Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
What Can We Learn about Cholesterol's Transmembrane Distribution Based on Cholesterol-Induced Changes in Membrane Dipole Potential? / Falkovich, S. G.; Martinez-Seara, H.; Nesterenko, A. M.; Vattulainen, I.; Gurtovenko, A. A.
In: Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, Vol. 7, No. 22, 2016, p. 4585-4590.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - What Can We Learn about Cholesterol's Transmembrane Distribution Based on Cholesterol-Induced Changes in Membrane Dipole Potential?
AU - Falkovich, S. G.
AU - Martinez-Seara, H.
AU - Nesterenko, A. M.
AU - Vattulainen, I.
AU - Gurtovenko, A. A.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Cholesterol is abundant in the plasma membranes of animal cells and is known to regulate a variety of membrane properties. Despite decades of research, the transmembrane distribution of cholesterol is still a matter of debate. Here we consider this outstanding issue through atomistic simulations of asymmetric lipid membranes, whose composition is largely consistent with eukaryotic plasma membranes. We show that the membrane dipole potential changes in a cholesterol-dependent manner. Remarkably, moving cholesterol from the extracellular to the cytosolic leaflet increases the dipole potential on the cytosolic side, and vice versa. Biologically this implies that by altering the dipole potential, cholesterol can provide a driving force for cholesterol molecules to favor the cytosolic leaflet, in order to compensate for the intramembrane field that arises from the resting potential.
AB - Cholesterol is abundant in the plasma membranes of animal cells and is known to regulate a variety of membrane properties. Despite decades of research, the transmembrane distribution of cholesterol is still a matter of debate. Here we consider this outstanding issue through atomistic simulations of asymmetric lipid membranes, whose composition is largely consistent with eukaryotic plasma membranes. We show that the membrane dipole potential changes in a cholesterol-dependent manner. Remarkably, moving cholesterol from the extracellular to the cytosolic leaflet increases the dipole potential on the cytosolic side, and vice versa. Biologically this implies that by altering the dipole potential, cholesterol can provide a driving force for cholesterol molecules to favor the cytosolic leaflet, in order to compensate for the intramembrane field that arises from the resting potential.
U2 - 10.1021/acs.jpclett.6b02123
DO - 10.1021/acs.jpclett.6b02123
M3 - Article
VL - 7
SP - 4585
EP - 4590
JO - Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
JF - Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
SN - 1948-7185
IS - 22
ER -
ID: 7615049