A mammalian plasma membrane is a structure on which several layers of complexity are built. The first order of complexity comes from the heterogeneity of lipid-ordered domains. Gangliosides in concert with cholesterol are preferentially packed on the outer leaflet and form lipid-ordered domains, commonly known as lipid rafts. The formation and dynamics of these domains impact nearly all membrane protein functions and are an intensely studied topic. However, tools suited for lipid domain alteration are extremely limited. Currently, methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) appears to be the most common way to disrupt lipid domains, which is believed to operate via cholesterol extraction. This significantly limits our ability in membrane biophysics research. Previously, we found that N-(3-oxo-dodecanoyl) homoserine lactone (3oc), a small signaling chemical produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is highly efficient in altering lipid-ordered domains. In this study, 3oc was compared with MβCD in a series of biochemical, biophysical, and cell biological analyses. Per molarity, 3oc is more efficient than MβCD in domain alteration and appears to better retain membrane lipids after treatment. This finding will provide an essential reagent in membrane biophysics research.

哺乳动物质膜是一种结构，其上构建了几层复杂性。第一顺序的复杂性来自脂质有序结构域的异质性。与胆固醇一致的神经节苷脂优先堆积在外叶上并形成脂质有序结构域，通常称为脂筏。这些结构域的形成和动力学影响几乎所有的膜蛋白功能，是一个深入研究的课题。然而，适用于脂质结构域改变的工具极为有限。目前，甲基-β-环糊精 (MβCD) 似乎是破坏脂质结构域的最常用方法通过胆固醇提取。这极大地限制了我们在膜生物物理学研究方面的能力。之前，我们发现ñ-(3-oxo-dodecanoyl) 高丝氨酸内酯 (3oc)，一种由铜绿假单胞菌，在改变脂质有序结构域方面非常有效。在这项研究中，在一系列生化、生物物理和细胞生物学分析中将 3oc 与 MβCD 进行了比较。每摩尔浓度，3oc 在结构域改变方面比 MβCD 更有效，并且似乎在处理后更好地保留膜脂。这一发现将为膜生物物理学研究提供必要的试剂。