The mobility of a fluorescent ubiquinone in model lipid membranes. Relevance to mitochondrial electron transport

Chemistry of Lipoquinones: Properties, Synthesis, and Membrane Location of Ubiquinones, Plastoquinones, and Menaquinones

Lipoquinones are the topic of this review and are a class of hydrophobic lipid molecules with key biological functions that are linked to their structure, properties, and location within a biological membrane. Ubiquinones, plastoquinones, and menaquinones vary regarding their quinone headgroup, isoprenoid sidechain, properties, and biological functions, including the shuttling of electrons between membrane-bound protein complexes within the electron transport chain. Lipoquinones are highly hydrophobic molecules that are soluble in organic solvents and insoluble in aqueous solution, causing obstacles in water-based assays that measure their chemical properties, enzyme activities and effects on cell growth. Little is known about the location and ultimately movement of lipoquinones in the membrane, and these properties are topics described in this review. Computational studies are particularly abundant in the recent years in this area, and there is far less experimental evidence to verify the often conflicting interpretations and conclusions that result from computational studies of very different membrane model systems. Some recent experimental studies have described using truncated lipoquinone derivatives, such as ubiquinone-2 (UQ-2) and menaquinone-2 (MK-2), to investigate their conformation, their location in the membrane, and their biological function. Truncated lipoquinone derivatives are soluble in water-based assays, and hence can serve as excellent analogs for study even though they are more mobile in the membrane than the longer chain counterparts. In this review, we will discuss the properties, location in the membrane, and syntheses of three main classes of lipoquinones including truncated derivatives. Our goal is to highlight the importance of bridging the gap between experimental and computational methods and to incorporate properties-focused considerations when proposing future studies relating to the function of lipoquinones in membranes.

Electron Transport Lipids Fold Within Membrane-Like Interfaces

Lipoquinones, such as ubiquinones (UQ) and menaquinones (MK), function as essential lipid components of the electron transport system (ETS) by shuttling electrons and protons to facilitate the production of ATP in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Lipoquinone function in membrane systems has been widely studied, but the exact location and conformation within membranes remains controversial. Lipoquinones, such as Coenzyme Q (UQ-10), are generally depicted simply as "Q" in life science diagrams or in extended conformations in primary literature even though specific conformations are important for function in the ETS. In this study, our goal was to determine the location, orientation, and conformation of UQ-2, a truncated analog of UQ-10, in model membrane systems and to compare our results to previously studied MK-2. Herein, we first carried out a six-step synthesis to yield UQ-2 and then demonstrated that UQ-2 adopts a folded conformation in organic solvents using 1H-1H 2D NOESY and ROESY NMR spectroscopic studies. Similarly, using 1H-1H 2D NOESY NMR spectroscopic studies, UQ-2 was found to adopt a folded, U-shaped conformation within the interface of an AOT reverse micelle model membrane system. UQ-2 was located slightly closer to the surfactant-water interface compared to the more hydrophobic MK-2. In addition, Langmuir monolayer studies determined UQ-2 resided within the monolayer water-phospholipid interface causing expansion, whereas MK-2 was more likely to be compressed out and reside within the phospholipid tails. All together these results support the model that lipoquinones fold regardless of the headgroup structure but that the polarity of the headgroup influences lipoquinone location within the membrane interface. These results have implications regarding the redox activity near the interface as quinone vs. quinol forms may facilitate locomotion of lipoquinones within the membrane. The location, orientation, and conformation of lipoquinones are critical for their function in generating cellular energy within membrane ETS, and the studies described herein shed light on the behavior of lipoquinones within membrane-like environments.

Spotlight on Biomimetic Systems Based on Lyotropic Liquid Crystal

The behavior of lyotropic biomimetic systems in drug delivery was reviewed. These behaviors are influenced by drug properties, the initial water content, type of lyotropic liquid crystals (LLC), swell ability, drug loading rate, the presence of ions with higher or less kosmotropic or chaotropic force, and the electrostatic interaction between the drug and the lipid bilayers. The in vivo interaction between LCC-drugs, and the impact on the bioavailability of drugs, was reviewed. The LLC with a different architecture can be formed by the self-assembly of lipids in aqueous medium, and can be tuned by the structures and physical properties of the emulsion. These LLC lamellar phase, cubic phase, and hexagonal phase, possess fascinating viscoelastic properties, which make them useful as a dispersion technology, and a highly ordered, thermodynamically stable internal nanostructure, thereby offering the potential as a sustained drug release matrix for drug delivery. In addition, the biodegradable and biocompatible nature of lipids demonstrates a minimum toxicity and thus, they are used for various routes of administration. This review is not intended to provide a comprehensive overview, but focuses on the advantages over non modified conventional materials and LLC biomimetic properties.

Distribution and dynamics of OXPHOS complexes in the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane

Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is an essential process for most living organisms mostly sustained by protein complexes embedded in the cell membrane. In order to thrive, cells need to quickly respond to changes in the metabolic demand or in their environment. An overview of the strategies that can be employed by bacterial cells to adjust the OXPHOS outcome is provided. Regulation at the level of gene expression can only provide a means to adjust the OXPHOS outcome to long-term trends in the environment. In addition, the actual view is that bioenergetic membranes are highly compartmentalized structures. This review discusses what is known about the spatial organization of OXPHOS complexes and the timescales at which they occur. As exemplified with the commensal gut bacterium Escherichia coli, three levels of spatial organization are at play: supercomplexes, membrane microdomains and polar assemblies. This review provides a particular focus on whether dynamic spatial organization can fine-tune the OXPHOS through the definition of specialized functional membrane microdomains. Putative mechanisms responsible for spatio-temporal regulation of the OXPHOS complexes are discussed. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Organization and dynamics of bioenergetic systems in bacteria, edited by Conrad Mullineaux.

Structural and functional organization of the mitochondrial respiratory chain: a dynamic super-assembly

The structural organization of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system has received large attention in the past and most investigations led to the conclusion that the respiratory enzymatic complexes are randomly dispersed in the lipid bilayer of the inner membrane and functionally connected by fast diffusion of smaller redox components, Coenzyme Q and cytochrome c. More recent investigations by native gel electrophoresis, however, have shown the existence of supramolecular associations of the respiratory complexes, confirmed by electron microscopy analysis and single particle image processing. Flux control analysis has demonstrated that Complexes I and III in mammalian mitochondria and Complexes I, III, and IV in plant mitochondria kinetically behave as single units with control coefficients approaching unity for each single component, suggesting the existence of substrate channelling within the supercomplexes. The reasons why the presence of substrate channelling for Coenzyme Q and cytochrome c was overlooked in the past are analytically discussed. The review also discusses the forces and the conditions responsible for the formation of the supramolecular units. The function of the supercomplexes appears not to be restricted to kinetic advantages in electron transfer: we discuss evidence on their role in the stability and assembly of the individual complexes and in preventing excess oxygen radical formation. Finally, there is increasing evidence that disruption of the supercomplex organization leads to functional derangements responsible for pathological changes.

Diffusion-controlled generation of a proton-motive force across a biomembrane

Respiration in bacteria involves a sequence of energetically coupled electron and proton transfers creating an electrochemical gradient of protons (a proton-motive force) across the inner bacterial membrane. With a simple kinetic model, we analyze a redox loop mechanism of proton-motive force generation mediated by a molecular shuttle diffusing inside the membrane. This model, which includes six electron-binding and two proton-binding sites, reflects the main features of nitrate respiration in E. coli bacteria. We describe the time evolution of the proton translocation process. We find that the electron-proton electrostatic coupling on the shuttle plays a significant role in the process of energy conversion between electron and proton components. We determine the conditions where the redox loop mechanism is able to translocate protons against the transmembrane voltage gradient above 200 mV with a thermodynamic efficiency of about 37%, in the physiologically important range of temperatures from 250 to 350 K.

