1-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine and dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol

Monodisperse lipid nanodiscs are particularly suitable for characterizing membrane protein in near-native environment. To study the lipid-composition dependence of photocycle kinetics of bacteriorhodopsin (bR), transient absorption spectroscopy was utilized to monitor the evolution of the photocycle intermediates of bR reconstituted in nanodiscs composed of different ratios of the zwitterionic lipid (DMPC, dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine; DOPC, dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine) to the negatively charged lipid (DOPG, dioleoyl phosphatidylglycerol; DMPG, dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol). The characterization of ion-exchange chromatography showed that the negative surface charge of nanodiscs increased as the content of DOPG or DMPG was increased. The steady-state absorption contours of the light-adapted monomeric bR in nanodiscs composed of different lipid ratios exhibited highly similar absorption features of the retinal moiety at 560 nm, referring to the conservation of the tertiary structure of bR in nanodiscs of different lipid compositions. In addition, transient absorption contours showed that the photocycle kinetics of bR was significantly retarded and the transient populations of intermediates N and O were decreased as the content of DMPG or DOPG was reduced. This observation could be attributed to the negatively charged lipid heads of DMPG and DOPG, exhibiting similar proton relay capability as the native phosphatidylglycerol (PG) analog lipids in the purple membrane. In this work, we not only demonstrated the usefulness of nanodiscs as a membrane-mimicking system, but also showed that the surrounding lipids play a crucial role in altering the biological functions, e.g., the ion translocation kinetics of the transmembrane proteins.

Topics: Bacteriorhodopsins; Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine; Halobacterium salinarum; Membranes, Artificial; Micelles; Molecular Structure; Nanostructures; Phosphatidylcholines; Phosphatidylglycerols; Purple Membrane; Spectrum Analysis

The innate reactivity of the peptide melittin (H-GIGAVLKVLTTGLPALISWIKRKRQQ-NH(2)) towards membrane lipids has been explored using LC-MS methods. The high sensitivity afforded by LC-MS analysis enabled acyl transfer to the peptide to be detected, within 4 h, from membranes composed of phosphocholines (PCs). Acyl transfer from PCs was also observed from mixtures of PC with phosphoserine (PS) or phosphoglycerol (PG). In the latter case, transfer from PG was also detected. The half-lives for melittin conversion varied between 24 h and 75 h, being fastest for POPC and slowest for DOPC/DMPG mixtures. The order of reactivity for amino groups on the peptide was N-terminus > K23 ≫ K21 > K7. Products arising from double-acylation of melittin were detected as minor components, together with a putative component derived from transesterification involving S18 of the peptide.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Chromatography, Liquid; Mass Spectrometry; Melitten; Membrane Lipids; Models, Molecular; Molecular Sequence Data; Phosphatidylcholines; Phosphatidylglycerols; Phosphatidylserines; Phospholipids

Annexin V (AxV) is a member of a family of proteins that exhibit functionally relevant Ca2+-dependent binding to anionic phospholipid membranes. Protein structure and stability as a function of Ca2+ and phospholipids was studied by bulk phase infrared (IR) spectroscopy and by IR reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) of monolayers in situ at the air/water (A/W) interface. Bulk phase experiments revealed that AxV undergoes an irreversible thermal denaturation at approximately 45-50 degreesC, as shown by the appearance of amide I bands at 1617 and 1682 cm-1. However, some native secondary structure is retained, even at 60 degreesC, consistent with a partially unfolded "molten globule" state. Formation of the Ca2+/phospholipid/protein ternary complex significantly protects the protein from thermal denaturation as compared to AxV alone, Ca2+/AxV, or lipid/AxV mixtures. Stabilization of AxV secondary structure by a DMPA monolayer in the presence of Ca2+ was also observed by IRRAS. Spectra of an adsorbed AxV film in the presence or absence of Ca2+ showed a 10 cm-1 shift in the amide I mode, corresponding to loss of ordered structure at the A/W interface. In both the bulk phase and IRRAS experiments, protection against H-->D exchange in AxV was enhanced only in the ternary complex. The combined data suggest that the secondary structure of AxV is strongly affected by the Ca2+/membrane component of the ternary complex whereas lipid conformational order is unchanged by protein.

Topics: Animals; Anions; Annexin A5; Calcium; Macromolecular Substances; Phosphatidylcholines; Phosphatidylethanolamines; Phosphatidylglycerols; Phospholipids; Protein Structure, Secondary; Rats; Spectrophotometry, Infrared

