Effects of seaweed sterols fucosterol and demosterol on lipid membranes

TY - JOUR

T1 - Effects of seaweed sterols fucosterol and demosterol on lipid membranes

AU - Mouritsen, Ole G.

AU - Bagatolli, Luis

AU - Duelund, Lars

AU - Garvik, Olav

AU - Ipsen, John Hjort

AU - Simonsen, Adam Cohen

PY - 2017/6/1

Y1 - 2017/6/1

N2 - Higher sterols are universally present in large amounts (20–30%) in the plasma membranes of all eukaryotes whereas they are universally absent in prokaryotes. It is remarkable that each kingdom of the eukaryotes has chosen, during the course of evolution, its preferred sterol: cholesterol in animals, ergosterol in fungi and yeast, phytosterols in higher plants, and e.g., fucosterol and desmosterol in algae. The question arises as to which specific properties do sterols impart to membranes and to which extent do these properties differ among the different sterols. Using a range of biophysical techniques, including calorimetry, fluorescence microscopy, vesicle-fluctuation analysis, and atomic force microscopy, we have found that fucosterol and desmosterol, found in red and brown macroalgae (seaweeds), similar to cholesterol support liquid-ordered membrane phases and induce coexistence between liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered domains in lipid bilayers. Fucosterol and desmosterol induce acyl-chain order in liquid membranes, but less effectively than cholesterol and ergosterol in the order: cholesterol > ergosterol > desmosterol > fucosterol, possibly reflecting the different molecular structure of the sterols at the hydrocarbon tail.

AB - Higher sterols are universally present in large amounts (20–30%) in the plasma membranes of all eukaryotes whereas they are universally absent in prokaryotes. It is remarkable that each kingdom of the eukaryotes has chosen, during the course of evolution, its preferred sterol: cholesterol in animals, ergosterol in fungi and yeast, phytosterols in higher plants, and e.g., fucosterol and desmosterol in algae. The question arises as to which specific properties do sterols impart to membranes and to which extent do these properties differ among the different sterols. Using a range of biophysical techniques, including calorimetry, fluorescence microscopy, vesicle-fluctuation analysis, and atomic force microscopy, we have found that fucosterol and desmosterol, found in red and brown macroalgae (seaweeds), similar to cholesterol support liquid-ordered membrane phases and induce coexistence between liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered domains in lipid bilayers. Fucosterol and desmosterol induce acyl-chain order in liquid membranes, but less effectively than cholesterol and ergosterol in the order: cholesterol > ergosterol > desmosterol > fucosterol, possibly reflecting the different molecular structure of the sterols at the hydrocarbon tail.

U2 - 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2017.03.010

DO - 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2017.03.010

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 28365392

SN - 0009-3084

VL - 205

SP - 1

EP - 10

JO - Chemistry and Physics of Lipids

JF - Chemistry and Physics of Lipids

ER -