Browsing by Author "Fragneto, G"
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- ItemCalcium mediated interaction of calf-thymus DNA with monolayers of distearoylphosphatidylcholine: a neutron and X-ray reflectivity study(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2013-01-01) Dabkowska, AP; Talbot, JP; Cavalcanti, L; Webster, JRP; Nelson, A; Barlow, DJ; Fragneto, G; Lawrence, MJX-ray and neutron reflection studies, the latter in conjunction with contrast variation, have been combined to study the interaction of calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) with monolayers of distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC) in the presence of 20 mM Ca2+ ions, at the air-liquid interface as a function of surface pressure (10, 20, 30 and 40 mN m-1). Analysis of the X-ray and neutron reflection data showed that, regardless of the surface pressure of the monolayer, a layer of ctDNA was present below the DSPC lipid head groups and that this ctDNA-containing layer (thickness [similar]12.5 to 15 A) was separated from the DSPC head groups by a layer of water of [similar]9 A thickness. The thickness of the ctDNA-containing layer was thinner than that reported for monolayers of cationic lipid at the air-water interface (18-25 A) although in these monolayers no water layer separating the lipid head groups from the layer containing ctDNA has been reported. At all surface pressures the amount of ctDNA present in the layer was in the range 30-40% by volume. As no significant re-arrangement of the DSPC film was required to accommodate the presence of the ctDNA, this suggests that the distribution of charges in the lipid film matches well the charge spacing of ctDNA. Brewster angle microscopy measurements of DSPC on water in the absence of Ca2+ showed the presence of a continuous film containing small, regular shaped domains at all four surface pressures examined. When Ca2+ ions were present in the sub-phase, although the film was still continuous, the domains comprising the film were more irregular in appearance while the presence of Ca2+ ions and ctDNA resulted in the domains becoming smaller and more regularly packed on the surface. © 2013, Royal Society of Chemistry.
- ItemEffect of functionalized gold nanoparticles on floating lipid bilayers(American Chemical Society, 2013-06-04) Tatur, S; Maccarini, M; Barker, R; Nelson, A; Fragneto, GThe development of novel nano-engineered materials poses important questions regarding the impact of these new materials on living systems. Possible adverse effects must be assessed in order to prevent risks for health and the environment. On the other hand, a thorough understanding of their interaction with biological systems might also result in the creation of novel biomedical applications. We present a study on the interaction of model lipid membranes with gold nanoparticles (AuNP) of different surface modifications. Neutron reflectometry experiments on zwitterionic lipid double bilayers were performed in the presence of AuNP functionalized with cationic and anionic head groups. Structural information was obtained that provided insight into the fate of the AuNPs with regard to the integrity of the model cell membranes. The AuNPs functionalized with cationic head groups penetrate into the hydrophobic moiety of the lipid bilayers and cause membrane disruption at an increased concentration. In contrast, the AuNPs functionalized with anionic head groups do not enter but seem to impede the destruction of the lipid bilayer at an alkaline pH. The information obtained might influence the strategy for a better nanoparticle risk assessment based on a surface charge evaluation and contribute to nano-safety considerations during their design. © 2013, American Chemical Society.
- ItemInvestigation on the relationship between lipid composition and structure in model membranes composed of extracted natural phospholipids(Elsevier B. V., 2023-01-11) Santamaria, A; Batchu, KC; Fragneto, G; Laux, V; Haertlein, M; Darwish, TA; Russell, RA; Zaccai, NR; Guzmán, E; Maestro, AHypothesis Unravelling the structural diversity of cellular membranes is a paramount challenge in life sciences. In particular, lipid composition affects the membrane collective behaviour, and its interactions with other biological molecules. Experiments Here, the relationship between membrane composition and resultant structural features was investigated by surface pressure-area isotherms, Brewster angle microscopy and neutron reflectometry on in vitro membrane models of the mammalian plasma and endoplasmic-reticulum-Golgi intermediate compartment membranes in the form of Langmuir monolayers. Natural extracted yeast lipids were used because, unlike synthetic lipids, the acyl chain saturation pattern of yeast and mammalian lipids are similar. Findings The structure of the model membranes, orthogonal to the plane of the membrane, as well as their lateral packing, were found to depend strongly on their specific composition, with cholesterol having a major influence on the in-plane morphology, yielding a coexistence of liquid-order and liquid-disorder phases. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.
