Rohith Ravi , Evgeniy S. Salnikov , Burkhard Bechinger , Mounir Tarek
{"title":"Structural and dynamics of apoA-1 mimetic peptide lipid nanodisc assemblies: A molecular dynamics study","authors":"Rohith Ravi , Evgeniy S. Salnikov , Burkhard Bechinger , Mounir Tarek","doi":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184495","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184495","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) mimetic peptides, inspired by the principal protein component of high-density lipoprotein, self-assemble with lipids to form discoidal nanodiscs widely used in biomedical research and as versatile scaffolds for characterization of membrane proteins in structural biology. Here, we investigate the 14A apoA-I mimetic, quantifying its orientation around the lipid bilayer and identifying the interactions that are crucial for nanodisc stability and dynamics using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. To assess model fidelity, we back-calculated solid-state NMR observables, namely <sup>15</sup>N chemical shifts and <sup>2</sup>H quadrupolar splittings from the trajectories and compared them with previously reported solid-state NMR data. The simulations support a dimeric, antiparallel, belt-like arrangement of 14A peptides around the discoidal bilayer, stabilized by <span><math><mrow><mi>π</mi><mo>−</mo><mi>π</mi></mrow></math></span> stacking between aromatic residues and by electrostatic and hydrophobic peptide–lipid interactions. These interactions yield structurally stable nanodiscs with pronounced heterogeneity in lipid ordering and bilayer thickness between the nanodisc center and rim. Collectively, our MD results provide atomistic evidence for previously hypothesized peptide–peptide and peptide–lipid interactions and clarify how amphipathic helices organize to form the rim of discoidal nanodiscs. These insights inform the rational design of apoA-I mimetics for biomedical applications and the optimization of nanodiscs as platforms for studying membrane proteins.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8831,"journal":{"name":"Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes","volume":"1868 2","pages":"Article 184495"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145653414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nanoscopic remodeling of lipid bilayers by cell-penetrating peptide penetratin","authors":"Yasith Indigahawela Gamage, Jianjun Pan","doi":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184496","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184496","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) such as penetratin are known to traverse lipid membranes, yet the nanoscale structural consequences of their membrane interactions remain incompletely understood. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), we visualized penetratin-induced remodeling in supported lipid bilayers (SLBs), focusing on discrete POPC bilayer patches whose exposed edges sensitively report early structural changes. In POPC patches, penetratin first accumulated at patch boundaries, forming elevated peripheral rings, and at higher concentrations generated shallow nanoscale pits across the patch interior. Continuous POPC bilayers exhibited a closely parallel pathway—elevated protrusions at 1 μM penetratin and widespread nanoscale pore-like depressions at 2–4 μM—indicating that similar peptide–lipid structures form even without membrane edges. Bilayers containing anionic POPS showed greatly enhanced susceptibility, progressing from peripheral depressions and aggregates to full fragmentation into nanoscale lipid–peptide particles, whereas cholesterol-containing bilayers remained largely resistant, developing only a few isolated deep defects. Our findings reveal an array of penetratin-induced remodeling events shaped by membrane composition and geometry, providing new mechanistic insight into how penetratin modulates membrane structure at the nanoscale.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8831,"journal":{"name":"Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes","volume":"1868 2","pages":"Article 184496"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145877506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mechanistic insight into the role of lipoglycopeptide drugs in hepatotoxicity","authors":"Akash Kumar Jha , Vetriselvan Subramaniyan , Raj Gupta , Arabinda Saha , Ashutosh Kumar","doi":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184497","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184497","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding how antibiotics interact with membranes is crucial for predicting their off-target effects, particularly hepatotoxicity. This work compares two clinically important glycopeptide antibiotics, Teicoplanin and Oritavancin, using an integrative approach that combines in vivo pathology, lipid biophysics, drug-lipid interactions by NMR spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations. Despite