Impedance spectroscopy of bacterial membranes: coenzyme-Q diffusion in a finite diffusion layer

The inner membrane of Escherichia coli, overexpressing an ubiquinol oxidase, cytochrome bo3 (cbo3), was "tethered" in a planar configuration to a gold electrode. Electron transfer to cbo3 was achieved via native ubiquinol-8 or added ubiquinol-10, and impedance spectroscopy was used to characterize the diffusion properties of the ubiquinol/ubiquinone in the tethered membrane system. Spectra were obtained at varying direct current (DC) potentials covering the potential window in which the voltammetric catalytic wave of cbo3 is visible. These spectra were compared to those obtained after addition of a potent inhibitor of cbo3, cyanide, and the difference in impedance was analyzed using a derived equivalent circuit, which is similar to that of open finite-length diffusion (OFLD) or the finite Warburg circuit, but with the boundary conditions modified to account for the fact that ubiquinol reoxidation is limited by enzyme activity. Analysis of the impedance spectra of the tethered membrane system gave kinetic parameters that are consistent with values obtained using cyclic voltammetry. Importantly, the diffusion rate of ubiquinone (10(-13)-10(-12) cm2/s) was found to be orders of magnitude lower than accepted values for lateral diffusion (10(-8)-10(-7) cm2/ s). It is hypothesized that this result represent perpendicular diffusion of quinone across the membrane, corresponding to a "flip" time between 0.05 and 1 s.

Kinetics of bimolecular reactions in model bilayers and biological membranes. A critical review

The quantitative study of the probability of molecular encounters giving rise to a reaction in membranes is a challenging discipline. Model systems, model in the sense that they use model bilayers and model reactants, have been widely used for this purpose, but the methodologies employed for the analysis of the results obtained in experiments, and for experimental design, are so disparate that a concerned experimentalist has difficulty in deciding about the value of each approach. This review intends to examine the several approaches that can be found in the literature showing, when feasible, the weakness, strengths and limits of application of each of them. There is not, so far, a full experimental validation of the most promising theories for the analysis of reactions in two dimensions, what leaves open a large field for new research. The major challenge resides in the time range in which the processes take place, but the possibilities of the existing techniques for these studies are far from exhausted. We review also the attempts of several authors to quantitatively analyze the kinetics of reactions in biological membranes. Especially in this field, the recently developed microspectroscopies enclose a still unexplored potential.

Polymer-cushioned lipid bilayers in porous alumina

Using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV), we show that model biological membranes can be deposited on a polymer cushion confined in highly regular porous alumina. The thicknesses of the dilute polymer cushion chemically bound to the alumina and of the supported bilayer are obtained for two polyethylene glycol cushions (PEG(5000) and PEG(20000)) and for a cushion made of chains bearing a lipid anchor at their free end (DSPE-PEG(3400)). The bilayers are studied well below and well above the chain melting temperature of the lipid mixture (DMPC/DMPE: 80/20), using a coenzyme (Ubiquinone, UQ(10)) as a redox probe for the voltammetry experiments. Analysis of the SANS form factor of the bilayers shows that the bilayer thickness can be extracted in this particular geometry. Using PEG chains grafted at a low surface density (D < 2R(g)), the thickness of the complete molecular construction is obtained by CV, which shows (after subtracting the bilayer thickness) that the polymer cushion thickness can be varied from 50 to 150 Angstroms. The values obtained with three different chain lengths, are in perfect agreement with the radius derived from the Flory theory.

Comparisons of coenzyme Q bound to mitochondrial membrane proteins among different mammalian species

The objective of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms that govern the variations in the rates of mitochondrial superoxide anion radical (O2-*) generation in different species. The amounts of coenzyme Q (CoQ) associated with mitochondrial membrane proteins were compared in five different mammalian species, namely mouse, rat, rabbit, pig, and cow. Micelles of cardiac mitochondria were prepared using Triton X-100 or deoxycholate (DOC) as detergents, and the micelles containing mitochondrial proteins were sedimented by sucrose density ultracentrifugation. The amount of CoQ present in both types of micelles varied in different species, whereas alpha-tocopherol, another lipoidal molecule in mitochondrial membranes, could not be detected in the micelles of any of these species. The amounts of CoQ bound to mitochondrial proteins in DOC micelles were higher in those mammalian species where CoQ10 was the predominant CoQ homologue, and the amounts were found to be inversely correlated with the rate of mitochondrial 02-* generation among different species. Results also indicated that mitochondrial CoQ exists in at least two distinct pools, one of which is associated with the membrane proteins. The degree of association between CoQ and membrane proteins appears to be a factor determining the rate of mitochondrial O2-* generation.

