I. Levental

Ether lipids influence cancer cell fate by modulating iron uptake

This study shows that ether lipids in cancer cells regulate membrane properties to influence iron uptake, ferroptosis, and metastasis, offering a therapeutic target.

Cell Membranes Sustain Phospholipid Imbalance Via Cholesterol Asymmetry

The paper reveals that mammalian plasma membranes have phospholipid imbalances due to cholesterol asymmetry, affecting membrane permeability and protein localization.

Partitioning to ordered membrane domains regulates the kinetics of secretory traffic

The paper investigates how membrane domains influence secretory traffic kinetics, finding that raft affinity affects Golgi exit rates but not ER exit.

Serinc5 restricts HIV membrane fusion by altering lipid order and heterogeneity in the viral membrane

This study shows Serinc5 restricts HIV infection by altering viral membrane lipid order and heterogeneity, reducing fusion pore formation and infectivity.

Coupling of protein condensates to ordered lipid domains determines functional membrane organization

This study shows that protein condensates and lipid domains couple to organize T-cell membrane function during activation.

Palmitoylation of PD-L1 Regulates Its Membrane Orientation and Immune Evasion

This study shows that PD-L1 palmitoylation affects its membrane orientation and immune evasion by altering its localization and interaction with PD-1 on T cells.

Membrane phase separation drives organization at B cell receptor clusters

The paper proposes a framework for lipid-driven plasma membrane heterogeneity in B cells, supported by observations of receptor phosphorylation in perturbed systems.

SARS-CoV-2 Requires Cholesterol for Viral Entry and Pathological Syncytia Formation

This study identifies cholesterol's essential role in SARS-CoV-2 membrane fusion and syncytia formation, suggesting statins may benefit COVID-19 patients.

Alpha-ketoglutarate inhibits Regulatory T cell differentiation by coupling lipidome remodelling to mitochondrial metabolism

This study shows that alpha-ketoglutarate inhibits regulatory T cell differentiation by altering lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function.

The mammalian plasma membrane is defined by transmembrane asymmetries in lipid unsaturation, leaflet packing, and protein shape

The paper characterizes lipid and protein asymmetries in mammalian plasma membranes and shows their conservation across eukaryotes.

Lipidomic and biophysical homeostasis of mammalian membranes counters dietary lipids perturbations to maintain cellular fitness

The paper shows that mammalian cells counteract dietary lipid perturbations through lipidomic remodeling to maintain membrane physical properties and cellular fitness.

Direct label-free imaging of nanodomains in biomimetic and biological membranes by cryogenic electron microscopy

This paper uses cryoEM to directly image nanodomains in biomimetic and biological membranes without extrinsic probes, revealing structural differences at sub-angstrom resolution.

Creating supported plasma membrane bilayers using acoustic pressure

This paper introduces a method to create supported plasma membrane bilayers by bursting GPMVs with ultrasonic pressure, preserving outer leaflet molecule mobility.

On the mechanism of bilayer separation by extrusion; or, why your large unilamellar vesicles are not really unilamellar

This paper shows extruded vesicles are often multilamellar, not unilamellar, and identifies factors that influence lamellarity.

Cell-derived plasma membrane vesicles are permeable to hydrophilic macromolecules

This paper shows that GPMVs are permeable to hydrophilic macromolecules through stable pores formed during preparation, challenging the assumption that they are sealed.

The Desmosome is a Mesoscale Lipid Raft-Like Membrane Domain

The paper identifies a mutation in the desmoglein TMD that disrupts lipid raft association and desmosome formation, revealing a mesoscale lipid raft-like domain in desmosomes.