-Joon Cho

High quality and complete supported lipid bilayers are formed on silicon oxide by employing an AH peptide mediated repair step.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 20180028 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. E. Weatherill ◽  
H. L. E. Coker ◽  
M. R. Cheetham ◽  
M. I. Wallace

Diffusion in biological membranes is seldom simply Brownian motion; instead, the rate of diffusion is dependent on the time scale of observation and so is often described as anomalous. In order to help better understand this phenomenon, model systems are needed where the anomalous diffusion of the lipid bilayer can be tuned and quantified. We recently demonstrated one such model by controlling the excluded area fraction in supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) through the incorporation of lipids derivatized with polyethylene glycol. Here, we extend this work, using urea to induce anomalous diffusion in SLBs. By tuning incubation time and urea concentration, we produce bilayers that exhibit anomalous behaviour on the same scale as that observed in biological membranes.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document