A high diffusion coefficient for coenzyme Q10 might be related to a folded structure

We measured the lateral diffusion of different coenzyme Q homologues and analogues in model lipid vesicles using the fluorescence collisional quenching technique with pyrene derivatives and found diffusion coefficients in the range of 10(-6) cm2/s. Theoretical diffusion coefficients for these highly hydrophobic components were calculated according to the free volume theory. An important parameter in the free volume theory is the relative dimension between diffusant and solvent: a molecular dynamics computer simulation of the coenzymes yielded their most probable geometries and volumes and revealed surprisingly similar sizes of the short and long homologues, due to a folded structure of the isoprenoid chain in the latter, with a length for coenzyme Q10 of 21 A. Using this information we were able to calculate diffusion coefficients in the range of 10(-6) cm2/s, in good agreement with those found experimentally.

Electrochemical measurement of lateral diffusion coefficients of ubiquinones and plastoquinones of various isoprenoid chain lengths incorporated in model bilayers

The long-range diffusion coefficients of isoprenoid quinones in a model of lipid bilayer were determined by a method avoiding fluorescent probe labeling of the molecules. The quinone electron carriers were incorporated in supported dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine layers at physiological molar fractions (<3 mol%). The elaborate bilayer template contained a built-in gold electrode at which the redox molecules solubilized in the bilayer were reduced or oxidized. The lateral diffusion coefficient of a natural quinone like UQ10 or PQ9 was 2.0 +/- 0.4 x 10(-8) cm2 s(-1) at 30 degrees C, two to three times smaller than the diffusion coefficient of a lipid analog in the same artificial bilayer. The lateral mobilities of the oxidized or reduced forms could be determined separately and were found to be identical in the 4-13 pH range. For a series of isoprenoid quinones, UQ2 or PQ2 to UQ10, the diffusion coefficient exhibited a marked dependence on the length of the isoprenoid chain. The data fit very well the quantitative behavior predicted by a continuum fluid model in which the isoprenoid chains are taken as rigid particles moving in the less viscous part of the bilayer and rubbing against the more viscous layers of lipid heads. The present study supports the concept of a homogeneous pool of quinone located in the less viscous region of the bilayer.

Reduction of ubiquinone in membrane lipids by rat liver cytosol and its involvement in the cellular defence system against lipid peroxidation

Rat liver homogenates reduced ubiquinone (UQ)-10 to ubiquinol (UQH2)-10 in the presence of NADPH rather than NADH. This NADPH-dependent UQ reductase (NADPH-UQ reductase) activity that was not inhibited by antimycin A and rotenone, was located mainly in the cytosol fraction and its activity accounted for 68% of that of the homogenates. Furthermore, the NADPH-UQ reductase from rat liver cytosol efficiently reduced both UQ-10 incorporated into egg yolk lecithin liposomes, and native UQ-9 residing in rat microsomes, to the respective UQH2 form in the presence of NADPH. The gross redox ratios of UQH2-9/(UQ-9 + UQH2-9) in individual tissues of rat correlated positively with the log of their respective cytosolic NADPH-UQ reductase activities, while the redox ratios in every intracellular fraction from liver were at about the same level, irrespective of NADPH-UQ reductase activities in the respective fractions. The combined addition of rat liver cytosol and NADPH inhibited to a great extent 2,2'-azobis(2,4-dimethyl-valeronitrile)-induced lipid peroxidation of UQ-10-fortified lecithin liposomes and completely inhibited such peroxidation in the liposomes in which UQH2-10 replaced UQ-10. The NADPH-UQ reductase activity was clearly separated from DT-diaphorase (EC 1.6.99.2) activity by means of Cibacron Blue-immobilized Bio-Gel A-5m chromatography. In conclusion, the NADPH-UQ reductase in cytosol, which is a novel enzyme to our knowledge, was presumed to be responsible for maintaining the steady-state redox levels of intracellular UQ and thereby to act as an endogenous antioxidant in protecting intracellular membranes from lipid peroxidation that is inevitably induced in aerobic metabolism.

