Gramicidin pores report the activity of membrane-active enzymes.

ABSTRACT: Phospholipases constitute a ubiquitous class of membrane-active enzymes that play a key role in cellular signaling, proliferation, and membrane trafficking. Aberrant phospholipase activity is implicated in a range of diseases including cancer, inflammation, and myocardial disease. Characterization of these enzymes is therefore important, both for improving the understanding of phospholipase catalysis and for accelerating pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications. This paper describes a novel approach to monitor, in situ and in real-time, the activity of phospholipase D (PLD) and phospholipase C (PLC) on planar lipid bilayers. This method is based on lipase-induced changes in the electrical charge of lipid bilayers and on the concomitant change in ion concentration near lipid membran

SUBMITTER: Majd S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2775016 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature