{"entity": "journal", "iuid": "bcac5f8cb2024a0ba115ba0dc6de1036", "timestamp": "2026-08-20T20:45:18.944Z", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/journal/Faraday%20Discuss.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/journal/Faraday%20Discuss"}}, "title": "Faraday Discuss", "issn": "1364-5498", "issn-l": null, "publications_count": 3, "publications": [{"entity": "publication", "iuid": "4646807d8f2048c7be81d65df4d86d55", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/4646807d8f2048c7be81d65df4d86d55.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/4646807d8f2048c7be81d65df4d86d55"}}, "title": "Immune cell activation produces locally scrambled foci of plasma membrane lipids.", "authors": [{"family": "Sputay", "given": "Daryna", "initials": "D", "orcid": "0009-0008-9987-5582", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/3dedb072e04d447c87728ea160049cf0.json"}}, {"family": "Doktorova", "given": "Milka", "initials": "M", "orcid": "0000-0003-4366-2242", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/791384c319f04584bac8ffb21df7271f.json"}}, {"family": "Chan", "given": "Sze Ham", "initials": "SH", "orcid": "0000-0002-3235-0852", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/4854c445b24541adbfcb1a44a1d02305.json"}}, {"family": "Guo", "given": "Emma Han", "initials": "EH"}, {"family": "Wang", "given": "Hong-Yin", "initials": "HY"}, {"family": "Lorent", "given": "Joseph H", "initials": "JH", "orcid": "0000-0002-7537-8521", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/6c6a5fdf28de42ff8a14a7ae259939cb.json"}}, {"family": "Levental", "given": "Ilya", "initials": "I", "orcid": "0000-0002-1206-9545", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/7fe40c2b810348cab78616402d4d1f1f.json"}}, {"family": "Levental", "given": "Kandice R", "initials": "KR", "orcid": "0000-0002-2234-3683", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/dcde4d3042b349b199c48509444ac8f9.json"}}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2025-08-13", "journal": {"title": "Faraday Discuss", "issn": "1364-5498", "volume": "259", "issue": "0", "pages": "45-59", "issn-l": null}, "abstract": "Most eukaryotic cells maintain a large disparity in lipid compositions between the cytosolic and external leaflets of the plasma membrane (PM) bilayer. This lipid asymmetry is maintained by energy-consuming flippase enzymes that selectively drive phospholipids into the cytosolic leaflet, often against large concentration gradients. Scramblases, activated by intracellular Ca2+ or apoptotic signaling, shuttle phospholipids down their concentration gradient to release lipid asymmetry. Such scrambling is typically evidenced by exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) to the external leaflet and is associated with many physiological processes, most notably blood clotting and cell death, but also activation of immune cells. Here, we show that both PS and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) appear on the PM external leaflet following immune receptor-mediated activation of mast cells. We also observe similar effects in T cells. Importantly, in contrast to wholesale release of PM asymmetry induced by calcium ionophores or apoptosis, we show that scrambling in activated immune cells is focal, with small, stable regions of surface exposed PS. These scrambled foci are calcium dependent, have lower lipid packing than their surrounding outer leaflet, and are reversible. These observations of local, transient scrambling during physiological activation of healthy immune cells suggest important roles for the lateral and transbilayer organization of membrane lipids.", "doi": "10.1039/d4fd00205a", "pmid": "40351229", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC12067185"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-08-20T09:27:53.683Z", "modified": "2026-08-20T09:27:53.821Z"}, {"entity": "publication", "iuid": "c0b91b9a58314b17b3cb74be5ef1beaa", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/c0b91b9a58314b17b3cb74be5ef1beaa.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/c0b91b9a58314b17b3cb74be5ef1beaa"}}, "title": "Exploring the sensitivities of experimental techniques to various types of membrane asymmetry using atomistic simulations.", "authors": [{"family": "Heberle", "given": "Frederick A", "initials": "FA", "orcid": "0000-0002-0424-3240", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/2557f5621a0b4c87b5f4702fbc7b6bdb.json"}}, {"family": "Doktorova", "given": "Milka", "initials": "M", "orcid": "0000-0003-4366-2242", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/791384c319f04584bac8ffb21df7271f.json"}}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2025-08-13", "journal": {"title": "Faraday Discuss", "issn": "1364-5498", "volume": "259", "issue": "0", "pages": "300-320", "issn-l": null}, "abstract": "Biological membranes have two leaflets that can differ in both