- ItemLipid bilayer degradation induced by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as revealed by neutron reflectometry(Springer Nature Limited, 2021-07-21) Luchini, A; Micciulla, S; Corucci, G; Batchu, KC; Santamaria, A; Laux, V; Darwish, TA; Russell, RA; Thépaut, M; Bally, I; Fieschi, F; Fragneto, GSARS-CoV-2 spike proteins are responsible for the membrane fusion event, which allows the virus to enter the host cell and cause infection. This process starts with the binding of the spike extramembrane domain to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a membrane receptor highly abundant in the lungs. In this study, the extramembrane domain of SARS-CoV-2 Spike (sSpike) was injected on model membranes formed by supported lipid bilayers in presence and absence of the soluble part of receptor ACE2 (sACE2), and the structural features were studied at sub-nanometer level by neutron reflection. In all cases the presence of the protein produced a remarkable degradation of the lipid bilayer. Indeed, both for membranes from synthetic and natural lipids, a significant reduction of the surface coverage was observed. Quartz crystal microbalance measurements showed that lipid extraction starts immediately after sSpike protein injection. All measurements indicate that the presence of proteins induces the removal of membrane lipids, both in the presence and in the absence of ACE2, suggesting that sSpike molecules strongly associate with lipids, and strip them away from the bilayer, via a non-specific interaction. A cooperative effect of sACE2 and sSpike on lipid extraction was also observed. © 2021 The Authors CC BY 4.0
- ItemNew sources and instrumentation for neutrons in biology(Elsevier, 2008-04-18) Teixeira, SCM; Zaccai, G; Ankner, J; Bellissent-Funel, MC; Bewley, RI; Blakeley, MP; Callow, P; Coates, L; Dahint, R; Dalgliesh, R; Dencher, NA; Forsyth, VT; Fragneto, G; Frick, B; Gilles, R; Gutberlet, T; Haertlein, M; Hauß, T; Häußler, W; Heller, WT; Herwig, K; Holderer, O; Juranyi, F; Kampmann, R; Knott, RB; Krueger, S; Langan, P; Lechner, RE; Lynn, GW; Majkrzak, CF; May, RP; Meilleur, F; Mo, Y; Mortensen, K; Myles, DAA; Natali, F; Neylon, C; Niimura, N; Ollivier, J; Ostermann, A; Peters, J; Pieper, J; Rühm, A; Schwahn, D; Shibata, K; Soper, AK; Strässle, T; Suzuki, J; Tanaka, I; Tehei, M; Timmins, P; Torikai, N; Unruh, T; Urban, V; Vavrin, R; Weiss, KNeutron radiation offers significant advantages for the study of biological molecular structure and dynamics. A broad and significant effort towards instrumental and methodological development to facilitate biology experiments at neutron sources worldwide is reviewed. © 2008, Elsevier Ltd.
- ItemStrikingly different roles of SARS-CoV‑2 fusion peptides uncovered by neutron scattering(American Chemical Society (ACS), 2022-02-14) Santamaria, A; Batchu, KC; Matsarskaia, O; Prévost, SF; Russo, D; Natali, F; Seydel, T; Hoffmann, I; Laux, V; Haertlein, M; Darwish, TA; Russell, RA; Corucci, G; Fragneto, G; Maestro, A; Zaccai, NRCoronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), a potentially lethal respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, emerged in the end of 2019 and has since spread aggressively across the globe. A thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cellular infection by coronaviruses is therefore of utmost importance. A critical stage in infection is the fusion between viral and host membranes. Here, we present a detailed investigation of the role of selected SARS-CoV-2 Spike fusion peptides, and the influence of calcium and cholesterol, in this fusion process. Structural information from specular neutron reflectometry and small angle neutron scattering, complemented by dynamics information from quasi-elastic and spin-echo neutron spectroscopy, revealed strikingly different functions encoded in the Spike fusion domain. Calcium drives the N-terminal of the Spike fusion domain to fully cross the host plasma membrane. Removing calcium, however, reorients the peptide back to the lipid leaflet closest to the virus, leading to significant changes in lipid fluidity and rigidity. In conjunction with other regions of the fusion domain, which are also positioned to bridge and dehydrate viral and host membranes, the molecular events leading to cell entry by SARS-CoV-2 are proposed. © 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This publication is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0.