What Is Lipid Raft?

A lipid raft is a dynamic assembly of proteins and lipids, which is defined as small (10-200nm) heterogeneous, highly dynamic, sterol (cholesterol), sphingolipid, and protein-rich domains. It is a versatile device that separates cell membrane processes and mainly contains several different classes of proteins, such as glycosylphosphatidylinositol connexins, diacylated proteins, G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) proteins, cholesterol connexins, and palmitoylated proteins. In the inactive state, lipid rafts float freely within the liquid-disordered bilayer of the cell membrane, while activated, they aggregate to form large, ordered platforms that participate in a variety of cellular processes, such as intracellular protein sorting, membrane trafficking, endocytosis, and signal transduction.

Fig.1 Lipid raft organization, region (1) is a standard lipid bilayer, while region (2) is a lipid raft. (Wikipedia)

Lipid Raft-based Cell Surface Glycoengineering Services at CD BioGlyco

• Modification of lipid raft-based cell surface glycoengineering services

• Glycosylation
  CD BioGlyco adds specific glycosyl modifications to proteins in lipid rafts-based cell surfaces by engineering transgenic cells or using in vitro reactions. Glycosyl modification mainly occurs at specific glycosylation sites on the protein surface, which are catalyzed by glycosylation enzymes. Through the action of glycosylation enzymes, proteins may be modified into various types of sugar chains, such as N-glycosylation, O-glycosylation, and C-glycosylation.
  Moreover, sialic acid is a common glycosyl modification that attaches sialic acid glycosyl groups to lipid rafts via glycosyltransferases. Glycosylation modifications may affect the interaction between lipid rafts and other cells or molecules, regulating processes such as cell signaling, adhesion, and immune responses.
• Fatty acylation
  Under the catalysis of acyltransferase, proteins in lipid rafts-based cell surfaces are combined with lipid molecules through fatty acylation modification, thereby being more closely associated with lipid rafts, which may regulate the positioning and interaction of lipid raft proteins.
• Phosphorylation
  Proteins or lipid molecules on lipid rafts-based cell surfaces are modified through kinase-mediated phosphorylation to modulate their activity and interactions, which alter the localization, interaction, or signaling capabilities of proteins in lipid rafts.
• Sulfation
  Specific amino acid residues (such as tyrosine) on some proteins may be modified through sulfation, thereby modulating their binding affinity to other molecules and signaling effects.

• Analysis of lipid raft-based cell surface glycoengineering services

CD BioGlyco also quantifies and structurally identify glycosyl-modified proteins in lipid rafts-based cell surface by advanced analytical techniques, such as mass spectrometry, chromatography, and spectroscopy, which may reveal information present in lipid rafts including glycosyl components, sugar chain length, glycosyl structure, and glycosyl modification levels.

Fig.2 Lipid raft-based cell surface glycoengineering services. (CD BioGlyco)

Applications

• Vaccine development: Using glycosyl modifications on lipid rafts, vaccines with specific glycosyl structures are designed, which mimic the glycosyl structures on the pathogen's surface and induce an immune response against the pathogen, thereby protecting against specific diseases.
• Drug delivery systems: By modifying the sugar units on lipid rafts, the interaction and specificity between drug delivery systems and target cells are altered. It improves the targeting and bioavailability of drugs and achieves more effective therapeutic effects.
• Disease labeling: Glycosyl modifications on lipid rafts may be applied as disease markers to diagnose or monitor disease progression by detecting the presence or expression of specific glycosyl structures, which has potential applications in oncology, diabetes, and other fields.

Advantages

• CD BioGlyco possesses in-depth expertise and technical capabilities in the areas of lipid rafts and glycosyl modifications.
• CD BioGlyco is equipped with advanced experimental facilities and instruments, we use the latest molecular biology and cell biology technologies (for example gene editing tools, mass spectrometry analysis, and flow cytometry) to provide services related to lipid raft sugar engineering.
• CD BioGlyco provides a variety of lipid raft glycoengineering services and customized solutions according to client's needs.

CD BioGlyco provides efficient and professional lipid raft-based cell surface glycoengineering services. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to inquire about specific details.