Lipid and lyso-lipid effects on the mechanosensitivity of liposome co-reconstituted Mscs and Mscl

Bacterial mechanosensitive channels of small (MscS) and large (MscL) conductance have been proposed to play a major role in the protection of bacterial cells against hypo-osmotic shock. Although the genes of both channels have been cloned and X-ray crystallographic analysis has revealed their 3D structure, much less is known about how lipids surrounding the channels in the bacterial cell membrane may influence mechanosensitivity of both channels. Here, we utilize co-reconstitution system to examine the effects of different types of phospholipids, acyl chain length and lyso-lipids on mechanosensitivity of MscS and MscL by the patch-clamp technique