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Results for “Membrane Lipid Composition”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Impact of PrsA on membrane lipid composition during daptomycin-resistance-mediated β-lactam sensitization in clinical MRSA strains

Abstract Background The cyclic anionic lipopeptide daptomycin is used in the treatment of severe infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens, including MRSA. Daptomycin resistance, although rare, often results in treatment failure. Paradoxically, in MRSA, daptomycin resistance is usually accompanied by a concomitant decrease in β-lactam resistance in what is known as the ‘see-saw effect’. This resensitization is extensively used for the treatment of MRSA infections, by combining daptomycin and a β-lactam antibiotic, such as oxacillin. Objectives We aimed: (i) to investigate the combined effects of daptomycin and oxacillin on the lipid composition of the cellular membrane of both daptomycin-resistant and -susceptible MRSA strains; and (ii) to assess the involvement of the post-translocational protein PrsA, which plays an important role in oxacillin resistance in MRSA, in membrane lipid composition and remodelling during daptomycin resistance/β-lactam sensitization. Results The combination of microbiological and biochemical studies, with fluorescence microscopy using lipid probes, showed that the lipid composition and surface charge of the daptomycin-resistant cells exposed to daptomycin/oxacillin were dependent on antibiotic concentration and directly associated with PrsA, which influenced cardiolipin remodelling/relocation. Conclusions Our findings show that PrsA, in addition to its post-transcriptional role in the maturation of PBP 2a, is a key mediator of cell membrane remodelling connected to the see-saw effect and may have a key role in the resensitization of daptomycin-resistant strains to β-lactams, such as oxacillin.

de Carvalho, Carla C. C. R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Changes in membrane lipid composition during saline growth of the fresh water cyanobacterium Synechococcus 6311

Growth of Synechococcus 6311 in the presence of 0.5 molar NaCl is accompanied by significant changes in membrane lipid composition. Upon transfer of the cells from a low salt' (0.015 molar NaCl) to high salt' (0.5 molar NaCl) growth medium at different stages of growth, a rapid decrease in palmitoleic acid (C16:1 delta 9) content was accompanied by a concomitant increase in the amount of the two C18:1 acids (C18:1 delta 9, C18:1 delta 11), with the higher increase in oleic acid C18:1 delta 9 content. These changes began to occur within the first hour after the sudden elevation of NaCl and progressed for about 72 hours. The percentage of palmitic acid (C16:0) and stearic acid (C18:0) remained almost unchanged in the same conditions. High salt-dependent changes within ratios of polar lipid classes also occurred within the first 72 hours of growth. The amount of monogalactosyl diacylglycerol (bilayer-destabilizing lipid) decreased and that of the digalactosyl diacylglycerol (bilayer-stabilizing lipid) increased. Consequently, in the three day old cells, the ratio of monogalactosyl diacylglycerol to digalactosyl diacylglycerol in the membranes of high salt-grown cells was about half of that in the membranes of low salt-grown cells. The total content of anionic lipids (phosphatidylglycerol and sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol) was always higher in the isolated membranes and the whole cells from high salt-grown cultures compared to that in the cells and membranes from low salt-grown cultures. All the observed rearrangements in the lipid environment occurred in both thylakoid and cytoplasmic membranes. Similar lipid composition changes, however, to a much lesser extent, were also observed in the aging, low salt-grown cultures. The observed changes in membrane fatty acids and lipids composition correlate with the alterations in electron and ion transport activities, and it is concluded that the rearrangement of the membrane lipid environment is an essential part of the process by which cells control membrane function and stability.

NASA Discipline Life Support Systems↗
DOE OSTI2026

Harnessing evolution: leveraging bacterial isoprenoid pathway diversity toward improved bioengineering strategies

Isoprenoids play vital roles in all domains of life, from beta-carotene in bacteria to heme in humans. Two distinct metabolic pathways have evolved to synthesize the critical precursor of all mature isoprenoids: the mevalonate (MEV) and the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathways. Here, we quantify the extensive inter- and intra-genus heterogeneity in the usage of these two pathways with particular emphasis on rare bacteria that encode both, or neither, pathways. Furthermore, MEP intermediates themselves have non-isoprenogenic roles that may underlie evolutionary pressures driving pathway diversification. Understanding isoprenoid biosynthesis in bacteria offers new avenues toward more sustainable engineering of economically relevant molecules in microbes.

Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology↗
DOE OSTI2024

Tetraether archaeal lipids promote long‐term survival in extreme conditions

Abstract The sole unifying feature of the incredibly diverse Archaea is their isoprenoid‐based ether‐linked lipid membranes. Unique lipid membrane composition, including an abundance of membrane‐spanning tetraether lipids, impart resistance to extreme conditions. Many questions remain, however, regarding the synthesis and modification of tetraether lipids and how dynamic changes to archaeal lipid membrane composition support hyperthermophily. Tetraether membranes, termed glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), are generated by tetraether synthase (Tes) by joining the tails of two bilayer lipids known as archaeol. GDGTs are often further specialized through the addition of cyclopentane rings by GDGT ring synthase (Grs). A positive correlation between relative GDGT abundance and entry into stationary phase growth has been observed, but the physiological impact of inhibiting GDGT synthesis has not previously been reported. Here, we demonstrate that the model hyperthermophile Thermococcus kodakarensis remains viable when Tes (TK2145) or Grs (TK0167) are deleted, permitting phenotypic and lipid analyses at different temperatures. The absence of cyclopentane rings in GDGTs does not impact growth in T. kodakarensis , but an overabundance of rings due to ectopic Grs expression is highly fitness negative at supra‐optimal temperatures. In contrast, deletion of Tes resulted in the loss of all GDGTs, cyclization of archaeol, and loss of viability upon transition to the stationary phase in this model archaea. These results demonstrate the critical roles of highly specialized, dynamic, isoprenoid‐based lipid membranes for archaeal survival at high temperatures.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology↗
DOE OSTI2024

Lipid membrane remodeling and metabolic response during isobutanol and ethanol exposure in Zymomonas mobilis

Abstract Background Recent engineering efforts have targeted the ethanologenic bacterium Zymomonas mobilis for isobutanol production. However, significant hurdles remain due this organism’s vulnerability to isobutanol toxicity, adversely affecting its growth and productivity. The limited understanding of the physiological impacts of isobutanol on Z. mobilis constrains our ability to overcome these production barriers. Results We utilized a systems-level approach comprising LC–MS/MS-based lipidomics, metabolomics, and shotgun proteomics, to investigate how exposure to ethanol and isobutanol impact the lipid membrane composition and overall physiology of Z. mobilis . Our analysis revealed significant and distinct alterations in membrane phospholipid and fatty acid composition resulting from ethanol and isobutanol exposure. Notably, ethanol exposure increased membrane cyclopropane fatty acid content and expression of cyclopropane fatty acid (CFA) synthase. Surprisingly, isobutanol decreased cyclopropane fatty acid content despite robust upregulation of CFA synthase. Overexpression of the native Z. mobilis’ CFA synthase increased cyclopropane fatty acid content in all phospholipid classes and was associated with a significant improvement in growth rates in the presence of added ethanol and isobutanol. Heterologous expression of CFA synthase from Clostridium acetobutylicum resulted in a near complete replacement of unsaturated fatty acids with cyclopropane fatty acids, affecting all lipid classes. However, this did not translate to improved growth rates under isobutanol exposure. Correlating with its greater susceptibility to isobutanol, Z. mobilis exhibited more pronounced alterations in its proteome, metabolome, and overall cell morphology—including cell swelling and formation of intracellular protein aggregates —when exposed to isobutanol compared to ethanol. Isobutanol triggered a broad stress response marked by the upregulation of heat shock proteins, efflux transporters, DNA repair systems, and the downregulation of cell motility proteins. Isobutanol also elicited widespread dysregulation of Z. mobilis ’ primary metabolism evidenced by increased levels of nucleotide degradation intermediates and the depletion of biosynthetic and glycolytic intermediates. Conclusions This study provides a comprehensive, systems-level evaluation of the impact of ethanol and isobutanol exposure on the lipid membrane composition and overall physiology of Z. mobilis . These findings will guide engineering of Z. mobilis towards the creation of isobutanol-tolerant strains that can serve as robust platforms for the industrial production of isobutanol from lignocellulosic sugars.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Genetic and metabolic drivers of membrane remodeling in Clostridium thermocellum under alcohol stress