causing little direct disruption to lipid membranes, Teicoplanin produced significant hepatotoxicity, including increased liver enzymes and histopathological loss. Teicoplanin localises at the membrane–aqueous interface, where it forms stable surface-level interactions that have the potential to periodically disrupt membrane-associated processes. On the other hand, due to its deep insertion into the bilayer core, Oritavancin exhibited a more benign hepatic profile, despite causing stronger membrane perturbation. Long-term cellular stress is probably mitigated by this embedded configuration, which facilitates less interaction with membrane receptors. These findings demonstrate that glycopeptide-induced hepatotoxicity is governed by the topology and duration of membrane interactions rather than simply by their magnitude. The study promotes a lipid-centric framework for the logical development of safer, membrane-active treatments and emphasises the value of lipid membrane models and atomistic simulations as predictive tools in early-stage drug evaluation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8831,"journal":{"name":"Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes","volume":"1868 2","pages":"Article 184497"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145877442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mikhail V. Dubinin , Anna I. Ilzorkina , Anastasia D. Igoshkina , Natalia V. Mikina , Rezeda R. Khalitova , Nikita V. Penkov , Natalia V. Belosludtseva , Anna Y. Spivak , Konstantin N. Belosludtsev
{"title":"Study of the effects of phenolic acids and their triphenylphosphonium derivatives on the permeability and state of liposomal membrane, the functional activity of isolated rat liver mitochondria, and the survival of MCF-7 cells","authors":"Mikhail V. Dubinin , Anna I. Ilzorkina , Anastasia D. Igoshkina , Natalia V. Mikina , Rezeda R. Khalitova , Nikita V. Penkov , Natalia V. Belosludtseva , Anna Y. Spivak , Konstantin N. Belosludtsev","doi":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184473","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184473","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study shows the effects of phenolic acids (gallic, coumaric, caffeic, and ferulic) and their triphenylphosphonium (TPP<sup>+</sup>) derivatives on the state of liposomal membrane, the functioning of isolated rat liver mitochondria, and the survival of MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma cells. It was demonstrated that alkyltriphenylphosphonium esters of phenolic acids in contrast to their parental compounds, increase liposome membrane permeability to sulforhodamine B without altering their phase state. These derivatives also exhibit uncoupling effects on oxidative phosphorylation, reducing membrane potential and stimulating oxygen consumption in mitochondria fueled by glutamate/malate (substrate for complex I of the respiratory chain) or succinate (substrate for complex II). In addition, the compounds reduced the ability of mitochondria to uptake and retain Ca<sup>2+</sup>, suggesting their influence on calcium homeostasis. Conjugation of phenolic acids with the TPP<sup>+</sup> moiety significantly enhanced their cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 cells. This study establishes a clear structure-activity relationship, demonstrating that conjugation with TPP<sup>+</sup> via an ester linker is an advantageous strategy for enhancing the mitochondrial targeting and bioactivity of phenolic acids compared to amide linkage or the parental compounds.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8831,"journal":{"name":"Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes","volume":"1868 1","pages":"Article 184473"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145290780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chamari S. Wijesooriya , Sharifur Rahman , Emily A. Smith
{"title":"Effect of amyloid-beta 1–40 and 1–42 peptides on the lateral diffusion and signaling of receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE)","authors":"Chamari S. Wijesooriya , Sharifur Rahman , Emily A. Smith","doi":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184485","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184485","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) is a pattern recognition receptor that interacts with different ligands, including the amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides, to initiate signaling pathways and create pro-inflammatory mediators. Receptor diffusion plays an important role in its functionality; for example, lateral mobility is needed for the assembly of signaling complexes. However, the effect of Aβ ligand binding on the diffusion of RAGE and its correlation with RAGE-mediated signaling have not been studied. This study investigated the impact of Aβ 1–40 and Aβ 1–42 on RAGE's lateral diffusion and MAPK signaling. Differing in length by only two amino acids, these two most