Studies on phosphatidylcholine vesicles. Formation and physical characteristics

Proton-enhanced 13C nuclear magnetic resonance of lipids and biomembranes

A recently developed nuclear double resonance technique which permits sensitive detection, together with high resolution, of rare spins in solids or other dipolar-coupled nuclear systems [Pines, Gibby, and Waugh (1973) J. Chem. Phys. 59, 569] has been applied to the study of natural abundance (13)C-nuclear magnetic resonance in lipid mesophases and of selectively labeled carbon sites in bacterial membranes.Detailed microscopic information on the molecular organization and phase transitions of the lipid phases and their interaction with ions and other molecules can be obtained from the study of the chemical shift anisotropies and dynamical aspects of the (13)C NMR spectra of unsonicated lipid dispersions (liposomes). Experiments are reported which demonstrated the feasibility of quantitatively observing the (13)C-nuclear magnetic resonance of specifically labeled sites in unperturbed Escherichia coli membrane vesicles for the study of the physical state of the lipids with the aim of relating it to the known lipid-dependent functional properties of the membranes.

Distribution and fate of synthetic lipid vesicles in the mouse: a combined radionuclide and spin label study

Single compartmental spherules of various lipid constituents (vesicles), enclosing (99m)TcO(4) (-) as a radioactive marker, were injected intravenously into C(3)H mice, and the distribution of radioactivity was studied. About 25% of the administered radioactivity was present in the liver 5 min and 30 min after the injection of vesicles composed of phosphatidylcholine and gangliosides, which were sonicated for 5 min (standard preparation). About 10-20% of the radioactivity remained in the circulation. By use of a nonradioactive spin label (tempocholine) enclosed within vesicles, intact vesicles were demonstrated in the circulation for 46 min after intravenous injection. The distribution of radioactivity from (99m)TcO(4) (-) inside vesicles is very different from that of free (99m)TcO(4) (-) or of (99m)Tc sulfur colloid. Increase in the length of sonication or incorporation of cholesterol into the wall of the vesicles enhanced hepatic levels and reduced blood levels of radioactivity. These same manipulations also slowed the rate of transfer of (99m)TcO(4) (-) out of vesicles in dialysis experiments in vitro. Addition of phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylethanolamine, or phosphatidylserine to the standard constituents did not greatly alter the distribution of radioactivity in vivo but did increase the number and type of active coupling sites on the outside of the vesicle. The results indicate that vesicles might be valuable as carriers of diagnostic or therapeutic agents.

13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic evidence for hydrophobic lipid-protein interactions in human high density lipoproteins

Phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelins, cholesterol, and cholesterol esters were enriched with (13)C by chemical synthesis in specific positions of their hydrophilic groups and aliphatic chains. Their spin-lattice relaxation times were determined in organic solvents. The substances were organized as liposomes and recombined with total human high density apolipoproteins and the two separated main components, apolipoprotein A-I (apoLp-Gln-I) and apolipoprotein A-II (apoLp-Gln-II). These (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance data established that in reassembled high density lipoproteins the phospholipid molecules bind to the apoprotein moieties with their hydrophobic fatty acid chains and not with their hydrophilic zwitterionic groups. Apolipoprotein A-I preferentially binds phosphatidylcholine, although its lipid-binding capacity is smaller than that of apolipoprotein A-II. Apolipoprotein A-II avidly reassembles with sphingomyelin by hydrophobic interactions. A model of the molecular organization of the high density lipoportein particle has been derived.

Kinetics of the crystalline-liquid crystalline phase transition of dimyristoyl L-alpha-lecithin bilayers

Aqueous dispersions of synthetic dimyristoyl L-alpha-lecithin undergo a sharp decrease in turbidity in the temperature range where the crystalline-liquid crystalline phase transition occurs. Equilibrium transition curves, monitored by the absorbancy change at 300 nm, reproduce all the important features of a calorimetric melting curve [Hinz & Sturtevant (1972) J. Biol. Chem. 247, 6071]. A rapid temperature-jump of the dispersion, measured by the same absorbancy change, has detected several different molecular processes depending on the magnitude of the perturbation. These processes include a phase transition, permeation of ions and water across the membrane, and repture, annealing, or fusion of the bilayer structures. When the temperature-jump is limited to 1 degree, only reactions associated with the phase transition are detectable and no signal is generated after a temperature-jump except for those which end within or extend beyond the transition zones. At least two relaxation times are resolved for the phase transition reactions. The faster one in the millisecond time range is strongly temperature-dependent and has an activation energy close to one million calories per mole. The second one, in the 100-msec time range, appears to have a much smaller activation energy. These observations indicate that strongly cooperative nucleation processes and energy-dependent fast propagation steps occur during the phase transition. Since the kinetics of the transition are complex, intermediate state or transient structures must exist in the transition regions of the bilayer dispersions. These thermal fluctuations of the bilayer structures may have important effects on the lateral diffusion and permeation of molecules and ions in the membrane structure.

Differential interaction of cholesterol with phosphatidylcholine on the inner and outer surfaces of lipid bilayer vesicles

The separate identification of the -N(+)-(CH(3))(3) groups located on the outside and inside of phospholipid bilayers observed in proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy upon addition of low concentrations of praseodymium ion was exploited to investigate the effects of incorporated cholesterol. Only about 7% of the phosphate groups on the outside of the bilayer belong to a class of strong binding or shifting sites. Upon addition of up to about 30% cholesterol to egg lecithin bilayers, no changes in chemical shift or ratio of areas of peaks due to outer and inner -N(+)(CH(3))(3) groups appear. At about 30% incorporated cholesterol, an abrupt decrease occurs in the chemical-shift difference between -N(+)(CH(3))(3) groups located on the outer and inner bilayer surfaces, and an abrupt increase occurs in the ratio of the areas of the two peaks. For L-alpha-dipalmitoyl lecithin bilayers, an abrupt change in chemical-shift difference occurring between 10 and 20% cholesterol is not accompanied by a change in the relative number of -N(+)(CH(3))(3) groups located on the outer and inner surfaces. These results are interpreted as due to the homogeneous distribution of up to 30% cholesterol in egg lecithin bilayers. Above 30%, cholesterol is asymmetrically distributed in favor of the inner layer. In egg lecithin with a variety of polyunsaturated side chains, the side chains with the greater number of double bonds are preferentially displaced by high concentrations of cholesterol, which accounts for the increase in the ratio of outer to inner -N(+)(CH(3))(3) groups. Such preferential displacement by cholesterol cannot occur with the saturated L-alpha-dipalmitoyl lecithin. It is suggested that modified phospholipid vesicles of low radii of curvature may provide high concentrations of "active sites" present in membranes.

Lanthanide ion-induced isotropic shifts and broadening for nuclear magnetic resonance structural analysis of model membranes

The effects of a series of aquated lanthanide ions on the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of phospholipid bilayer suspensions are reported. The ability of these ions to provide a spectral distinction between morphologically exterior resonances and their interior counterparts was confirmed. Measurements of the relative shifting and broadening capabilities of these ions are reported, and their correlation with solid-state magnetic susceptibility anisotropies is shown to implicate a dipolar (pseudocontact) mechanism as the source of this effect. The potential for the use of dipolar shifts as structural probes is discussed and an alternative method using dipolar shifting and broadening reagents simultaneously is presented.