Lipopolysaccharides at Solid and Liquid Interfaces: Models for Biophysical Studies of the Gram-negative Bacterial Outer Membrane

Nicoló Paracini (1) , Emanuel Schneck (2) , Anne Imberty (3) , Samantha Micciulla (4)

1 Malmö Högskola = Malmö University
2 TU Darmstadt - Technische Universität Darmstadt - Technical University of Darmstadt
3 CERMAV - Centre de Recherches sur les Macromolécules Végétales
4 ILL - Institut Laue-Langevin

Lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) are a constitutive element of the cell envelope of Gramnegative bacteria, representing the main lipid in the external leaflet of their outer membrane (OM) lipid bilayer. These unique surface-exposed glycolipids play a central role in the interactions of Gram-negative organisms with their surrounding environment and represent a key element for protection against antimicrobials and the development of antibiotic resistance. The biophysical investigation of a wide range of different types of in vitro model membranes containing reconstituted LPS has revealed functional and structural properties of these peculiar membrane lipids, providing molecular-level details of their interaction with antimicrobial compounds. LPS assemblies reconstituted at interfaces represent a versatile tool to study the properties of the Gram-negative OM by exploiting several surface-sensitive techniques, in particular X-ray and neutron scattering, which can probe the structure of thin films with sub-nanometer resolution. This review provides an overview of different ap-2 proaches employed to investigate structural and biophysical properties of LPS, focusing on studies on Langmuir monolayers of LPS at the air/liquid interface and a range of supported LPS-containing model membranes reconstituted at solid/liquid interfaces.

Domaines: Chimie

Nicoló Paracini, Emanuel Schneck, Anne Imberty, Samantha Micciulla. Lipopolysaccharides at Solid and Liquid Interfaces: Models for Biophysical Studies of the Gram-negative Bacterial Outer Membrane. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, 2022, 301, pp.102603. ⟨10.1016/j.cis.2022.102603⟩. ⟨hal-03550501⟩