Carbocyanine dyes with long alkyl side-chains: broad spectrum inhibitors of mitochondrial electron transport chain activity

Certain indocarbocyanine, thiacarbocyanine, and oxacarbocyanine dyes possessing short alkyl side-chains (one to five carbons) are potent inhibitors of mammalian mitochondrial NADH-ubiquinone reductase (EC 1.6.99.3) activity (Anderson et al., Biochem Pharmacol 41: 677-684, 1991; Anderson et al., Biochem Pharmacol 45: 691-696, 1993; Anderson et al., Biochem Pharmacol 45: 2115-2122, 1993), and act similarly to rotenone. This study examines the inhibitory capacities of twelve other carbocyanine dyes (six indocarbocyanines, four oxacarbocyanines, and two thiacarbocyanines) possessing long alkyl side-chains (seven to eighteen carbons with both saturated and unsaturated side-chains) on mitochondrial NADH, succinate and cytochrome c oxidase activities. Three of the indocarbocyanines inhibited electron transport chain activity, while three were non-inhibitory. Two of the oxacarbocyanines also inhibited electron transport chain activity, while the other two were without effect. Both the thiacarbocyanines were non-inhibitory. In contrast to previous studies, the long alkyl side-chain carbocyanines exhibited a broad spectrum of inhibition of respiratory chain activity, affecting either oxidation of all three substrates or of NADH and cytochrome c, rather than specific inhibition of mitochondrial NADH-ubiquinone reductase activity, indicating that there could be multiple binding sites for these compounds. The five inhibitory long side-chain carbocyanines also inhibited reduction of ferricyanide and coenzyme Q1 by NADH, using submitochondrial particles, but not when tested with purified complex I, indicating that the mitochondrial inner membrane was an integral component in their inhibitory capacity. No general correlation of side-chain length or degree of unsaturation and inhibitory capacity was discernible.

Electrochemical measurements of the lateral diffusion of electroactive amphiphiles in supported phospholipid monolayers

Chronocoulometry was used to characterize the fluidity and lateral diffusion coefficient of supported phospholipid bilayer assemblies. The bilayers were formed on the inner surfaces of the microporous template films of aluminum oxide on gold electrodes. The lipid monolayers were formed by adsorption and fusion of phospholipid vesicles on alkylated oxide surfaces. Octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) was used in the initial alkylation step. The surface concentration of the lipids in monolayer assemblies was measured by a radioactive assay method. Surface densities corresponding to 48 +/- 10 A2/molecule (DPPC) and 56 +/- 11 A2/molecule (DMPC) were obtained (for exposure times > 120 min) independent of the temperature of the vesicle's fusion (below or above chain-melting transition). Octadecylviologen (C18MV2+) was used as an electroactive probe species. Its limiting lateral diffusion coefficient in DMPC monolayers was 5 x 10(-8) cm2/s, measured as C18MV2+ mole fraction extrapolated to 0 decreasing linearly from 20 to below 1 mol%. Linear Arrhenius plots for C18MV2+ diffusion in DMPC monolayers were obtained with slopes of approximately 40 kJ/mol between 18 and 45 degrees C, demonstrating homogeneity and fluidity of the lipid monolayers. Chronocoulometry was also used to obtain lateral diffusion coefficient of ubiquinone in DMPC/OTS bilayers. A value of 1.9 x 10(-8) cm2/s at 30 degrees C was obtained.