Mechanics of Curved Plasma Membrane Vesicles: Resting Shapes, Membrane Curvature, and In-Plane Shear Elasticity

2004 ◽  
Vol 127 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadashi Kosawada ◽  
Kohji Inoue ◽  
Geert W. Schmid-Schönbein
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Cell Membrane ◽  
Membrane Curvature ◽  
Membrane Tension ◽  
Coated Pits ◽  
Plane Shear ◽  
Plasmalemmal Vesicles ◽  
Cell Functions ◽  
Outer Domain ◽  
Shear Elasticity

Highly curved cell membrane structures, such as plasmalemmal vesicles (caveolae) and clathrin-coated pits, facilitate many cell functions, including the clustering of membrane receptors and transport of specific extracellular macromolecules by endothelial cells. These structures are subject to large mechanical deformations when the plasma membrane is stretched and subject to a change of its curvature. To enhance our understanding of plasmalemmal vesicles we need to improve the understanding of the mechanics in regions of high membrane curvatures. We examine here, theoretically, the shapes of plasmalemmal vesicles assuming that they consist of three membrane domains: an inner domain with high curvature, an outer domain with moderate curvature, and an outermost flat domain, all in the unstressed state. We assume the membrane properties are the same in these domains with membrane bending elasticity as well as in-plane shear elasticity. Special emphasis is placed on the effects of membrane curvature and in-plane shear elasticity on the mechanics of vesicle during unfolding by application of membrane tension. The vesicle shapes were computed by minimization of bending and in-plane shear strain energy. Mechanically stable vesicles were identified with characteristic membrane necks. Upon stretch of the membrane, the vesicle necks disappeared relatively abruptly leading to membrane shapes that consist of curved indentations. While the resting shape of vesicles is predominantly affected by the membrane spontaneous curvatures, the membrane shear elasticity (for a range of values recorded in the red cell membrane) makes a significant contribution as the vesicle is subject to stretch and unfolding. The membrane tension required to unfold the vesicle is sensitive with respect to its shape, especially as the vesicle becomes fully unfolded and approaches a relative flat shape.

scholarly journals Rings of membrane sterols surround the openings of vesicles and fenestrae, in capillary endothelium.

1983 ◽  
Vol 97 (5) ◽  
pp. 1592-1600 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Simionescu ◽  
F Lupu ◽  
M Simionescu
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Cell Membrane ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Freeze Fracture ◽  
Short Exposure ◽  
Capillary Endothelium ◽  
Anionic Sites ◽  
Microvascular Endothelium ◽  
Coated Pits ◽  
Plasmalemmal Vesicles

We investigated the distribution of sterols in the cell membrane of microvascular endothelium (mouse pancreas, diaphragm, brain, heart, lung, kidney, thyroid, adrenal, and liver) with the polyene antibiotic filipin, which reportedly has binding specificity for free 3-beta-hydroxysterols. In some experiments, concomitantly, cell-surface anionic sites were detected with cationized ferritin. Vessels were perfused in situ with PBS, followed by light fixation and filipin administration for 10 to 60 min. Tissues were further processed for thin-section and freeze-fracture electron microscopy. Short exposure (10 min) to filipin-glutaraldehyde solution resulted in the initial appearance, on many areas, of rings of characteristic filipin-sterol complexes within the rim surrounding stomata of most plasmalemmal vesicles, transendothelial channels, and fenestrae. Such rings were absent from the rims of the large openings of the sinusoid endothelium (liver, adrenal), coated pits and phagocytic vacuoles. After longer exposure (30-60 min), filipin-sterol complexes labeled randomly the rest of plasma membrane (except for coated pits, and partially the interstrand areas of junctions), and also marked most plasmalemmal vesicles. These peristomal rings of sterols were displayed mostly on the P face, and, at their full development, consisted of 6-8 units around a vesicle stoma, and 10-12 units around a fenestra. At their level, the intramembranous particles and the cell surface anionic sites were virtually excluded. Peristomal rings of sterols were also detected on the plasma membrane of pericytes and smooth muscle cells of the microvascular wall, which otherwise were poorly labeled with filipin-sterol complexes as compared to endothelial plasmalemma. It is presumed that the peristomal rings of cholesterol may represent important contributors to the local transient stabilization of plasma membrane and to the phase separation between cell membrane and vesicle membrane at a certain stage of their fusion/fission process.

scholarly journals Ultrastructural visualization of selective peanut agglutinin binding sites in rat osteoclasts.

