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Membrane microheterogeneity: Förster resonance energy transfer characterization of lateral membrane domains

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Abstract

Lateral membrane heterogeneity, in the form of lipid rafts and microdomains, is currently implicated in cell processes including signal transduction, endocytosis, and cholesterol trafficking. Various biophysical techniques have been used to detect and characterize lateral membrane domains. Among these, Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) has the crucial advantage of being sensitive to domain sizes smaller than 50-100 nm, below the resolution of optical microscopy but, apparently, similar to those of rafts in cell membranes. In the last decade, several formalisms for the analysis of FRET in heterogeneous membrane systems have been derived and applied to the study of microdomains. They are critically described and illustrated here.

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Abbreviations

BSM:

Brain sphingomyelin

CFM:

Confocal fluorescence microscopy

Chol:

Cholesterol

Dansyl-PC:

2-[12-[(5-Dimethylamino-1-naphthalenesulfonyl)amino]dodecanoyl]-PC

DHE:

Dehydroergosterol

DiIC12(3):

1,1′-Didodecyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyanine

DiIC18(3):

1,1′-Dioctadecyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyanine

DMPC:

1,2-Dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine

DOPC:

1,2-Dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine

DPH:

1,6-Diphenylhexatriene

DPH-PC:

1-Palmitoyl-2-[3-(diphenylhexatrienyl)propanoyl]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine

DPPC:

1,2-Dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine

DPPS:

1,2-Dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoserine

DSPC:

1,2-Distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine

FRET:

Förster resonance energy transfer

ld:

Liquid disordered

lo:

Liquid ordered

Marina Blue:

1-[[(6,8-Difluoro-7-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-1-benzopyran-3-yl)acetyl]oxy]

NBD:

7-Nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl

NBD-DLPE:

N-NBD-1,2-dilauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine

NBD-DMPE:

N-NBD-dimyristoylphosphatidylethanolamine

NBD-DPPE:

N-NBD-1,2-dihexadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine

NBD-PC:

1-Palmitoyl-2-[12-NBD-aminododecanoyl]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine

PC:

Phosphatidylcholine

PI(4,5)P2 :

Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate

PIP2 :

Phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate

POPC:

1-Palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine

POPE:

1-Palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine

PS:

Phosphatidylserine

PSM:

Palmitoyl-SM

RDF:

Radial distribution function

Rh-DMPE:

N-(lissamine–rhodamine B)-dimyristoylphosphatidylethanolamine

Rh-DOPE:

N-(lissamine–rhodamine B)-dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine

Rh-DPPE:

N-(lissamine–rhodamine B)-dipalmitoylphosphoethanolamine

SM:

Sphingomyelin

t-PnA:

trans-Parinaric acid

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Acknowledgments

Financial support for this work was provided by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Coimbra, Pólo das Ciências da Saúde, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548, Coimbra, Portugal

    Luís M. S. Loura

  2. Centro de Química de Évora, Rua Romão Ramalho, 59, 7000-671, Évora, Portugal

    Luís M. S. Loura

  3. Department of Membrane Biophysics, Max-Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

    Fábio Fernandes

  4. Centro de Química Física Molecular and Institute of Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies, Complexo I, Instituto Superior Técnico, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal

    Manuel Prieto

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Correspondence to Luís M. S. Loura.

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Loura, L.M.S., Fernandes, F. & Prieto, M. Membrane microheterogeneity: Förster resonance energy transfer characterization of lateral membrane domains. Eur Biophys J 39, 589–607 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00249-009-0547-5

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