The effect of gangliosides on the lamellar phase behaviour of phosphatidylethanolamines

An index of lipid phase diagrams

There is a growing awareness of the utility of lipid phase behavior data in studies of membrane-related phenomena. Such miscibility information is commonly reported in the form of temperature-composition (T-C) phase diagrams. The current index is a conduit to the relevant literature. It lists lipid phase diagrams, their components and conditions of measurement, and complete bibliographic information. The main focus of the index is on lipids of membrane origin where water is the dispersing medium. However, it also includes records on acylglycerols, fatty acids, cationic lipids, and detergent-containing systems. The miscibility of synthetic and natural lipids with other lipids, with water, and with biomolecules (proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, etc.) and non-biological materials (drugs, anesthetics, organic solvents, etc.) is within the purview of the index. There are 2188 phase diagram records in the index, the bulk (81%) of which refers to binary (two-component) T-C phase diagrams. The remainder is made up of more complex (ternary, quaternary) systems, pressure-T phase diagrams, and other more exotic miscibility studies. The index covers the period from 1965 through to July, 2001.

Phases and phase transitions of the hydrated phosphatidylethanolamines

LIPIDAT is a computerized database providing access to the wealth of information scattered throughout the literature concerning synthetic and biologically derived polar lipid polymorphic and mesomorphic phase behavior. Here, a review of the LIPIDAT data subset referring to hydrated phosphatidylethanolamines (PE) is presented together with an analysis of these data. The PE subset represents 14% of all LIPIDAT records. It includes data collected over a 38-year period and consists of 1511 records obtained from 203 articles in 35 different journals. An analysis of the data in the subset has allowed us to identify trends in synthetic PE phase behavior reflecting changes in lipid chain length, chain unsaturation (number, isomeric type and position of double bonds), chain asymmetry and branching, type of chain-glycerol linkage (ether vs. ester) and headgroup modification. Also included is a summary of the data concerning the effect of pH, stereochemical purity, and different additives such as salts, saccharides, alcohols, amino adds and alkanes on PE phase behavior. Information on the phase behavior of biologically derived PE is also presented. This review includes 236 references.

Synergistic effects of Ca2+ and wheat germ agglutinin on the lamellar-hexagonal (HII) phase transition of glycophorin-containing egg-phosphatidylethanolamine membranes

Glycophorin has been reconstituted into egg phosphatidylethanolamine (egg-PtdEtn) membranes. Stable vesicles were obtained at a molar ratio of 8 x 10(-4) of inserted protein/lipid. This macroscopic change from lipid aggregates to lipid vesicles was followed by density gradient centrifugation. Vesicles formed in the presence of protein enclose the dye calcein and are stable with time and temperature. Membrane aggregation does not occur, as was demonstrated by energy-transfer experiments. The phase transition from the fluid lamellar L alpha phase to the inverted hexagonal HII phase observed at 29 degrees C in pure egg-PtdEtn membranes is suppressed and finally disappears in the presence of glycophorin. The transition enthalpy decreases linearly from delta H = 4 kJ/mol in pure lipids to zero at a protein/lipid molar ratio of 1:1000. Ca2+ ions and wheat germ lectin act synergistically on the phase behavior of vesicles containing glycophorin and phosphatidylethanolamine. Differential scanning calorimetry scans show that the lamellar-to-hexagonal phase transition is reinduced. The membranes aggregate and exchange lipid as could be demonstrated by energy transfer experiments. The dye calcein is released but only if the temperature exceeds the lamellar-to-hexagonal phase transition temperature of the pure egg-PtdEtn.

The influence of gangliosides on the hydrophilic pore edge line tension and monolayer fusion of lipid membranes

It is shown that inclusion of gangliosides into planar phospholipid bilayers leads to an essential suppression of their monolayer fusion. In contrast to phospholipid lysoforms, the gangliosides do not cause an associative decrease of the specific energy of the hydrophilic pore edge determined in the experiments on the electrical breakdown of membranes. This phenomenon depends on the effective size of the polar headgroup of the gangliosides. It is supposed that the effect of gangliosides on the parameters mentioned is based on the fact that they have large hydrated polar headgroups which create steric hindrances, which prevent (i) the membranes to come into contact during monolayer fusion; (ii) the gangliosides to take part in hydrophilic pore formation.