Real-time measurement of solute partitioning to lipid monolayers

Sphingolipid transfer proteins defined by the GLTP-fold

Glycolipid transfer proteins (GLTPs) originally were identified as small (~24 kDa), soluble, amphitropic proteins that specifically accelerate the intermembrane transfer of glycolipids. GLTPs and related homologs now are known to adopt a unique, helically dominated, two-layer 'sandwich' architecture defined as the GLTP-fold that provides the structural underpinning for the eukaryotic GLTP superfamily. Recent advances now provide exquisite insights into structural features responsible for lipid headgroup selectivity as well as the adaptability of the hydrophobic compartment for accommodating hydrocarbon chains of differing length and unsaturation. A new understanding of the structural versatility and evolutionary premium placed on the GLTP motif has emerged. Human GLTP-motifs have evolved to function not only as glucosylceramide binding/transferring domains for phosphoinositol 4-phosphate adaptor protein-2 during glycosphingolipid biosynthesis but also as selective binding/transfer proteins for ceramide-1-phosphate. The latter, known as ceramide-1-phosphate transfer protein, recently has been shown to form GLTP-fold while critically regulating Group-IV cytoplasmic phospholipase A2 activity and pro-inflammatory eicosanoid production.

GLTP-fold interaction with planar phosphatidylcholine surfaces is synergistically stimulated by phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylethanolamine

Among amphitropic proteins, human glycolipid transfer protein (GLTP) forms a structurally-unique fold that translocates on/off membranes to specifically transfer glycolipids. Phosphatidylcholine (PC) bilayers with curvature-induced packing stress stimulate much faster glycolipid intervesicular transfer than nonstressed PC bilayers raising questions about planar cytosol-facing biomembranes being viable sites for GLTP interaction. Herein, GLTP-mediated desorption kinetics of fluorescent glycolipid (tetramethyl-boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-label) from lipid monolayers are assessed using a novel microfluidics-based surface balance that monitors lipid lateral packing while simultaneously acquiring surface fluorescence data. At biomembrane-like packing (30-35 mN/m), GLTP uptake of BODIPY-glycolipid from POPC monolayers was nearly nonexistent but could be induced by reducing surface pressure to mirror packing in curvature-stressed bilayers. In contrast, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (POPE) matrices supported robust BODIPY-glycolipid uptake by GLTP at both high and low surface pressures. Unexpectedly, negatively-charged cytosol-facing lipids, i.e., phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylserine, also supported BODIPY-glycolipid uptake by GLTP at high surface pressure. Remarkably, including both 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphate (5 mol%) and POPE (15 mol%) in POPC synergistically activated GLTP at high surface pressure. Our study shows that matrix lipid headgroup composition, rather than molecular packing per se, is a key regulator of GLTP-fold function while demonstrating the novel capabilities of the microfluidics-based film balance for investigating protein-membrane interfacial interactions.

Open, microfluidic flow cell for studies of interfacial processes at gas-liquid interfaces

Interfacial processes involving peripheral proteins depend on the composition and packing density of the interfacial lipid molecules. As a biological membrane model, lipid monolayers at the gas-liquid interface allow independent control of these parameters. However, measuring protein adsorption to monolayers has been difficult. To aid in this and other studies of the interfacial processes, we have developed an open, microfluidic flow cell with which surface physical properties can be controlled and monitored in well-defined lipid monolayers while varying aqueous-phase composition. Using this apparatus, we implement a recently described fluorescence method (Momsen, W. E.; Mizuno, N. K.; Lowe, M. E.; Brockman, H. L. Anal. Biochem. 2005, 346, 139-49) to characterize the adsorption/desorption of glucagon to 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol monolayers at 27 mN/m. Analysis of the data gives reasonable and self-consistent results for kinetic and thermodynamic constants. Varying the packing density of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol does not alter the extent of glucagon adsorption, but comparable measurements with 1-steaoryl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine show a critical dependence. Because it allows a high degree of control of both lipid monolayer properties and aqueous-phase composition, this microfluidic flow cell should find wide applicability in many areas of research into interfacial processes.

Using monomolecular films to characterize lipid lateral interactions

Membrane lipids are structurally diverse in ways that far exceed the role envisioned by Singer and Nicholson of simply providing a fluid bilayer matrix in which proteins reside. Current models of lipid organization in membranes postulate that lipid structural diversity enables nonrandom lipid mixing in each leaflet of the bilayer, resulting in regions with special physical and functional properties, i.e., microdomains. Central to understanding the tendencies of membrane lipids to mix nonrandomly in biomembranes is the identification and evaluation of structural features that control membrane lipid lateral mixing interactions in simple model membranes. The surface balance provides a means to evaluate the lateral interactions among different lipids at a most fundamental level--mixed in binary/ternary combinations that self-assemble at the air-water interface as monomolecular films, i.e., monolayers. Analysis of surface pressure and interfacial potential as a function of average cross-sectional molecular area provide insights into hydrocarbon chain ordering, lateral compressibility/elasticity, and dipole effects under various conditions including those that approximate one leaflet of a bilayer. Although elegantly simple in principle, effective use of the surface balance requires proper attention to various experimental parameters, which are described herein. Adequate attention to these experimental parameters ensures that meaningful insights are obtained into the lipid lateral interactions and enables lipid monolayers to serve as a basic platform for use with other investigative approaches.