Question

Based on this study and your knowledge of the fluid and dynamic nature of plasma membranes comment how the interactions of the supramolecular amphiphilic peptide assemblies with lipids and cell surface membranes affected: i. the stability and permeability of the fluid/disordered state of lipids and membranes, ii. describe the chemical nature of the non-covalent bonding interactions between peptides and lipids. iii. describe two (2) experimental techniques that can be used to study the interactions of biological molecules such as peptides with lipids and/or membranes at the cell surface.

Answer 1

i. In the plasma membrane, the fatty acids attached to the hydrophilic end of unsaturated type. The effect of lipid-peptide interactions on the lipids is characterized in terms of lipid acyl-chain order, membrane thickness, membrane elasticity, permeability,lipid - domain and annulus formation as well as acyl chain dynamics.

ii. Non- covalent bonding interaction between peptides and lipids are hydrogen bonds, electrostatic bonds,etc

iii. Techniques used to study the interaction of biological molecules such as peptides with lipids are x-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy,SRFM ,etc.