Formation of Thermally Stable Vesicles from a Cyclic Tetraether Archaeal Lipid
- 1School of Chemistry, Food Biosciences and Pharmacy, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AD, U.K.
- 2Nanomicroscopy Center, Aalto University, Puumiehenkuja 2, FIN-02150 Espoo, Finland
Abstract
The formation of thermostable vesicles by the archaeal lipid β-l-gulopyranosyl-caldarchaetidyl-glycerol (CaldA) is investigated. This caldarchaeol-based lipid comprises the main polar lipid of the archaeon Thermoplasma acidophilum. Vesicle formation is shown and quantitatively analyzed through a combination of laser scanning confocal microscopy, cryogenic-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The thermal stability of the CaldA vesicles is then studied after autoclaving. The vesicles are found to be intact after this treatment via cryo-TEM and DLS and fluorescent dye release studies. The limited fluorescence release for CaldA is contrasted with results for the conventional lipid DPPC [1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine], for which significant release of encapsulated calcein is observed on heating. The vesicles are also stable against detergent lysis. Laurdan fluorescence polarization measurements show that the lipid membrane remains in a fluid state across a broad temperature range. The experiments were complemented by atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations which confirm a stable single layer arrangement of the lipids, and also a molecular packing-dependent curvature tendency. The thermostable vesicles of CaldA may be useful for encapsulation applications.
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BibTeX
@article{castelletto2026formation,
title = {{Formation of Thermally Stable Vesicles from a Cyclic Tetraether Archaeal Lipid}},
author = {Valeria Castelletto and Jani Seitsonen and Janne Ruokolainen and Ian W. Hamley},
journal = {Langmuir},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1021/acs.langmuir.6c04761},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.6c04761},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Formation of Thermally Stable Vesicles from a Cyclic Tetraether Archaeal Lipid
AU - Valeria Castelletto
AU - Jani Seitsonen
AU - Janne Ruokolainen
AU - Ian W. Hamley
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Langmuir
DO - 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6c04761
UR - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.6c04761
AB - The formation of thermostable vesicles by the archaeal lipid β-l-gulopyranosyl-caldarchaetidyl-glycerol (CaldA) is investigated. This caldarchaeol-based lipid comprises the main polar lipid of the archaeon Thermoplasma acidophilum. Vesicle formation is shown and quantitatively analyzed through a combination of laser scanning confocal microscopy, cryogenic-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The thermal stability of the CaldA vesicles is then studied after autoclaving. The vesicles are found to be intact after this treatment via cryo-TEM and DLS and fluorescent dye release studies. The limited fluorescence release for CaldA is contrasted with results for the conventional lipid DPPC [1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine], for which significant release of encapsulated calcein is observed on heating. The vesicles are also stable against detergent lysis. Laurdan fluorescence polarization measurements show that the lipid membrane remains in a fluid state across a broad temperature range. The experiments were complemented by atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations which confirm a stable single layer arrangement of the lipids, and also a molecular packing-dependent curvature tendency. The thermostable vesicles of CaldA may be useful for encapsulation applications.
SN - 0743-7463
SN - 1520-5827
ER -