lipid composition and total lipid abundance. These different types of asymmetries play a major role in determining the biophysical properties of the membrane; however, they have proven challenging to assay experimentally even in simpler model systems. Molecular dynamics simulations offer the means for detailed computational investigation of systematically varied interleaflet lipid distributions, but opportunities for critical validation with wet lab experiments are scarce. To help address this problem, here we use atomistic simulations of asymmetric bilayers to generate synthetic experimental data and thus investigate the sensitivity of various approaches to changes in relative lipid composition, number, and cholesterol distribution. Contrary to trends in symmetric bilayers, the simulations showed a decrease in lipid packing with increasing cholesterol in differentially stressed asymmetric bilayers, with more pronounced changes in the more loosely packed leaflet. Representative experimental data computed from the simulation trajectories indicated that the detection of asymmetry-induced changes in leaflet properties should be possible with environment-sensitive fluorescent probes and NMR observables, but may require optimization of sample preparation conditions. On the other hand, small-angle scattering data are already experimentally accessible and can reveal differential leaflet packing densities through a model-free analysis. We further show that computationally generated cryo-EM intensity profiles are highly sensitive to phospholipid imbalance between membrane leaflets. Together, these findings provide a roadmap for developing targeted applications of the in vitro techniques and obtaining experimental data critical for validating computationally derived principles related to membrane asymmetry.", "doi": "10.1039/d4fd00200h", "pmid": "40338116", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC12060774"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-08-20T09:27:51.743Z", "modified": "2026-08-20T09:27:51.802Z"}, {"entity": "publication", "iuid": "a4860a0099d04b25bc0f711027397904", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/a4860a0099d04b25bc0f711027397904.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/a4860a0099d04b25bc0f711027397904"}}, "title": "Degradation of PET microplastic particles to monomers in human serum by PETase.", "authors": [{"family": "Lopez-Lorenzo", "given": "Ximena", "initials": "X", "orcid": "0000-0002-4708-9861", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/49eec96b36fd4880b09564c0b7688932.json"}}, {"family": "Hueting", "given": "David", "initials": "D"}, {"family": "Bosshard", "given": "Eliott", "initials": "E"}, {"family": "Syr\u00e9n", "given": "Per-Olof", "initials": "PO", "orcid": "0000-0002-4066-2776", "researcher": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/researcher/b035f26bd71e42f9942f9a4943ed0d1a.json"}}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2024-09-11", "journal": {"title": "Faraday Discuss", "issn": "1364-5498", "volume": "252", "issue": "0", "pages": "387-402", "issn-l": null}, "abstract": "More than 8 billion tons of plastic waste has been generated, posing severe environmental consequences and health risks. Due to prolonged exposure, microplastic particles are found in human blood and other bodily fluids. Despite a lack of toxicity studies regarding microplastics, harmful effects for humans seem plausible and cannot be excluded. As small plastic particles readily translocate from the gut to body fluids, enzyme-based treatment of serum could constitute a promising future avenue to clear synthetic polymers and their corresponding oligomers via their degradation into monomers of lower toxicity than the material they originate from. Still, whereas it is known that the enzymatic depolymerization rate of synthetic polymers varies by orders of magnitude depending on the buffer and media composition, the activity of plastic-degrading enzymes in serum was unknown. Here, we report how an engineered PETase, which we show to be generally trans-selective via induced fit docking, can depolymerize two different microplastic-like substrates of the commodity polymer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into its non-toxic monomer terephthalic acid (TPA) alongside mono(2-hydroxyethyl)terephthalate (MHET) in human serum at 37 \u00b0C. We show that the application of PETase does not influence cell viability in vitro. Our work highlights the potential of applying biocatalysis in biomedicine and represents a first step towards finding a future solution to the problem that microplastics in the bloodstream may pose.", "doi": "10.1039/d4fd00014e", "pmid": "38864456", "labels": [], "xrefs": [], "notes": [], "created": "2026-08-20T09:27:49.535Z", "modified": "2026-08-20T09:27:49.633Z"}], "created": "2026-08-20T09:27:49.600Z", "modified": "2026-08-20T09:27:49.600Z"}