Stacks of monogalactolipid bilayers can transform into a lattice of water channels.

ABSTRACT: The lipid matrix of thylakoid membranes is a lamellar bilayer, but under a certain condition it can convert locally into a nonlamellar structure. This is possible because one of the main membrane lipids, MGDG, promotes the formation of an inverse hexagonal phase. Here, the spontaneous transformation of aligned hydrated MGDG bilayers into nonlamellar structures is investigated using all-atom molecular dynamics simulation. Previous studies have demonstrated that MGDG polar head groups connect vertically across the interface. In this study, the evolution of the system's initial structure into a lattice of water channels and contacted surfaces created by numerous vertical MGDG connections depended on the width of the hydrating water layers. These widths controlled the bilayers' ability to bend

SUBMITTER: Hryc J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10520361 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature