Understanding the cellular membrane interaction with membrane active biomolecules and antimicrobial agents provides an insight in their working mechanism. Here, we studied the effect of antimicrobial agents; a recently developed peptidomimetics E107-3 and colistin as well as the N-terminal helix H0, of Endophilin A1 on the lipid bilayer. It is important to discern the interaction mechanism of antimicrobial peptides with lipid membranes in battling multidrug resistant bacterial pathogens. We study the modification of structural and mechanical properties with a recently reported peptidomimetic on lipid bilayer. The compound referred to as E107-3 is synthesized based on the acylated reduced amide scaffold and has been shown to exhibit good antimicrobial potency. This compound increases lipid bilayer permeability as indicated by our vesicle leakage essay. Micropipette aspiration experiment shows that exposure of GUV to the compound causes the protrusion length Lp to spontaneously increase and then decrease, followed by GUV rupture. Solution atomic force microscopy (AFM) is used to visualize lipid bilayer structural modulation within a nanoscopic regime. This compound induces nanoscopic heterogeneous structures rather than pore like structures as produced by melittin. Finally, we use AFM-based force spectroscopy to study the impact of the compound on lipid bilayer’s mechanical properties. With the incremental addition of this compound, we found the bilayer puncture force decreases moderately and a 39% decrease of the bilayer area compressibility modulus KA. To explain our experimental data, we propose a membrane interaction model encompassing disruption of lipid chain packing and extraction of lipid molecules. The later action mode is supported by our observation of a double-bilayer structure in the presence of fusogenic calcium ions. Polyanionic Lipopolysaccharides LPS are important in regulating the permeability of outer membrane (OM) of gram-negative bacteria. To initiate the bactericidal activity of polymyxins, it is essential to impair the LPS-enriched OM. Here, we study the mechanism of membrane permeability caused by colistin (Polymyxin E) of LPS/phospholipid bilayers. Our vesicle leakage experiment showed that colistin binding enhanced bilayer permeability; the maximum increase in the bilayer permeability was positively correlated with the LPS fraction. Addition of magnesium ions abolished the effect of LPS in enhancing bilayer permeabilization. Solution atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements on planar lipid bilayers shows the formation of nano- and macro clusters which protruded from the bilayer by ~2nm. Moreover, increasing the fraction of LPS or colistin enhances the formation of clusters but inhibits by magnesium ions addition. To explain our experimental data, we proposed a lipid-clustering model where colistin binds to LPS to form large-scale complexes segregated from zwitterionic phospholipids. The discontinuity (and thickness mismatch) at the edge of LPS-colistin clusters will create a passage that allows solutes to permeate through. The proposed model is consistent with all data obtained from our leakage and AFM experiments. Our results of LPS-dependent membrane restructuring provided useful insights into the mechanism that could be used by polymyxins in impairing the permeability barrier of the OM of Gram-negative bacteria. Also, we studied the effect of helix H0 of a membrane modification inducing protein endophilin, on planar bilayer. We obtained transmembrane defects on the bilayer when scanned.with AFM.

