Role of phosphatidylethanolamine in G protein-coupled receptor-associated signal transduction.

Abstract

Phospholipids, can array into a wide variety of secondary structures, characterized by different supramolecular organizations, whose formation depends, among other factors, on the lipid “molecular shape”. Phospholipids with a bulky polar head, such as phosphatidylcholine (PC), exhibit a cylindrical “molecular shape” and organize into the widespread lamellar phase, which is a basic structure of biomembranes. Phospholipids with a small polar head, such as phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), exhibit a “molecular shape” similar to a truncated cone, promoting the occurrence of hexagonal (Hll) phases, which has been reported in model and biological membranes. Lipids with large polar head and small hydrophobic moiety (lysophospholipids), tend to form hexagonal (Hl) phases (Figure 1). Here we present evidence about a relevant role of the nonlamellar-prone phospholipid PE: its involvement in membrane receptor-associated signal transduction regulation.