Clostridium thermocellum is a leading candidate for consolidated bioprocessing of lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels due to its native cellulolytic capabilities. Beyond ethanol, C. thermocellum is being developed as a platform for producing higher-chain alcohols such as isobutanol and n-butanol. However, its physiological adaptations to alcohol stress remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate how C. thermocellum remodels its membrane lipid composition in response to exogenous ethanol, n-butanol, isobutanol, and butyrate. Exposure to linear alcohols such as n-butanol or to organic acids like butyrate increased the proportion of straight-chain fatty acids in the membrane at the expense of branched-chain species, whereas exposure to the branched alcohol isobutanol produced the opposite effect. Isotope tracer experiments demonstrated that C. thermocellum directly incorporates the carbon backbones of exogenous alcohols and acids into fatty acids, providing a mechanistic basis for these contrasting shifts. We show that the bifunctional aldehyde/alcohol dehydrogenase AdhE is essential for the assimilation of exogenous alcohols into fatty acids, acting through its oxidative activity by first oxidizing alcohols to aldehydes and then converting them to acyl-CoA intermediates. Deletion of the pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase isozyme pfor4 abolished branched-chain fatty acid synthesis, but supplementation with isobutanol restored production, indicating that Pfor4 substitutes for the canonical branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase complex. These findings reveal two distinct routes for branched-chain fatty acid production in C. thermocellum: a Pfor4-dependent pathway from α-keto acid intermediates derived from amino acid synthesis, and an AdhE-dependent salvage pathway that assimilates exogenous branched-chain alcohols.

Acetivibrio thermocellus↗
DOE OSTI2021

Increased expression of fatty acid and ABC transporters enhances seed oil production in camelina

Abstract Background Lipid transporters play an essential role in lipid delivery and distribution, but their influence on seed oil production in oilseed crops is not well studied. Results Here, we examined the effect of two lipid transporters, FAX1 ( fatty acid export1 ) and ABCA9 ( ATP-binding cassette transporter subfamily A9 ) on oil production and lipid metabolism in the oilseed plant Camelina sativa . Overexpression (OE) of FAX1 and ABCA9 increased seed weight and size, with FAX1 -OEs and ABCA9 -OEs increasing seed length and width, respectively, whereas FAX1 / ABCA9 -OEs increasing both. FAX1- OE and ABCA9- OE displayed additive effects on seed oil content and seed yield. Also, OE of FAX1 and ABCA9 affected membrane lipid composition in developing pods, especially on phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylglycerol. The expression of some genes involved in seed oil synthesis, such as DGAT2 , PDAT1 , and LEC1 , was increased in developing seeds of FAX1 - and/or ABCA9 -OEs. Conclusion These results indicate that increased expression of FAX1 and ABCA9 can potentially be applied to improving camelina oil production.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Unique Structural Features Relate to Evolutionary Adaptation of Cytochrome P450 in the Abyssal Zone

Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) form one of the largest enzyme superfamilies, with similar structural folds yet biological functions varying from synthesis of physiologically essential compounds to metabolism of myriad xenobiotics. Sterol 14α-demethylases (CYP51s) represent a very special P450 family, regarded as a possible evolutionary progenitor for all currently existing P450s. In metazoans CYP51 is critical for the biosynthesis of sterols including cholesterol. Here we determined the crystal structures of ligand-free CYP51s from the abyssal fish Coryphaenoides armatus and human-. Comparative sequence–structure–function analysis revealed specific structural elements that imply elevated conformational flexibility, uncovering a molecular basis for faster catalytic rates, lower substrate selectivity, and intrinsic resistance to inhibition. In addition, the C. armatus structure displayed a large-scale repositioning of structural segments that, in vivo, are immersed in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane and border the substrate entrance (the FG arm, >20 Å, and the β4 hairpin, >15 Å). The structural distinction of C. armatus CYP51, which is the first structurally characterized deep sea P450, suggests stronger involvement of the membrane environment in regulation of the enzyme function. We interpret this as a co-adaptation of the membrane protein structure with membrane lipid composition during evolutionary incursion to life in the deep sea.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology↗
DOE OSTI2025