A estabilidade de vesículas unilamelares gigantes (GUVs) foi monitorada através de microscopia de contraste de fase e de fluorescência, com o auxílio de gradientes de açúcares, do fluoróforo 1,3,6,8 pireno tetrasulfonato de sódio (PTS), do supressor de fluorescência cloreto de 1,1\'-dimetil-4,4\'-bipiridínio (MV) e do análogo lipídico fluorescente 2-(12-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-il) amino) dodecanoil-1-hexadecanoil-sn-glicero-3-fosfocolina (NBD-PC). Uma grande variabilidade no comportamento individual das GUVs foi obtida no que tange a: (i) manutenção do meio interno; (ii) interações da bicamada lipídica com superfícies e; (iii) estruturas lipídicas conectadas à bicamada. Os resultados experimentais podem ser explicados pelo aparecimento de poros transientes formados pelo aumento da tensão da bicamada lipídica das GUVs. Após o processo de geração de tensão na bicamada, poros são abertos para relaxação desta tensão, com concomitante efluxo da solução internalizada pela GUV, devido a pressão de Laplace. Com a diminuição do volume interno, a tensão da bicamada é relaxada e o fechamento dos poros guiado pela tensão de linha, minimizando o componente energético de curvatura dos lipídios nas bordas do poro. O modelo de poros transientes explica resultados como troca de massa entre meios interno e externo das GUVs, possibilidade da existência de fluxos unilaterais em GUVs, transitoriedade dos poros, diâmetro limite dos poros e manutenção do meio interno em GUVs após abertura e fechamento de poros. / The stability of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) has been monitored by phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy, using sugar gradients, sodium 1,3,6,8 pirene tetrasulfonate (PTS) as fluorescent probe, 1,1\'-dimethyl-4,4\'-bipiridinium chloride (MV) as fluorescence quencher and 2-(12-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-il) amino) dodecanoyl-1-hexadecanoyl-sn-glicero-3-phosphocholine (NBD-PC) as fluorescent lipid analog. An accentuated variability in the individual behaviour of GUVs was observed as far as (i) stability of encapsulation; (ii) lipid bilayer-surface interactions and; (iii) lipid structures connected to GUVs are concerned. Experimental results can be explained by transient pores formation due to an increase in lipid bilayer tension. After processes of bilayer tension generation, pores are opened, while effluxes of GUVs internal solution are promoted by Laplace pressure. With the internal volume decrease, bilayer tension is relaxed and pores closure guided by line tension, minimizing the energetic component of lipid curvature in pore edges. Transient pores model explains experimental results such as mass exchange between internal and external GUVs media, GUVs effluxes, pores\' lifetime, pores diameter\'s limit and stability of GUV encapsulation after opening and closure of pores.

A estabilidade de vesículas unilamelares gigantes (GUVs) foi monitorada através de microscopia de contraste de fase e de fluorescência, com o auxílio de gradientes de açúcares, do fluoróforo 1,3,6,8 pireno tetrasulfonato de sódio (PTS), do supressor de fluorescência cloreto de 1,1\'-dimetil-4,4\'-bipiridínio (MV) e do análogo lipídico fluorescente 2-(12-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-il) amino) dodecanoil-1-hexadecanoil-sn-glicero-3-fosfocolina (NBD-PC). Uma grande variabilidade no comportamento individual das GUVs foi obtida no que tange a: (i) manutenção do meio interno; (ii) interações da bicamada lipídica com superfícies e; (iii) estruturas lipídicas conectadas à bicamada. Os resultados experimentais podem ser explicados pelo aparecimento de poros transientes formados pelo aumento da tensão da bicamada lipídica das GUVs. Após o processo de geração de tensão na bicamada, poros são abertos para relaxação desta tensão, com concomitante efluxo da solução internalizada pela GUV, devido a pressão de Laplace. Com a diminuição do volume interno, a tensão da bicamada é relaxada e o fechamento dos poros guiado pela tensão de linha, minimizando o componente energético de curvatura dos lipídios nas bordas do poro. O modelo de poros transientes explica resultados como troca de massa entre meios interno e externo das GUVs, possibilidade da existência de fluxos unilaterais em GUVs, transitoriedade dos poros, diâmetro limite dos poros e manutenção do meio interno em GUVs após abertura e fechamento de poros. / The stability of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) has been monitored by phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy, using sugar gradients, sodium 1,3,6,8 pirene tetrasulfonate (PTS) as fluorescent probe, 1,1\'-dimethyl-4,4\'-bipiridinium chloride (MV) as fluorescence quencher and 2-(12-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-il) amino) dodecanoyl-1-hexadecanoyl-sn-glicero-3-phosphocholine (NBD-PC) as fluorescent lipid analog. An accentuated variability in the individual behaviour of GUVs was observed as far as (i) stability of encapsulation; (ii) lipid bilayer-surface interactions and; (iii) lipid structures connected to GUVs are concerned. Experimental results can be explained by transient pores formation due to an increase in lipid bilayer tension. After processes of bilayer tension generation, pores are opened, while effluxes of GUVs internal solution are promoted by Laplace pressure. With the internal volume decrease, bilayer tension is relaxed and pores closure guided by line tension, minimizing the energetic component of lipid curvature in pore edges. Transient pores model explains experimental results such as mass exchange between internal and external GUVs media, GUVs effluxes, pores\' lifetime, pores diameter\'s limit and stability of GUV encapsulation after opening and closure of pores.

