کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
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1945944 | 1053281 | 2007 | 9 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |
The question of why plants release isoprene when heat stressed has been continuously debated for more than half a century. In this work we use molecular dynamics simulation techniques to directly investigate the interaction between isoprene and a model phospholipid membrane in atomic detail. It is found that isoprene partitions preferentially in the center of the membrane and in a dose dependent manner enhances the order within the membrane without significantly changing the dynamical properties of the system. At a concentration of 20 mol% isoprene (16 isoprene molecules per 64 lipid molecules) the effect of the addition of isoprene on the membrane order is equivalent to a reduction in temperature of 10 K, rising to a reduction of 30 K at 43 mol% isoprene. The significance of the work is that it provides for the first time direct evidence that isoprene stabilizes lipid membranes and reduces the likelihood of a phospholipid membrane undergoing a heat induced phase transition. Furthermore it provides a clear mechanistic picture as to why plants specifically utilize isoprene for this purpose.
Journal: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Biomembranes - Volume 1768, Issue 2, February 2007, Pages 198–206