Anionic Lipids Regulate the Light-Harvesting Complex 1-Reaction Center Photocycle in Purple Bacteria

Photosynthetic purple bacteria can capture and convert sunlight with a remarkable, nearly 100% quantum efficiency. The light-harvesting complex 1-reaction center (LH1-RC) core complex is the membrane complex fundamentally responsible for solar energy conversion. LH1-RC has a highly conserved surrounding lipid composition known to favor anionic lipids for an unknown function. Here, in this work, we compared experimentally the rate of LH1-to-RC energy transfer in detergent, membrane nanodiscs with varying lipid compositions, purified membrane fragments, and live cells. The energy transfer rate indicated that RC turnover decreased in neutral lipids, yet was partially restored in anionic lipids, revealing an unexpected lipid dependence. In complementary molecular dynamics simulations, the anionic lipid cardiolipin showed electrostatic interactions with LH1-RC that may mediate quinone exchange, providing a mechanism for the observed lipid dependence. Overall, these results revealed that anionic lipids facilitate LH1-RC redox cycling, identifying a functional role for membrane composition in photosynthetic solar energy conversion.

bacteria↗
DOE OSTI2023

The impact of physiologically relevant temperatures on physical properties of thylakoid membranes: a molecular dynamics study

Thylakoid membranes are energy-converting membranes with a unique lipid composition. Though the membranes are primarily composed of proteins, their photosynthetic function is strongly influenced by the lipid constituents. Here we characterize, with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, lipid bilayers with compositions representative of plant thylakoid membranes. We determine, in a wide range of temperatures, the physical parameters of the model membranes which are relevant for the photosynthetic function. We found a marked impact of temperature on membrane permeability due to a combination of increased compressibility and curvature of the membrane at elevated temperatures. With increasing temperatures, we observed increasingly smeared transmembrane density profiles of the membrane forming lipid headgroups predicting increased membrane flexibility. The diffusion coefficient of the lipids increased with temperature without apparent specificity for lipid species. Instead of a comprehensive experimental dataset in the relevant temperature range, we quantitatively compared and validated our MD results with MD simulations on a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine model system.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1989

Comparison of the lipid composition of oat root and coleoptile plasma membranes: lack of short-term change in response to auxin

The total lipid composition of plasma membranes (PM), isolated by the phase partitioning method from two different oat (Avena sativa L.) tissues, the root and coleoptile, was compared. In general, the PM lipid composition was not conserved between these two organs of the oat seedling. Oat roots contained 50 mole percent phospholipid, 25 mole percent glycolipid, and 25 mole percent free sterol, whereas comparable amounts in the coleoptile were 42, 39, and 19 mole percent, respectively. Individual lipid components within each lipid class also showed large variations between the two tissues. Maximum specific ATPase activity in the root PM was more than double the activity in the coleoptile. Treatment of coleoptile with auxin for 1 hour resulted in no detectable changes in PM lipids or extractable ATPase activity. Differences in the PM lipid composition between the two tissues that may define the limits of ATPase activity are discussed.