We have recently described a method for preparing lipid-based DNA particles (LDPs) that form spontaneously when detergent-solubilized cationic lipids are mixed with DNA. LDPs have the potential to be developed as carriers for use in gene therapy. More importantly, the lipid-DNA interactions that give rise to particle formation can be studied to gain a better understanding of factors that govern lipid binding and lipid dissociation. In this study the stability of lipid-DNA interactions was evaluated by measurement of DNA protection (binding of the DNA intercalating dye TO-PRO-1 and sensitivity to DNase I) and membrane destabilization (lipid mixing reactions measured by fluorescence resonance energy transfer techniques) after the addition of anionic liposomes. Lipid-based DNA transfer systems were prepared with pInexCAT v.2.0, a 4.49-kb plasmid expression vector that contains the marker gene for chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT). LDPs were prepared using N-N-dioleoyl-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride (DODAC) and either 1, 2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) or 1, 2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE). For comparison, liposome/DNA aggregates (LDAs) were also prepared by using preformed DODAC/DOPE (1:1 mole ratio) and DODAC/DOPC (1:1 mole ratio) liposomes. The addition of anionic liposomes to the lipid-based DNA formulations initiated rapid membrane destabilization as measured by the resonance energy transfer lipid-mixing assay. It is suggested that lipid mixing is a reflection of processes (contact, dehydration, packing defects) that lead to formulation disassembly and DNA release. This destabilization reaction was associated with an increase in DNA sensitivity to DNase I, and anionic membrane-mediated destabilization was not dependent on the incorporation of DOPE. These results are interpreted in terms of factors that regulate the disassembly of lipid-based DNA formulations.

Topics: Animals; Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase; Deoxyribonucleases; Detergents; DNA; Drug Carriers; Liposomes; Melanoma, Experimental; Mice; Models, Molecular; Molecular Conformation; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Phosphatidylcholines; Phosphatidylethanolamines; Phosphatidylglycerols; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Recombinant Proteins; Solubility; Structure-Activity Relationship; Transfection; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Unithiol

Resonance Raman spectra have been recorded from ferri-cytochrome c bound to phospholipid vesicles composed of dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol (DMPG), dioleoyl phosphatidylglycerol (DOPG) or dioleoyl phosphatidylglycerol-dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine (DOPG-DOPC) (70:30 mole/mole). Lipid binding induces very significant conformational changes in the protein molecule. The resonance Raman spectra differ in their content of bands originating from two different conformational species, I and II, of the protein, and from two different spin and coordination states of the heme in conformation II. Data of sufficiently high precision were obtained that the spectra of the individual species could be quantitated by a constraint interactive fitting routine using single Lorentzian profiles. In the high frequency, or marker band region (1200 to 1700 cm-1), the frequencies, half widths and relative intensities of the individual bands could be estimated from previous surface enhanced resonance Raman measurements on cytochrome c adsorbed on a silver electrode. These were then further optimized to yield both the spectral parameters and relative contents of the different species. In the low frequency, or fingerprint, region (200 to 800 cm-1), the spectral parameters of the individual species were obtained from difference spectra derived by sequential subtraction between the spectra of ferri-cytochrome c in the three different lipid systems, using the relative proportions of the species derived from the marker band region. These parameters were then subsequently refined by iterative optimization. The optimized spectral parameters in both frequency regions for the six-coordinated low spin states I and II, and for the five-coordinated high spin state II are presented.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Animals; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry, Physical; Cytochrome c Group; Oxidation-Reduction; Phosphatidylcholines; Phosphatidylglycerols; Phospholipids; Protein Conformation; Spectrum Analysis, Raman

We studied the interaction of transferrin receptors (of cell line Molt-4) with mixed model membranes as a function of lipid chain length (phospholipids with C14:0 and C18:1 hydrocarbon chains) and of the surface charge of the membrane using mixtures of C14:0 lecithin (DMPC) with C14:0 phosphatidylglycerol (DMPG) and C14:0 phosphatidylserine (DMPS). Spontaneous self-assembly of receptors and lipids was achieved by freeze-thaw cycles of a codispersion of mixed vesicles and receptors in buffer and subsequent separation of receptor-loaded and receptor-free vesicles by density gradient centrifugation. Information on specific lipid/protein interaction mechanisms was obtained by evaluation of protein-induced shifts of phase boundaries of lipid mixtures by calorimetry and by FTIR spectroscopy of partially deuterated lipid mixtures. The important role (1) of minimizing the elastic forces caused by the mismatch of the lengths of hydrophobic cores of the protein (lp) and the bilayer (lL) and (2) of the electrostatic coupling of protein head groups with the charged membrane/water interface for the lipid/protein self-assembly is established. The electrostatic interaction energy per receptor is about 10(3) kBT (by coupling to about 1000 charged lipids) which is sufficient to overcompensate the elastic energy associated with a mismatch of lp - lL approximately 1.0 nm. The maximum receptor concentration incorporated was measured as a function of membrane surface charge and lipid chain length. The maximum receptor molar fraction varied from xpmax = 5 x 10(-5) for DMPC to xpmax = 4 x 10(-4) for 1:1 DMPC/DMPG; moreover xpmax is higher for DMPS than for DMPG as charged component. For the long-chain lipids, xpmax is higher for a 9:1 DEPE/DEPC mixture [(4.2-9) x 10(-4)] than for pure DEPC (ca. 3.5 x 10(-4)). By decomposition of reconstituted receptors with proteases, we demonstrated the homogeneous orientation of the receptor with its extracellular head group pointing to the convex side of the vesicles.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry, Physical; Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine; Elasticity; Freeze Fracturing; Lipid Bilayers; Liposomes; Membrane Lipids; Microscopy, Electron; Phosphatidylcholines; Phosphatidylglycerols; Phosphatidylserines; Receptors, Transferrin; Transferrin