Abstract
Long chain acyl-coenzyme A (acyl-CoA) is a biochemically important amphiphilic molecule that is known to partition strongly into membranes by insertion of the acyl chain. At present, microscopically resolved evidence is lacking on how acyl-CoA influences and organizes laterally in membranes. By atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging of membranes exposed to acyl-CoA in μM concentrations, it is shown that aggregate formation takes place within the membrane upon long-time exposure. It is known that acyl-CoA is bound by acyl-CoA binding protein (ACBP) with high affinity and specificity and that ACBP may bind and desorb membrane-bound acyl-CoA via a partly unknown mechanism. Following incubation with acyl-CoA, it is shown that ACBP is able to reverse the formation of acyl-CoA aggregates and to associate peripherally with acyl-CoA on the membrane surface. Our microscopic results point to the role of ACBP as an intermembrane transporter of acyl-CoA and demonstrate the ability of AFM to reveal the remodelling of membranes by surfactants and proteins.
Original language | English |
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Journal | FEBS Letters |
Volume | 552 |
Issue number | 2-3 |
Pages (from-to) | 253-258 |
Number of pages | 6 |
ISSN | 0014-5793 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 25 Sep 2003 |
Keywords
- Acyl-coenzyme A binding protein
- Atomic force microscopy
- Lipid bilayer membrane
- Long chain fatty acyl-coenzyme A
- Phosphatidylcholine