NASA Discipline Plant Biology↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Role of Chloroplast Membrane Lipid Metabolism in Plant Environmental Responses

Plants are nonmotile life forms that are constantly exposed to changing environmental conditions during the course of their life cycle. Fluctuations in environmental conditions can be drastic during both day–night and seasonal cycles, as well as in the long term as the climate changes. Plants are naturally adapted to face these environmental challenges, and it has become increasingly apparent that membranes and their lipid composition are an important component of this adaptive response. Plants can remodel their membranes to change the abundance of different lipid classes, and they can release fatty acids that give rise to signaling compounds in response to environmental cues. Chloroplasts harbor the photosynthetic apparatus of plants embedded into one of the most extensive membrane systems found in nature. In part one of this review, we focus on changes in chloroplast membrane lipid class composition in response to environmental changes, and in part two, we will detail chloroplast lipid-derived signals.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Towards rational control of seed oil composition: dissecting cellular organization and flux control of lipid metabolism

Plant lipids represent a fascinating field of scientific study, in part due to a stark dichotomy in the limited fatty acid (FA) composition of cellular membrane lipids vs the huge diversity of FAs that can accumulate in triacylglycerols (TAGs), the main component of seed storage oils. With few exceptions, the strict chemical, structural, and biophysical roles imposed on membrane lipids since the dawn of life have constrained their FA composition to predominantly lengths of 16–18 carbons and containing 0–3 methylene-interrupted carbon-carbon double bonds in cis-configuration. However, over 450 “unusual” FA structures can be found in seed oils of different plants, and we are just beginning to understand the metabolic mechanisms required to produce and maintain this dichotomy. Here we review the current state of plant lipid research, specifically addressing the knowledge gaps in membrane and storage lipid synthesis from 3 angles: pathway fluxes including newly discovered TAG remodeling, key acyltransferase substrate selectivities, and the possible roles of “metabolons.”

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Scaling relationships for the elastic moduli and viscosity of mixed lipid membranes

The elastic and viscous properties of biological membranes play a vital role in controlling cell functions that require local reorganization of the membrane components as well as dramatic shape changes such as endocytosis, vesicular trafficking, and cell division. These properties are widely acknowledged to depend on the unique composition of lipids within the membrane, yet the effects of lipid mixing on the membrane biophysical properties remain poorly understood. Here, we present a comprehensive characterization of the structural, elastic, and viscous properties of fluid membranes composed of binary mixtures of lipids with different tail lengths. We show that the mixed lipid membrane properties are not simply additive quantities of the single-component analogs. Instead, the mixed membranes are more dynamic than either of their constituents, quantified as a decrease in their bending modulus, area compressibility modulus, and viscosity. While the enhanced dynamics are seemingly unexpected, we show that the measured moduli and viscosity for both the mixed and single-component bilayers all scale with the area per lipid and collapse onto respective master curves. This scaling links the increase in dynamics to mixing-induced changes in the lipid packing and membrane structure. More importantly, the results show that the membrane properties can be manipulated through lipid composition the same way bimodal blends of surfactants, liquid crystals, and polymers are used to engineer the mechanical properties of soft materials, with broad implications for understanding how lipid diversity relates to biomembrane function.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

KRAS4a and KRAS4b show distinct lipid-dependent regulation of RAS-RAF membrane dynamics

KRAS4a and KRAS4b are important regulators of signaling, and their interactions with the plasma membrane are dynamic and influenced by lipid composition. KRAS 4a and 4b have nearly identical globular domains but differ in their membrane-associated hyper variable region (HVR). The functional distinctions between these isoforms remain unclear, particularly with regards to their dependence on specific lipids and the membrane environment. Previous work showed that the membrane orientation of KRAS4b affects its ability to bind to RAF kinase RBDCRD and that the KRAS–RBDCRD complex adopts different poses on the membrane as well as influences the size and composition of the lipid environment. To model differences between KRAS 4a and 4b protein–lipid interactions, we extended the Multiscale Machine-Learned Modeling Infrastructure (MuMMI) to incorporate continuum simulations in the grand canonical ensemble, enabling sampling across macroscopic, coarse-grained, and all-atom resolutions. Using this framework, we systematically altered PIP2 concentrations, KRAS 4a versus 4b, and RAF RBDCRD complexation to assess impacts on membrane–protein interactions and dynamics. Our results reveal that reducing PIP2 shifts and broadens the membrane orientational preference of both KRAS 4b and 4a, with stronger effects on 4b HVR localization versus 4a. We demonstrate that with depletion of the strong negatively charged PIP2 lipid, the less charged phosphatidylserine replaces PIP2. Our findings highlight similarities and distinctions in the dynamics and lipid dependency of KRAS isoforms and suggest that ordering of the local lipid composition by HVRs is a shared property and key modulator of RAS-mediated signaling at the plasma membrane.