prominent Aβ isoforms have differing cellular toxicities: Aβ 1–42 is considered the more toxic form. Single-particle tracking measurements showed that both Aβ 1–40 and Aβ 1–42 altered RAGE diffusion in HEK293 cells compared to a ligand untreated control, although the effects were different for each peptide. Aβ 1–42 treatment enhanced the activation of both p38 and p44/42 MAPKs via RAGE, whereas Aβ 1–40 treatment did not significantly increase p38 activation. These results are consistent with the greater toxicity of Aβ 1–42: p38 MAPK is often associated with stress-stimuli and inflammation whereas p44/42 MAPK is more commonly associated with growth factors and cell proliferation. The results show that differing cellular toxicities of Aβ 1–40 and Aβ 1–42 are also associated with divergent effects on RAGE diffusion and MAPK signal pathway activation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8831,"journal":{"name":"Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes","volume":"1868 1","pages":"Article 184485"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145572673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tubulation of membrane sheets by curvature-inducing proteins","authors":"Emad Ghazizadeh , Mahdi Zeidi , Wylie Stroberg","doi":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184484","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184484","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a highly dynamic organelle that undergoes continuous remodeling between tubular and sheet-like structures, driven by curvature-inducing proteins and membrane mechanics. Understanding the physical principles underlying ER shape transitions is crucial for elucidating its role in cellular homeostasis and disease. In this study, we use a mesoscopic model of membrane-protein interactions to investigate how intrinsic curvature, protein concentration, and membrane stiffening collectively regulate ER tubulation. Our results demonstrate that the critical concentration for tubulation depends nonlinearly on intrinsic curvature due to a competition between adsorption and remodeling ability. Additionally, increased membrane stiffness upon protein adsorption enhances tubulation efficiency at lower intrinsic curvatures and changes tubule geometry at higher intrinsic curvatures. Phase diagrams are constructed to map the conditions necessary for membrane remodeling, revealing critical protein concentration thresholds for ER transformation. These findings provide a quantitative framework for ER shape regulation, offering insights into how different curvature-inducing proteins coordinate ER morphogenesis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8831,"journal":{"name":"Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes","volume":"1868 1","pages":"Article 184484"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145562584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Agnieszka Chytła , Agnieszka Biernatowska , Weronika Gajdzik-Nowak , Aleksander F. Sikorski , Aleksander Czogalla
{"title":"MPP1 controls lipid domain remodelling in giant vesicles containing reconstituted flotillins","authors":"Agnieszka Chytła , Agnieszka Biernatowska , Weronika Gajdzik-Nowak , Aleksander F. Sikorski , Aleksander Czogalla","doi":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184471","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184471","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Membrane palmitoylated protein 1 (MPP1), a protein found to directly interact with flotillins, has been shown to play a crucial role as a raft-capturing molecule, modulating dynamics of flotillin-nanodomains and affects plasma membrane (PM) organisation in native erythroid cells. This study aims to reconstitute the flotillin-MPP1 complexes in a minimal membrane-based system to check its ability to govern domain formation and modulate fluidity and phase separation of membranes comprising simple ternary lipid mixtures. Using recombinant flotillins reconstituted into giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) and fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM), we have shown that MPP1 promotes membrane remodelling and triggers the coexistence of liquid-ordered (L<sub>o</sub>) and liquid-disordered (L<sub>d</sub>) domains. Additionally, we examined whether palmitoylation of MPP1 affects lipid bilayers and demonstrated that it exerts a certain influence on membrane organisation. Our data highlights that flotillin-MPP1 assemblies are sufficient and necessary to modulate the lateral organisation of lipid bilayers, pointing to their crucial role in PM organisation. Additionally, we propose a new toolset for successful flotillin reconstitution in GUVs, which is a viable platform compatible with a wide spectrum of flotillin-based studies on model membrane systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8831,"journal":{"name":"Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes","volume":"1868 1","pages":"Article 184471"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145249414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eric Umehara , Carlos Henrique T. dos Santos , Laura F. da Silva , Fernanda Thevenard , André G. Tempone , Matheus E. Rosa , Luciano Caseli , João Henrique G. Lago
