Moreover, it is known that the presence of anionic lipids and the membrane fluidity affect the cytolytic activity of Mt-II and other myotoxins, that is, human red blood cells, insensitive to Mt-II, become susceptible to the toxin after enrichment with phosphatidylserine, whereas cell membrane cholesterol depletion, by methyl- β-cyclodextrin treatment, enhanced the Mt-II cytolytic action on C2C12.
In cell culture studies, it has been shown that membrane fluidity affects glucose transport across membranes as well as the properties of the insulin receptor [ 8– 10].
In experimental VL, reduced membrane cholesterol in infected macrophages leads to increased membrane fluidity affecting its antigen-presenting ability (Chakraborty et al., 2005).
It is well known that UFAs give the membrane a high degree of fluidity, thus affecting the adaptive capacity of bacteria.
As a matter of fact, molar fractions of phospholipids are a direct measure of the balance of phospholipid composition that affects the fluidity and function of membranes (Farooqui and Horrocks 2001).
Sphingomyelin affects the membrane fluidity by acting as a scaffold for incorporation of cholesterol [ 144, 145].
Butanol stress has a strong negative effect on membrane functionality as it affects the membrane fluidity [ 20], which in turn affects membrane transport and the transmembrane potential and ΔpH [ 21, 22].
Taken altogether, a change in the membrane lipid composition affects the membrane fluidity (Fig. 2a), porosity (Fig. 2b), transport (inferred from (Veld et al. 1991)), surface chemistry (Fig. S1), and cellular morphology (inferred from Hyldgaard et al. 2012; Mykytczuk et al. 2007).
Moreover, dolichol affects the structure and fluidity of the cellular membrane and probably also influence the activity of membrane-associated proteins [ 21] or protect components of biological membranes against oxidative stress [ 22].
