Conformational Change of Ganglioside G_M1 with Surface Pressure, Related to Signal Transduction?

抄録

Gangliosides participate in cellular interactions and signal transductions. An initial step in those processes is glycolipid interaction. We observed the conformational change of ganglioside G_M1 (GM1) at the membrane surface by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), and revealed the following changes of GM1 with increasing surface pressure : a uniform pattern at 29 mN/m, a swelling pattern at 33 mN/m, and a return to a uniform pattern at 40 mN/m. This behavior is thought to be related to specific cell recognition or signal transduction, and may prove useful for elucidating the functions of glycolipid microdomains in biological membranes.