Molecular organization of the human serotonin transporter at the air/water interface

AbstractThe serotonin transporter (SERT) is the target of several important antidepressant and psychostimulant drugs. It has been shown that under defined conditions, the transporter spread at the air/water interface was able to bind its specific ligands. In this paper, the interfacial organization of the protein has been assessed from dynamic surface pressure and ellipsometric measurements. For areas comprising between 10 400 and 7100 Å2/molecule, ellipsometric measurements reveal an important change in the thickness of the SERT film. This change was attributed to the reorientation of the transporter molecules from a horizontal to their natural predictive transmembrane orientation. The thickness of the SERT film at 7100 Å2/molecule was found to be approximately equal to 84 Å and coincided well with the theoretical value estimated from the calculations based on the dimensions of α-helices containing membrane proteins. These data suggest that the three-dimensional arrangement of the SERT may be represented as a box with lengths dz=83–85 Å and dy or dx=41–47 Å

Specific interaction of lectins with liposomes and monolayers bearing neoglycolipids

The interaction of three lectins (wheat germ, Ulex europaeus I, and Lotus tetragonolobus agglutinins: WGA, UEA-I and LTA) with either N-acetyl--glucosamine or -fucose neoglycolipids incorporated into phospholipid monolayers and liposome bilayers was studied at the air/water interface and in bulk solution.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6T2N-497HFTC-1/1/22d2980a499b2c91ce83c2d9a6cfaa8

Bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM) adsorption at solid/liquid interfaces and surface forces. Colloids Surf

ABSTRACT Bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM) was obtained from salivary glands through successive precipitations and dissolutions. It was labelled by acetylation with [ l-"Cl acetic anhydride. Direct and continuous measurement of the total (reversible and irreversible) adsorption has been taken on muscovite mica, polyethylene, oxidized polyethylene, silicone and poly-(vinyl pyrrolidone) grafted silicone films. Force measurements between mucin layers adsorbed on two mica surfaces have been made in the distance range O-600 nm. Adsorption/ desorption and force distance measurements allow us to distinguish between reversibly and irreversibly adsorbed protein molecules. The results also show that chemical modification of polymer surfaces enhances mucin adsorption