Nuclear envelope remnants: fluid membranes enriched in STEROLS and polyphosphoinositides
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background The cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells is a highly dynamic compartment where membranes readily undergo fission and fusion to reorganize the cytoplasmic architecture, and to import, export and transport various cargos within the cell. The double membrane of the nuclear envelope that surrounds the nucleus, segregates the chromosomes from cytoplasm and regulates nucleocytoplasmic transport through pores. Many details of its formation are still unclear. At fertilization the sperm devoid of nuclear envelope pores enters the egg. Although most of the sperm nuclear envelope disassembles, remnants of the envelope at the acrosomal and centriolar fossae do not and are subsequently incorporated into the newly forming male pronuclear envelope. Remnants are conserved from annelid to mammalian sperm. Methodology/Principal Findings Using lipid mass spectrometry and a new application of deuterium solid-state NMR spectroscopy we have characterized the lipid composition and membrane dynamics of the sperm nuclear envelope remnants in isolated sperm nuclei. Conclusions/Significance We report nuclear envelope remnants are relatively fluid membranes rich in sterols, devoid of sphingomyelin, and highly enriched in polyphosphoinositides and polyunsaturated phospholipids. The localization of the polybasic effector domain of MARCKS illustrates the non-nuclear aspect of the polyphosphoinositides. Based on their atypical biophysical characteristics and phospholipid composition, we suggest a possible role for nuclear envelope remnants in membrane fusion leading to nuclear envelope assembly.
Date Issued
2009-01-23
Date Acceptance
2008-12-23
ISSN
1932-6203
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Journal / Book Title
PLoS ONE
Volume
4
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2009 Garnier-Lhomme et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Sponsor
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000265482400003&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Grant Number
G0000138
Subjects
Science & Technology
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Science & Technology - Other Topics
Animals
Cell-Free System
Female
Fertilization
Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
Lipid Bilayers
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Male
Membrane Proteins
Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
Models, Biological
Myristoylated Alanine-Rich C Kinase Substrate
Nuclear Envelope
Phosphatidylinositol Phosphates
Sea Urchins
Spermatozoa
Sterols
MD Multidisciplinary
General Science & Technology
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
e4255
Date Publish Online
2009-01-23