Lipid Membrane Structure and Behavior

How does Mycoplasma pneumoniae steal lipids from its host membranes?

This study identifies how Mycoplasma pneumoniae uses the protein P116 to transport lipids between membranes without ATP, revealing a simplified lipid uptake mechanism.

Dynamin A as a one-component division machinery for synthetic cells

This study demonstrates that Dynamin A can split dumbbell-shaped liposomes, functioning as a one-component division machinery for synthetic cells.

The cell wall polymer initiates plasma membrane partitioning in mycobacteria

The paper shows that the cell wall polymer, not active polymerization, is critical for membrane partitioning in Mycobacterium smegmatis.

Membrane cholesterol regulates inhibition and substrate transport by the glycine transporter, GlyT2

This study shows how membrane cholesterol modulates GlyT2 function and lipid inhibition, with implications for developing new analgesics.

Calcium-triggered DNA-mediated membrane fusion in synthetic cells

This paper develops a calcium-triggered DNA-mediated membrane fusion strategy using surface-bound PEG chains cleavable by calpain-1.

Dissecting peripheral protein-membrane interfaces

The paper analyzes amino acid composition and structural patterns in peripheral membrane protein interfaces using experimental and AlphaFold models to identify key residues and functional motifs.

A synthetic membrane shaper for controlled liposome deformation

This paper introduces a DNA-based tool called SMS to generate controlled liposome shapes like stomatocytes and dumbbells, compatible with protein reconstitution.

Actuating tension-loaded DNA clamps drives membrane tubulation

This paper demonstrates DNA clamps that, when triggered by specific signals, induce membrane tubulation in GUVs by releasing stored energy through conformational changes.

Seasonal changes in membrane structure and excitability in central neurons of goldfish (Carassius auratus) under constant environmental conditions

The paper shows seasonal changes in goldfish retinal neurons' membrane structure and excitability under constant environmental conditions, indicating internal seasonal regulation of CNS activity.

Unraveling membrane properties at the organelle-level with LipidDyn

LipidDyn is a computational pipeline that analyzes MD simulations of membranes with varying compositions to extract properties like area per lipid and thickness.

Metabolically-Incorporated Deuterium in Myelin Localized by Neutron Diffraction and Identified by Mass Spectrometry

This paper uses neutron diffraction and mass spectrometry to detect and localize deuterium in myelin, showing differences in deuteration levels between developing pups and their mothers.

Experimental platform for the functional investigation of membrane proteins in giant unilamellar vesicles

The paper compares two GUV formation techniques and evaluates their impact on vesicle structure and protein incorporation.

pH-Triggered Assembly of Endomembrane Multicompartments in Synthetic Cells

This paper describes a method to assemble compartmentalized giant unilamellar vesicles using pH-triggered self-assembly, enabling the reconstruction of multiple cellular phenotypes.

Cholesterol plays a decisive role in tetraspanin assemblies during bilayer deformations

This study investigates how cholesterol influences CD81 tetraspanin conformational changes and membrane deformation through molecular dynamics simulations.

Expression of fatty acyl-CoA ligase drives one-pot de novo synthesis of membrane-bound vesicles in a cell free transcription-translation system

The paper demonstrates a method to synthesize membrane-bound vesicles using a cell-free system by coupling fatty acyl-CoA ligase expression with lipid precursors.

Optimized cDICE for efficient reconstitution of biological systems in giant unilamellar vesicles

This paper optimizes the cDICE method to produce high-quality, defect-free GUVs with efficient encapsulation of complex biochemical systems.

Surfactant-free production of biomimetic artificial cells using PDMS-based microfluidics

This paper introduces a microfluidic platform for producing surfactant-free, additive-free biomimetic giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) using PDMS-based devices.

Chemoenzymatic Generation of Phospholipid Membranes Mediated by Type I Fatty Acid Synthase

This paper describes a chemoenzymatic method using bacterial fatty acid synthase to generate phospholipid membranes from acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA precursors.

The mechanism of full activation of tumor suppressor PTEN at the phosphoinositide-enriched membrane

This study uses explicit solvent simulations to reveal how PTEN interacts with phosphoinositide-enriched membranes, elucidating its mechanism of activation and membrane anchoring.

Cholesterol recognition motifs in the transmembrane domain of the tyrosine kinase receptor family: the case for TRKB

The paper identifies CRAC and CARC motifs in RTK transmembrane domains, showing cholesterol interaction with TRKB's CARC motif and its effect on BDNF binding.

Using open data to rapidly benchmark biomolecular simulations: Phospholipid conformational dynamics

The paper benchmarks MD models of phospholipid bilayers against NMR data, finding that CHARMM36 and Slipids better capture conformational dynamics than other force fields.

A method for detection of permeation events in Molecular Dynamics simulations of lipid bilayers

This paper introduces a method to detect permeation events in lipid bilayer simulations, showing permeation frequency and time are independent of force fields and cholesterol reduces permeation.

Addressing differentiation in live human keratinocytes by assessment of membrane packing order

This study develops a live-cell method to assess keratinocyte differentiation using membrane packing order as a marker, applicable at single-cell and high-throughput levels.

Cholesterol sensing by CD81 is important for hepatitis C virus entry

This study investigates how CD81 senses cholesterol and how this affects its function as a hepatitis C virus receptor, finding that cholesterol binding regulates CD81's conformation and receptor activity.

Lipid Sponge Droplets as Programmable Synthetic Organelles

This paper introduces lipid sponge droplets as programmable synthetic organelles that can sequester proteins, enhance reaction rates, and control enzymatic reactions through reversible and optically controlled interactions.

An agent-based model of molecular aggregation at the cell membrane

The paper introduces an agent-based model to simulate molecular aggregation at the plasma membrane, showing it can recapitulate observed distributions using simple rules.

Barcoding biological reactions with DNA-functionalized vesicles

This paper demonstrates DNA-functionalized vesicles that enable targeted fusion and controlled protein expression in vitro.

Microfluidic trapping of vesicles reveals membrane-tension dependent FtsZ cytoskeletal re-organisation

This study uses microfluidic traps to deform GUVs into non-spherical shapes and observes how FtsZ organization changes in response to membrane geometry.

Membrane composition influences the conformation and function of the dopamine transporter in vivo

This study shows that the lipid environment affects dopamine transporter function, specifically influencing amphetamine response in mice.

Evidence for Membrane Complex Assembly in Nanoelectrospray Generated Lipid Bilayers

The paper presents evidence that nanoelectrospray can enable membrane protein complexes to self-assemble in lipid bilayers.