Bacterial-Mimetic Membranes Reveal Hopanoid-Associated Domain-Like Lateral Heterogeneity

Hopanoid-containing bacterial-inspired giant unilamellar vesicles spontaneously form stable micron-scale lateral segregation, producing coexisting domain-like and PE-rich regions with distinct physical properties.

• Why it matters: Bacterial membranes are known to be laterally heterogeneous, but the physical rules linking lipid composition to spatially distinct environments are unclear, limiting quantitative study of transport and stress responses.
• What they did: Vesicles made from a hopanoid-associated lipid mixture inspired by Methylorubrum extorquens were tested with experiments and compositionally matched coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations, alongside ATR-FTIR and mechanical measurements.
• The result: Domain-like regions are more condensed, more ordered, and less mobile, while PE-rich non-domain regions are more laterally expanded with faster lipid diffusion; globally, the membrane shows higher bending rigidity than a fluid phosphatidylcholine reference.

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