Understanding the interplay between the mammalian plasma membrane lipids and chondroitin sulfate chains

The project aims to investigate the structural arrangements of chondroitin sulfate (CS), a carbohydrate present in the extracellular matrix, on the surface of supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) resembling the mammalian plasma membrane. Key components include the role of phospholipids (PC and PS) and cholesterol in these arrangements, particularly in healthy and inflamed cellular states. Neutron reflectometry (NR) is employed to analyze bilayer structure and composition with high resolution. A novel protocol involving Langmuir-Blodgett (LB)/Langmuir-Schaeffer (LS) deposition is proposed to incorporate CS-functionalized lipids into SLBs. Various SLB compositions are tested to mimic different cellular environments, with an emphasis on the influence of lipid composition on CS structural arrangement. Additionally, experiments are conducted at different pH levels to simulate acidic conditions typical of cancer cells. Overall, the study aims to shed light on the interactions between phospholipids and CS variants at the cell membrane interface, with potential implications for understanding cancer cell surface properties and identification.

本项目旨在探究硫酸软骨素（chondroitin sulfate, CS）——一种存在于细胞外基质的碳水化合物——在模拟哺乳动物细胞膜的支撑磷脂双层膜（supported lipid bilayers, SLBs）表面的结构排布。核心研究内容涵盖磷脂酰胆碱（PC）与磷脂酰丝氨酸（PS）及胆固醇在这类结构排布中的作用，尤其聚焦于健康与炎症状态下的细胞环境。本研究采用中子反射法（Neutron reflectometry, NR）以高分辨率分析双层膜的结构与组成。此外，研究人员提出了一种全新实验方案，通过朗缪尔-布洛杰特（Langmuir-Blodgett, LB）/朗缪尔-谢弗（Langmuir-Schaeffer, LS）沉积技术，将硫酸软骨素功能化脂质整合至支撑磷脂双层膜中。研究团队测试了多种支撑磷脂双层膜组成以模拟不同细胞环境，重点考察脂质组成对硫酸软骨素结构排布的影响。同时，还在不同pH条件下开展实验，以模拟癌细胞典型的酸性微环境。总体而言，本研究旨在阐明细胞膜界面处磷脂与不同亚型硫酸软骨素之间的相互作用，其成果或可为理解癌细胞表面特性及癌细胞识别提供新的研究视角。