Publication

The structure of melittin in membranes

Horst Arthur Vogel
1986
Journal Articles

Abstract

The conformation of the polypeptide melittin in lipid membranes as detd. by Raman spectroscopy is a bent a-helix formed by the mainly hydrophobic residues 1-21, and a nonhelical C-terminal segment of the hydrophilic residues 22-26. Fluorescence quenching expts. on tryptophan (Trp)-19 reveal that all C-termini are located on that side of a vesicular membrane to which melittin was added. By fluorescence energy transfer between unmodified and modified Trp-19 residues, melittin is shown to aggregate in membranes predominantly in the form of tetramers. These and previous results on the location and orientation of melittin permit the development of a model for the structure of melittin tetramers in membranes. The hydrophilic sides of 4 bilayer-spanning helixes face each other to form a hydrophilic pore through the membrane. [on SciFinder (R)]

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/50853e8e-b9eb-4563-92cb-ac5f515d7110

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Horst Arthur Vogel
1986
Journal Articles

Abstract

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/50853e8e-b9eb-4563-92cb-ac5f515d7110

About this result

Related concepts (32)

Cell membrane

The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment (the extracellular space). The cell membrane consists of a lipid bilayer, made up of two layers of phospholipids with cholesterols (a lipid component) interspersed between them, maintaining appropriate membrane fluidity at various temperatures.

Lipid raft

The plasma membranes of cells contain combinations of glycosphingolipids, cholesterol and protein receptors organised in glycolipoprotein lipid microdomains termed lipid rafts. Their existence in cellular membranes remains somewhat controversial. It has been proposed that they are specialized membrane microdomains which compartmentalize cellular processes by serving as organising centers for the assembly of signaling molecules, allowing a closer interaction of protein receptors and their effectors to promote kinetically favorable interactions necessary for the signal transduction.

Lipid bilayer

The lipid bilayer (or phospholipid bilayer) is a thin polar membrane made of two layers of lipid molecules. These membranes are flat sheets that form a continuous barrier around all cells. The cell membranes of almost all organisms and many viruses are made of a lipid bilayer, as are the nuclear membrane surrounding the cell nucleus, and membranes of the membrane-bound organelles in the cell. The lipid bilayer is the barrier that keeps ions, proteins and other molecules where they are needed and prevents them from diffusing into areas where they should not be.

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The structure of melittin in membranes

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