Les membranes biologiques, qui compartimentent les différents éléments du vivant, jouent un rôle essentiel dans les processus biologiques comme la signalisation, le transport, la transmission du message nerveux, etc. Envisagées comme des fluides à deux dimensions, l’étude de leurs propriétés physiques peut nous aider à comprendre certains mécanismes biologiques. Ce travail de thèse s’est intéressé à la mobilité des molécules au sein des membranes, et notamment à deux paramètres essentiels, la viscosité membranaire, et la diffusion latérale. Après avoir optimisé la technique de recouvrement de fluorescence après photoblanchiment (FRAP) au microscope confocal, nous avons étudié la mobilité des molécules au sein de deux types de membranes modèles in vitro : la phase éponge d’un surfactant non-ionique (C12E5) et les vésicules géantes unilamellaires (GUVs) lipidiques. 1) La phase éponge (ou L3) : après avoir déterminé son diagramme de phase et montré que les protéines membranaires restent actives dans cette phase, nous avons mesuré la mobilité de protéines par recouvrement de fluorescence après photoblanchiment sur un motif à franges (FRAPP). Cela nous a permis d’obtenir les constantes d’association de protéines de la pompe d’efflux OprM-MexAB, impliquée dans la résistance aux antibiotiques de la bactérie Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Ces interactions dépendent très fortement du degré de confinement de chacune des protéines. 2) Les GUVs : après avoir développé une méthode simple de formation des GUVs, au sein desquelles les protéines membranaires restent actives, nous avons mesuré la diffusion des lipides par FRAP, et montré que dans certaines conditions, ils se déplacent en groupe, ce qui permet d’expliquer la diversité des résultats de la littérature. En mesurant la viscosité membranaire par imagerie microscopique du temps de vie de fluorescence (FLIM), nous avons également montré qu’elle ne se déduit pas nécessairement des modèles hydrodynamiques de diffusion. / Biological membranes, which divide the elements of life, are a key factor in biological processes such as signaling, transport, transmission of an nerve impulse, etc. Seen as two-dimensional fluids, the study of their physical properties could help us understand some unsolved biological mechanisms. This work focused on molecule mobility within membranes, and specifically on two essential parameters: membrane viscosity and lateral diffusion. After optimizing the Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) technique on confocal microscopes, we studied the mobility of molecules within two types of in vitro model membranes: the sponge phase made of a non-ionic surfactant (C12E5) and the giant unilamellar lipidic vesicles (GUVs). 1) Sponge phase (or L3) : after having established its phase diagram and shown that membrane proteins stay active in this phase, we measured protein mobility by Fluorescence Recovery After fringe Pattern Photobleaching (FRAPP). This allowed us to obtain the association constants of the proteins of the efflux pump OprM-MexAB involved in the resistance to antibiotics of the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These interactions heavily depend on the degree of confinement of each protein. 2) GUVs : after having developed a simple method for the formation of GUVs, in which membrane proteins stay active, we measured the lipid diffusion by FRAP. We showed that, under certain conditions, they can move together, which explains the diversity of results in the literature. By measuring membrane viscosity by Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM), we also showed that viscosity should not be necessarily deduced from hydrodynamic diffusion models.

No description available.

No description available.