1988 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Takagi ◽  
H Yagasaki ◽  
T Baba ◽  
H Baba
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Cell Membrane ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Peanut Agglutinin ◽  
Coated Pits ◽  
Cytoplasmic Surface ◽  
Coated Membranes ◽  
Entire Cell ◽  
Ruffled Border

We investigated the distribution of concanavalin A (ConA)-reactive alpha-D-mannosyl and alpha-D-glucosyl groups and peanut agglutinin (PNA)-reactive beta-D-galactose-(1----3)-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine residues on the surface of osteoclasts with pre-embedment ultrastructural lectin cytochemistry after aldehyde fixation of the metaphyses of the rat tibiae. By routine morphology, the plasma membrane of the ruffled border of the osteoclast was distinguished from the rest of the cell membrane, with the exception of the membrane of coated pits, by its characteristic thick coat at its cytoplasmic surface. Cytochemistry, using ConA in combination with horseradish peroxidase (ConA-HRP) and PNA conjugated to HRP, showed that binding of ConA was distributed over the entire cell surface of osteoclasts. In contrast, intense binding of PNA was limited to the membranes of the ruffled border and coated pits, whereas the remainder of the cell membrane stained weakly or not at all. These results demonstrate that preferential PNA binding sites of the cell surface correspond to coated membranes associated with osteoclastic endocytosis.

Dynamic Shaping of Cellular Membranes by Phospholipids and Membrane-Deforming Proteins

2014 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 1219-1248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiro Suetsugu ◽  
Shusaku Kurisu ◽  
Tadaomi Takenawa
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Electrostatic Interactions ◽  
Specific Binding ◽  
Membrane Curvature ◽  
Coated Pits ◽  
Cytosolic Proteins ◽  
Anionic Phospholipids ◽  
Vital Functions ◽  
Submicron Scale ◽  
Micro Structures

All cellular compartments are separated from the external environment by a membrane, which consists of a lipid bilayer. Subcellular structures, including clathrin-coated pits, caveolae, filopodia, lamellipodia, podosomes, and other intracellular membrane systems, are molded into their specific submicron-scale shapes through various mechanisms. Cells construct their micro-structures on plasma membrane and execute vital functions for life, such as cell migration, cell division, endocytosis, exocytosis, and cytoskeletal regulation. The plasma membrane, rich in anionic phospholipids, utilizes the electrostatic nature of the lipids, specifically the phosphoinositides, to form interactions with cytosolic proteins. These cytosolic proteins have three modes of interaction: 1) electrostatic interaction through unstructured polycationic regions, 2) through structured phosphoinositide-specific binding domains, and 3) through structured domains that bind the membrane without specificity for particular phospholipid. Among the structured domains, there are several that have membrane-deforming activity, which is essential for the formation of concave or convex membrane curvature. These domains include the amphipathic helix, which deforms the membrane by hemi-insertion of the helix with both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, and/or the BAR domain superfamily, known to use their positively charged, curved structural surface to deform membranes. Below the membrane, actin filaments support the micro-structures through interactions with several BAR proteins as well as other scaffold proteins, resulting in outward and inward membrane micro-structure formation. Here, we describe the characteristics of phospholipids, and the mechanisms utilized by phosphoinositides to regulate cellular events. We then summarize the precise mechanisms underlying the construction of membrane micro-structures and their involvements in physiological and pathological processes.

scholarly journals Adaptive actin organization counteracts elevated membrane tension to ensure robust endocytosis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Kaplan ◽  
Sam J. Kenny ◽  
Shirley Chen ◽  
Johannes Schöneberg ◽  
Ewa Sitarska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Force Generation ◽  
List Type ◽  
Membrane Tension ◽  
Actin Assembly ◽  
Actin Network ◽  
Coated Pits ◽  
Actin Organization ◽  
Tightly Coupled

AbstractClathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) remains robust despite variations in plasma membrane tension. Actin assembly-mediated force generation becomes essential for CME under high membrane tension, but the underlying mechanisms are not understood. We investigated actin network ultrastructure at each stage of CME by super-resolution imaging. Actin and N-WASP spatial organization indicate that polymerization initiates at the base of clathrin-coated pits and that the actin network then grows away from the plasma membrane. Actin network organization is not tightly coupled to endocytic clathrin coat growth and deformation. Membrane tension-dependent changes in actin organization explain this uncoupling. Under elevated membrane tension, CME dynamics slow down and the actin network grows higher, resulting in greater coverage of the clathrin coat. This adaptive mechanism is especially crucial during the initial membrane curvature-generating stages of CME. Our findings reveal that adaptive force generation by the actin network ensures robust CME progression despite changes in plasma membrane tension.Highlights-Clathrin coat surface area and actin ultra-structure adapt to elevated membrane tension.-The actin network is nucleated at the base of the clathrin-coated pit and grows upward.-Actin ultra-structural organization is not tightly coupled to CME progression.-Actin force generation is required earlier in CME progression under elevated membrane tension.SummaryKaplan et al. revealed that actin assembly compensates for changes in plasma membrane tension by an adaptive force generating mechanism to ensure robust endocytosis. Under elevated membrane tension the network grows deeper, even in early endocytic stages, from the base upward.

Changes Occur in Plasma Membrane Turnover when K562 Leukemia Cells are Induced to Differentiate

1982 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 286-287
Author(s):  
L. M. Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Intracellular Transport ◽  
Parent Cell ◽  
Membrane Turnover ◽  
Coated Pits ◽  
Surface Distribution ◽  
Specific Proteins ◽  
Erythroleukemic Cell ◽  
Specific Membrane

A human erythroleukemic cell line, metabolically blocked in a late stage of erythropoiesis, becomes capable of differentiation along the normal pathway when grown in the presence of hemin. This process is characterized by hemoglobin synthesis followed by rearrangement of the plasma membrane proteins and culminates in asymmetrical cytokinesis in the absence of nuclear division. A reticulocyte-like cell buds from the nucleus-containing parent cell after erythrocyte specific membrane proteins have been sequestered into its membrane. In this process the parent cell faces two obstacles. First, to organize its erythrocyte specific proteins at one pole of the cell for inclusion in the reticulocyte; second, to reduce or abolish membrane protein turnover since hemoglobin is virtually the only protein being synthesized at this stage. A means of achieving redistribution and cessation of turnover could involve movement of membrane proteins by a directional lipid flow. Generation of a lipid flow towards one pole and accumulation of erythrocyte-specific membrane proteins could be achieved by clathrin coated pits which are implicated in membrane endocytosis, intracellular transport and turnover. In non-differentiating cells, membrane proteins are turned over and are random in surface distribution. If, however, the erythrocyte specific proteins in differentiating cells were excluded from endocytosing coated pits, not only would their turnover cease, but they would also tend to drift towards and collect at the site of endocytosis. This hypothesis requires that different protein species are endocytosed by the coated vesicles in non-differentiating than by differentiating cells.

Caveolin-1, galectin-3 and lipid raft domains in cancer cell signalling

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 189-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Shankar ◽  
Cecile Boscher ◽  
Ivan R. Nabi
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Lipid Rafts ◽  
Cancer Cell ◽  
Cellular Response ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Essential Feature ◽  
Cell Signalling ◽  
Coated Pits ◽  
Signalling Molecules ◽  
Raft Domains

Spatial organization of the plasma membrane is an essential feature of the cellular response to external stimuli. Receptor organization at the cell surface mediates transmission of extracellular stimuli to intracellular signalling molecules and effectors that impact various cellular processes including cell differentiation, metabolism, growth, migration and apoptosis. Membrane domains include morphologically distinct plasma membrane invaginations such as clathrin-coated pits and caveolae, but also less well-defined domains such as lipid rafts and the galectin lattice. In the present chapter, we will discuss interaction between caveolae, lipid rafts and the galectin lattice in the control of cancer cell signalling.

scholarly journals Revising Endosomal Trafficking under Insulin Receptor Activation

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 6978
Author(s):  
Maria J. Iraburu ◽  
Tommy Garner ◽  
Cristina Montiel-Duarte
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Tyrosine Kinase ◽  
Insulin Receptor ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Receptor Activation ◽  
Small Gtpases ◽  
Early Endosome ◽  
Tyrosine Kinase Receptors ◽  
Endosomal Trafficking ◽  
Cell Functions

