Award details

Is the lipid composition of cell membranes regulated by stored curvature elastic stress?

Reference	B15300
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor George Attard
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Dr Alan Hunt
Institution	University of Southampton
Department	Sch of Chemistry
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	171,660
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	01/11/2001
End date	30/04/2005
Duration	42 months

Abstract

A rate limiting step in the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) is set by the catalytic activity of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (CCT). Since PC is the majority membrane lipid this is the critical switch controlling cell membrane growth. Reported measurements of CCT activity with respect to membrane lipid composition appear to be correlated to the release of stored stresses in the membrane, upon CCT binding. We will examine this idea by measuring CCT activity in the presence of lipid vesicles with measured levels of stored stress. CCT activity will be determined by radiochemical array and its partitioning by density gradient centrifugation and titration calorimetry. Membrane stresses will be measured by automated osmometry on ordered phases of the lipids. (Joint with grant 28/B15299)

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Biomolecular Sciences (BMS)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

Associated awards:

B15299 Is the lipid composition of cell membranes regulated by stored curvature elastic stress?

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