Oxidized phospholipids (OxPLs) are known to be present in living organisms due to oxidative stress. However, the physiological function of OxPLs is still not fully understood. They have been shown to be present in many inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. In this work we present the influence of two truncated OxPLs on the lateral heterogeneity of a model lipid membrane. Specifically, we studied the effect of 1-palmitoyl-2-(5'-oxo-valeroyl)-sn-glycero-3- phosphocholine (POVPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-glutaryl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PGPC) on the formation of nanodomains present in giant unilamellar vesicles containing 1,2- dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), cholesterol and sphingomyelin. Only few techniques are capable of detecting nanometer-sized domains in the membrane with high resolution. Time resolved Förster resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET) combined with Monte Carlo (MC) simulations provide a strong tool not only to detect lateral heterogeneities but also characterize them with the resolution of 2 nm. Profound effects on the nanodomain size were observed in the presence of both studied OxPLs and differences were detected, as PGPC with a carboxylic group drives formation of larger nanodomains than POVPC...

Proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) may lead to the formation of the Abeta peptide, the major constituent of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer`s disease. The full-length APP is a substrate for at least 2 different (alpha and beta) proteases ("secretases"). The beta-secretase, BACE, cleaves APP in the first step of processing leading to the formation of the neurotoxic Abeta. BACE competes for APP with alpha-secretase, which cleaves APP within its Abeta sequence, thus precluding Abeta formation. It is thus important to understand how is the access of the alpha- and beta-secretase to APP regulated and how are the individual activities of these secretases modulated. Both these regulatory mechanisms, access to substrate and direct activity modulation, can be determined by the lipid composition of the membrane. Integral membrane proteins (like APP and BACE), can be viewed as solutes in a two-dimensional liquid membrane, and as such their state, and biological activity, critically depend on the physico-chemical character (fluidity, curvature, surface charge distribution, lateral domain heterogeneity etc.) of the lipid bilayer. These collective membrane properties will influence the activity of embedded membrane proteins. In addition, activity regulation may involve a direct interaction with a specific lipid (cofactor or co-structure function). Interactions of membrane proteins are furthermore affected by lateral domain organization of the membrane. Previous results had suggested that the regulation of the activity of the alpha- and beta-secretases and of their access to APP is lipid dependent, and involves lipid rafts. Using the baculovirus expression system, we have purified recombinant human full-length APP and BACE to homogeneity, and reconstituted them in large (~100nm, LUVs) and giant (10-150microm, GUVs) unilamellar vesicles. Using a soluble peptide substrate mimicking the beta-cleavage site of APP, we have examined the involvement of individual lipid species in modulating BACE activity in LUVs of various lipid compositions. We have identified 3 groups of lipids that stimulate proteolytic activity of BACE: 1.cerebrosides, 2.anionic glycerophospholipids, 3. cholesterol. Furthermore, we have co-reconstituted APP and BACE together in LUVs and demonstrated that BACE cleaves APP at the correct site, generating the beta-cleaved ectodomain identical to that from cells. We have developed an assay to quantitatively follow the beta-cleavage in proteoliposomes, and we have shown that the rate of cleavage in total brain lipid proteoliposomes is higher than in phosphatidylcholine vesicles. We have also studied partitioning of APP and BACE in GUVs between liquid ordered (lo) and liquid disordered (ld) phases. In this system, significant part of the BACE pool (about 20%) partitions into the lo phase, and its partitioning into lo phase can be further enhanced by cross-linking of membrane components. Only negligible fraction of APP can be found in the lo phase. We continue to study the behavior of co-reconstituted APP and BACE in GUVs The work presented in this thesis has yielded some interesting results and raised further questions. One of the important assignments of this project will in the next stage be the characterization of the impact of membrane domain organization on the beta-cleavage. Different domain arrangements that can be hypothesized in cell membranes can be modeled by varying the degree of phase fragmentation in proteoliposomes comprising reconstituted APP and BACE.

Proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) may lead to the formation of the Abeta peptide, the major constituent of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer`s disease. The full-length APP is a substrate for at least 2 different (alpha and beta) proteases ("secretases"). The beta-secretase, BACE, cleaves APP in the first step of processing leading to the formation of the neurotoxic Abeta. BACE competes for APP with alpha-secretase, which cleaves APP within its Abeta sequence, thus precluding Abeta formation. It is thus important to understand how is the access of the alpha- and beta-secretase to APP regulated and how are the individual activities of these secretases modulated. Both these regulatory mechanisms, access to substrate and direct activity modulation, can be determined by the lipid composition of the membrane. Integral membrane proteins (like APP and BACE), can be viewed as solutes in a two-dimensional liquid membrane, and as such their state, and biological activity, critically depend on the physico-chemical character (fluidity, curvature, surface charge distribution, lateral domain heterogeneity etc.) of the lipid bilayer. These collective membrane properties will influence the activity of embedded membrane proteins. In addition, activity regulation may involve a direct interaction with a specific lipid (cofactor or co-structure function). Interactions of membrane proteins are furthermore affected by lateral domain organization of the membrane. Previous results had suggested that the regulation of the activity of the alpha- and beta-secretases and of their access to APP is lipid dependent, and involves lipid rafts. Using the baculovirus expression system, we have purified recombinant human full-length APP and BACE to homogeneity, and reconstituted them in large (~100nm, LUVs) and giant (10-150microm, GUVs) unilamellar vesicles. Using a soluble peptide substrate mimicking the beta-cleavage site of APP, we have examined the involvement of individual lipid species in modulating BACE activity in LUVs of various lipid compositions. We have identified 3 groups of lipids that stimulate proteolytic activity of BACE: 1.cerebrosides, 2.anionic glycerophospholipids, 3. cholesterol. Furthermore, we have co-reconstituted APP and BACE together in LUVs and demonstrated that BACE cleaves APP at the correct site, generating the beta-cleaved ectodomain identical to that from cells. We have developed an assay to quantitatively follow the beta-cleavage in proteoliposomes, and we have shown that the rate of cleavage in total brain lipid proteoliposomes is higher than in phosphatidylcholine vesicles. We have also studied partitioning of APP and BACE in GUVs between liquid ordered (lo) and liquid disordered (ld) phases. In this system, significant part of the BACE pool (about 20%) partitions into the lo phase, and its partitioning into lo phase can be further enhanced by cross-linking of membrane components. Only negligible fraction of APP can be found in the lo phase. We continue to study the behavior of co-reconstituted APP and BACE in GUVs The work presented in this thesis has yielded some interesting results and raised further questions. One of the important assignments of this project will in the next stage be the characterization of the impact of membrane domain organization on the beta-cleavage. Different domain arrangements that can be hypothesized in cell membranes can be modeled by varying the degree of phase fragmentation in proteoliposomes comprising reconstituted APP and BACE.

La perméabilisation de la membrane lipidique est actuellement un domaine de recherche important, puisque l'optimisation du transport des petites molécules (comme l'ADN ou les protéines) dans les cellules est nécessaire. Dans ce travail, nous tentons une contribution dans ce domaine en proposant une méthode de perméabilisation contrôlée à l'aide des Azobenzene Modified Polymers (AMP). Des copolymères avec un taux d'hydrophobicité modéré ont été montrés dans le passé comme perméabilisant la membrane. Les AMP nous permettraient alors de contrôler cette perméabilisation via le contrôle de leur taux d'hydrophobicité (selon la longueur d'onde de la lumière à laquelle ils sont illuminés). Cette hypothèse a été vérifiée à l'aide des vésicules géantes unilamellaires (GUV) encapsulant des sondes fluorescentes solubles. La cinétique de la fuite de ces sondes en combinaison avec des expériences d'électrophysiologie sur des films noirs (BLM) nous donne accès à une meilleure caractérisation des structures de perméation créées par l'interaction entre l'AMP et les lipides. En outre, des expériences ont été réalisées sur des cellules CHO (Chinese Hamster Overy). La possibilité de faire rentrer dans les cellules des molécules qui a priori n'y sont pas internalisées a été étudiée. Par ailleurs, la fuite de molécules encapsulées dans les cellules et sa cinétique ont été examinées