The endocytosis of ligand-bound receptors and their eventual recycling to the plasma membrane (PM) are processes that have an influence on signalling activity and therefore on many cell functions, including migration and proliferation. Like other tyrosine kinase receptors (TKR), the insulin receptor (INSR) has been shown to be endocytosed by clathrin-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Once at the early endosome (EE), the sorting of the receptor, either to the late endosome (LE) for degradation or back to the PM through slow or fast recycling pathways, will determine the intensity and duration of insulin effects. Both the endocytic and the endosomic pathways are regulated by many proteins, the Arf and Rab families of small GTPases being some of the most relevant. Here, we argue for a specific role for the slow recycling route, whilst we review the main molecular mechanisms involved in INSR endocytosis, sorting and recycling, as well as their possible role in cell functions.

scholarly journals Visualization of the exocyst complex dynamics at the plasma membrane of Arabidopsis thaliana

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 510-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matyáš Fendrych ◽  
Lukáš Synek ◽  
Tamara Pečenková ◽  
Edita Janková Drdová ◽  
Juraj Sekereš ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Complex Dynamics ◽  
Active Regions ◽  
Snare Complex ◽  
Epifluorescence Microscopy ◽  
Rab Gtpases ◽  
Exocyst Complex ◽  
Protein Receptor ◽  
Outer Domain

The exocyst complex, an effector of Rho and Rab GTPases, is believed to function as an exocytotic vesicle tether at the plasma membrane before soluble N-ethylmaleimide–sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex formation. Exocyst subunits localize to secretory-active regions of the plasma membrane, exemplified by the outer domain of Arabidopsis root epidermal cells. Using variable-angle epifluorescence microscopy, we visualized the dynamics of exocyst subunits at this domain. The subunits colocalized in defined foci at the plasma membrane, distinct from endocytic sites. Exocyst foci were independent of cytoskeleton, although prolonged actin disruption led to changes in exocyst localization. Exocyst foci partially overlapped with vesicles visualized by VAMP721 v-SNARE, but the majority of the foci represent sites without vesicles, as indicated by electron microscopy and drug treatments, supporting the concept of the exocyst functioning as a dynamic particle. We observed a decrease of SEC6–green fluorescent protein foci in an exo70A1 exocyst mutant. Finally, we documented decreased VAMP721 trafficking to the plasma membrane in exo70A1 and exo84b mutants. Our data support the concept that the exocyst-complex subunits dynamically dock and undock at the plasma membrane to create sites primed for vesicle tethering.

Inhibition of clathrin-coated pit assembly by an Eps15 mutant

1999 ◽  
Vol 112 (9) ◽  
pp. 1303-1311 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Benmerah ◽  
M. Bayrou ◽  
N. Cerf-Bensussan ◽  
A. Dautry-Varsat
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Fusion Protein ◽  
Binding Site ◽  
Specific Marker ◽  
Coated Pits ◽  
Receptor Mediated Endocytosis ◽  
Gfp Fusion Protein ◽  
Protein Encoding ◽  
Homology Domains

Recent data have shown that Eps15, a newly identified component of clathrin-coated pits constitutively associated with the AP-2 complex, is required for receptor-mediated endocytosis. However, its precise function remains unknown. Interestingly, Eps15 contains three EH (Eps15-Homology) domains also found in proteins required for the internalization step of endocytosis in yeast. Results presented here show that EH domains are required for correct coated pit targeting of Eps15. Furthermore, when cells expressed an Eps15 mutant lacking EH domains, the plasma membrane punctate distribution of both AP-2 and clathrin was lost, implying the absence of coated pits. This was further confirmed by the fact that dynamin, a GTPase found in coated pits, was homogeneously redistributed on the plasma membrane and that endocytosis of transferrin, a specific marker of clathrin-dependent endocytosis, was strongly inhibited. Altogether, these results strongly suggest a role for Eps15 in coated pit assembly and more precisely a role for Eps15 in the docking of AP-2 onto the plasma membrane. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that a GFP fusion protein encoding the ear domain of (alpha)-adaptin, the AP-2 binding site for Eps15, was efficiently targeted to plasma membrane coated pits.

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