Release of content through mechano-sensitive gates in pressurized liposomes

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Nov 16;107(46):19856-60. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1001316107. Epub 2010 Nov 1.

Abstract

Mechano-sensitive channels are ubiquitous membrane proteins that activate in response to increasing tension in the lipid membrane. They facilitate a sudden, nonselective release of solutes and water that safeguards the integrity of the cell in hypo- or hyper-osmotic shock conditions. We have simulated the rapid release of content from a pressurized liposome through a particular mechano-sensitive protein channel, MscL, embedded in the liposomal membrane. We show that a single channel is able to relax the liposome, stressed to the point of bursting, in a matter of microseconds. We map the full activation-deactivation cycle of MscL in near-atomic detail and are able to quantify the rapid decrease in liposomal stress as a result of channel activation. This provides a computational tool that opens the way to contribute to the rational design of functional nano-containers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Elasticity
  • Ion Channel Gating / physiology*
  • Ion Channels / chemistry
  • Ion Channels / metabolism
  • Liposomes / metabolism*
  • Mechanotransduction, Cellular*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Pressure*
  • Rheology
  • Solvents
  • Stress, Physiological
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Ion Channels
  • Liposomes
  • Solvents
  • Tb-MscL protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis