Tracking Global and Local Changes in Membrane Fluidity Through Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Microscopy
Book chapter, 2023

Membrane fluidity is a critical parameter of cellular membranes, which cells continuously strive to maintain within a viable range. Interference with the correct membrane fluidity state can strongly inhibit cell function. Triggered changes in membrane fluidity and associated impacts on lipid domains have been postulated to contribute to the mechanism of action of membrane targeting antimicrobials, but the corresponding analyses have been hampered by the absence of readily available analytical tools. Here, we expand upon the protocols outlined in the first edition of this book, providing further and alternative protocols that can be used to measure changes in membrane fluidity. We provide detailed protocols, which allow straightforward in vivo and in vitro measurement of antibiotic compound-triggered changes in membrane fluidity and fluid membrane microdomains. Furthermore, we summarize useful strains constructed by us and others to characterize and confirm lipid specificity of membrane antimicrobials directly in vivo.

Membrane targeting antimicrobials

Nile Red

Lipid domains

RIFs.

Membrane microdomains

Laurdan

Membrane fluidity

Lipid mutants

Fatty acid disorder

Lipid packing

DiIC12

Author

Madeleine Humphrey

Newcastle University

Ireny Abdelmesseh Nekhala Abdelmesseh

Chalmers, Life Sciences, Chemical Biology

Kathi Scheinpflug

Leibniz Institute for Molecular Pharmacology

Oxana Krylova

Leibniz Institute for Molecular Pharmacology

Ann-Britt Schäfer

Chalmers, Life Sciences, Chemical Biology

Jessica A. Buttress

Newcastle University

Michaela Wenzel

Chalmers, Life Sciences, Chemical Biology

Henrik Strahl

Newcastle University

Methods in Molecular Biology

10643745 (ISSN) 1940-6029 (eISSN)

203-229

Interaction of antibiotics with bacterial cells

Chalmers, 2019-09-02 -- 2023-08-31.

Subject Categories

Cell Biology

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Biophysics

Roots

Basic sciences

Areas of Advance

Health Engineering

DOI

10.1007/978-1-0716-2855-3_11

PubMed

36445586

More information

Latest update

3/21/2023