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Lipid flip-flop vs. lateral diffusion in the relaxation of hemifusion diaphragms
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Lipid flip-flop vs. lateral diffusion in the relaxation of hemifusion diaphragms

Jasmine M Gardner and Cameron F Abrams
Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes, v 1860(7), pp 1452-1459
Jul 2018
PMID: 29684332
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbamem.2018.04.007View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Lipid Bilayers - chemistry Membrane Fusion Diffusion Molecular Dynamics Simulation
Molecular dynamics simulations of a solvent-free coarse-grained lipid model are used to characterize the mechanisms by which lipid-bilayer hemifusion diaphragm (HD) intermediates relax, across a range of global compositions of negative intrinsic curvature (NIC) lipids and neutral-curvature lipids. At low concentrations of NIC lipids, rapid fission produces a double bilayer end state through a lateral diffusion-based mechanism enabled by spontaneous rim-pore defects. At moderately higher NIC lipid concentrations, rim pores are absent and stable leaflet three-junctions persist, revealing an HD relaxation mechanism entirely reliant on lipid flip-flop, and end states that are either stable fusion pores or stable HD's. These fusogenic systems exhibit dynamics highly dependent on NIC lipid concentration via an underlying sensitivity of flip-flop rates for neutral lipids on NIC lipid concentration. This work illustrates that HD dynamics may be altered through regulation of lipid composition in the immediate three-junction region. This work further highlights the potential role of flippases in biological fusion and the importance of lipid composition on fusion dynamics.

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Web of Science research areas
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Biophysics
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