Endothelium in spots--high-content imaging of lipid rafts clusters in db/db mice

PLoS One. 2014 Aug 28;9(8):e106065. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106065. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Lipid rafts (LRs) are dynamic, sterol- and sphingolipid-enriched nanodomains involved in the regulation of cellular functions and signal transduction, that upon stimuli, via (e.g. association of raft proteins and lipids), may cluster into domains of submicron or micron scale. Up to date, however, lipid raft clusters were observed only under artificially promoted conditions and their formation in vivo has not been confirmed. Using non-destructive approach involving Raman and Atomic Force Microscopy imaging we demonstrated the presence of clustered lipid rafts in endothelium of the aorta of the db/db mice that represent a reliable murine model of type 2 diabetes. The raft clusters in the aorta of diabetic mice were shown to occupy a considerably larger (about 10-fold) area of endothelial cells surface as compared to the control. Observation of pathology-promoted LRs confirms that the cellular increase of lipid content results in clustering of LRs. Clustering of LRs leads to the formation of assemblies with diameters up to 3 micrometers and increased lipid character. This massive clustering of lipid rafts in diabetes may trigger a signaling cascade leading to vascular inflammation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Aorta / cytology*
  • Aorta / metabolism
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / metabolism*
  • Endothelium / metabolism*
  • Membrane Microdomains / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Spectrum Analysis, Raman

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund (grant coordinated by JCET-UJ, POIG.01.01.02-00-069/09). MP thanks the National Science Centre (the decision number DEC-2012/07/N/ST4/00296) for financial support. The research was carried out with the equipment purchased thanks to the financial support of the European Regional Development Fund in the framework of the Polish Innovation Economy Operational Program (contract no. POIG.02.01.00-12-023/08). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.