Biological and medical sciences↗
DOE OSTI2021

Atomic Force Microscopy to Characterize Antimicrobial Peptide-Induced Defects in Model Supported Lipid Bilayers

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) interact with bacterial cell membranes through a variety of mechanisms, causing changes extending from nanopore formation to microscale membrane lysis, eventually leading to cell death. Several AMPs also disrupt mammalian cell membranes, despite their significantly different lipid composition and such collateral hemolytic damage hinders the potential therapeutic applicability of the AMP as an anti-microbial. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying the AMP–membrane interactions is challenging due to the variations in the chemical and structural features of the AMPs, the complex compositional variations of cell membranes and the inadequacy of any single experimental technique to comprehensively probe them. (1) Background: Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) imaging can be used in combination with other techniques to help understand how AMPs alter the orientation and structural organization of the molecules within cell membranes exposed to AMPs. The structure, size, net charge, hydrophobicity and amphipathicity of the AMPs affect how they interact with cell membranes of differing lipid compositions. (2) Methods: Our study examined two different types of AMPs, a 20-amino acid, neutral, α-helical (amphipathic) peptide, alamethicin, and a 13-amino acid, non-α-helical cationic peptide, indolicidin (which intramolecularly folds, creating a hydrophobic core), for their interactions with supported lipid bilayers (SLBs). Robust SLB model membranes on quartz supports, incorporating predominantly anionic lipids representative of bacterial cells, are currently not available and remain to be developed. Therefore, the SLBs of zwitterionic egg phosphatidylcholine (PC), which represents the composition of a mammalian cell membrane, was utilized as the model membrane. This also allows for a comparison with the results obtained from the Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D) experiments conducted for these peptides interacting with the same zwitterionic SLBs. Further, in the case of alamethicin, because of its neutrality, the lipid charge may be less relevant for understanding its membrane interactions. (3) Results: Using AFM imaging and roughness analysis, we found that alamethicin produced large, unstable defects in the membrane at 5 µM concentrations, and completely removed the bilayer at 10 µM. Indolicidin produced smaller holes in the bilayer at 5 and 10 µM, although they were able to fill in over time. The root-mean-square (RMS) roughness values for the images showed that the surface roughness caused by visible defects peaked after peptide injection and gradually decreased over time. (4) Conclusions: AFM is useful for helping to uncover the dynamic interactions between different AMPs and cell membranes, which can facilitate the selection and design of more efficient AMPs for use in therapeutics and antimicrobial applications.

Swana, Kathleen W.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Perturbation of nanoplastics on biomembranes: molecular insights from neutron scattering

Plastic waste is now pervasive in the environment, breaking down into microplastics and nanoplastics under many environmental conditions. These particles have been found in various ecosystems and even in human tissues, raising significant environmental and health concerns. In this study, we investigated the interaction of polystyrene nanoplastics, with and without surface modifications, on biomembrane structures using contrast-matching small-angle neutron scattering and neutron spin echo spectroscopy. The neutron contrast matching enabled the selective study of biomembranes in the presence of nanoplastics. Two model membranes were employed: a simple zwitterionic bilayer (i.e., dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine [DMPC]) and an Escherichia coli lipid extract as a bacterial membrane model. The results show profound membrane disruptions, including possible thinning, vesicle fragmentation, lipid monolayer formation, and inter-vesicle aggregation, with the more severe effects observed in DMPC membranes. Notably, E. coli membranes exhibited greater resilience, suggesting that natural membranes with diverse lipid compositions may reduce susceptibility to perturbation by extracellular nanoplastics. Here, these findings highlight potential risks posed by environmental nanoplastic particles to biological membranes, with insights into molecular-level interactions and the environmental toxicity of nanoplastics. This work provides a foundation for future studies into nanoplastic–biomembrane interactions and their broader implications for health and environment using neutrons.

Qian, Shuo [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), ↗