{"title":"Exploring the antitrypanosomal activity of viscidone, an acetophenone derivative from Baccharis retusa (Asteraceae), using biomembrane models","authors":"Eric Umehara , Carlos Henrique T. dos Santos , Laura F. da Silva , Fernanda Thevenard , André G. Tempone , Matheus E. Rosa , Luciano Caseli , João Henrique G. Lago","doi":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184477","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184477","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluated the antiprotozoal activity of viscidone, an acetophenone isolated from <em>Baccharis retusa</em>, against trypomastigote forms of <em>Trypanosoma cruzi</em>. Viscidone showed potent antiparasitic effects (EC₅₀ = 21.3 ± 1.4 μM), comparable to benznidazole, and exhibited no cytotoxicity toward NCTC mammalian cells (CC₅₀ > 200 μM), resulting in a selectivity index (SI) higher than 9.4. To explore its mechanism of action, biophysical analyses using DPPE Langmuir monolayers as biomimetic membranes revealed that viscidone strongly interacts with lipid interfaces - expanding monolayers, decreasing compressional and viscoelastic moduli, and inducing microdomain formation, as observed by Brewster angle microscopy. These results indicate that viscidone disrupts PE-rich lipid domains, a hallmark of protozoan membranes. Its ability to insert into lipid layers under high surface pressures and its synergistic behavior with the membrane matrix support membrane perturbation as a likely mechanism underlying its antiparasitic effect. Overall, this multidisciplinary study identifies viscidone as a promising lead for antitrypanosomal drug development and highlights the value of membrane biophysics in antiparasitic research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8831,"journal":{"name":"Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes","volume":"1868 1","pages":"Article 184477"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145336424","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
L. Stefania Vargas-Velez, Florencia Hellriegel , Mariela R. Monti, Natalia Wilke
{"title":"Bacterial cell susceptibility to the antimicrobial peptide MP1 depends on membrane lipid packing","authors":"L. Stefania Vargas-Velez, Florencia Hellriegel , Mariela R. Monti, Natalia Wilke","doi":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184486","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184486","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Polybia-MP1 is an antimicrobial peptide with broad-spectrum activity, but with varying efficacy against different bacterial strains. It is proposed to act on the cell membrane, and therefore, the higher tolerance of some strains may be attributed to differences in their membrane properties. Considering this hypothesis, we studied the biophysical properties of the membrane for bacteria with different susceptibility to the peptide. We found that high tolerance to the peptide correlates with lipid membranes of high microviscosity and stiffness, factors that in turn depend on lipid packing. We propose that high lipid packing slows peptide penetration into membranes and the subsequent disruption of the bilayer, limiting its action. Therefore, we conclude that lipid packing is an important factor determining the differences in susceptibility among bacteria. This interplay between peptide action and membrane properties hinders the development of bacterial resistance to the peptide, since alterations in lipid composition lead to various changes in membrane properties, which in turn have differential effects on cell function.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8831,"journal":{"name":"Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes","volume":"1868 1","pages":"Article 184486"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145562492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mariana Biscaia-Caleiras , Ana Sofia Lourenço , João Nuno Moreira , Sérgio Simões
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Unveiling the impact of membrane fluidity in shaping lipid-based drug delivery systems development.” [Biochim. Biophys. Acta (BBA) – Biomembr. Volume 1868, Issue 1, January 2026, 184461]","authors":"Mariana Biscaia-Caleiras , Ana Sofia Lourenço , João Nuno Moreira , Sérgio Simões","doi":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184479","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbamem.2025.184479","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8831,"journal":{"name":"Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes","volume":"1868 1","pages":"Article 184479"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145470391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}