Importance of the sphingosine base double-bond geometry for the structural and thermodynamic properties of sphingomyelin bilayers.

ABSTRACT: The precise role of the sphingosine base trans double bond for the unique properties of sphingomyelins (SMs), one of the main lipid components in raftlike structures of biological membranes, has not been fully explored. Several reports comparing the hydration, lipid packing, and hydrogen-bonding behaviors of SM and glycerophospholipid bilayers found remarkable differences overall. However, the atomic interactions linking the double-bond geometry with these thermodynamic and structural changes remained elusive. A recent report on ceramides, which differ from SMs only by their hydroxyl headgroup, has shown that replacing the trans double bond of the sphingosine base by cis weakens the hydrogen-bonding potential of these lipids and thereby alters their biological activity. Based on data from

SUBMITTER: Janosi L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2965952 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature