New approach to study fast and slow motions in lipid bilayers: application to dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine-cholesterol interactions

Rotational decoupling between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions in lipid membranes

Cells use homeostatic mechanisms to ensure an optimal composition of distinct types of lipids in cellular membranes. The hydrophilic region of biological lipid membranes is mainly composed of several types of phospholipid headgroups that interact with incoming molecules, nanoparticles, and viruses, whereas the hydrophobic region consists of a distribution of acyl chains and sterols affecting membrane fluidity/rigidity related properties and forming an environment for membrane-bound molecules such as transmembrane proteins. A fundamental open question is to what extent the motions of these regions are coupled and, consequently, how strongly the interactions of phospholipid headgroups with other molecules depend on the properties and composition of the membrane hydrophobic core. We combine advanced solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy with high-fidelity molecular dynamics simulations to demonstrate how the rotational dynamics of choline headgroups remain nearly unchanged (slightly faster) with incorporation of cholesterol into a phospholipid membrane, contrasting the well-known extreme slowdown of the other phospholipid segments. Notably, our results suggest a new paradigm in which phospholipid dipole headgroups interact as quasi-freely rotating flexible dipoles at the interface, independent of the properties in the hydrophobic region.

Assessing Interactions Between a Polytopic Membrane Protein and Lipid Bilayers Using Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Solid-State NMR

It is known that the lipid composition within a cellular membrane can influence membrane protein structure and function. In this Article, we investigated how structural changes to a membrane protein upon substrate binding can impact the lipid bilayer. To carry out this study, we reconstituted the secondary active drug transporter EmrE into a variety of phospholipid bilayers varying in headgroup and chain length and carried out differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and solid-state NMR experiments. The DSC results revealed a difference in cooperativity of the lipid phase transition for drug-free EmrE protonated at glutamic acid 14 (i.e., proton-loaded form) and the tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP⁺) bound form of the protein (i.e., drug-loaded form). To complement these findings, we acquired magic-angle-spinning (MAS) spectra in the presence and absence of TPP⁺ by directly probing the phospholipid headgroup using ³¹P NMR. These spectra showed a reduction in lipid line widths around the main phase transition for samples where EmrE was bound to TPP⁺ compared to the drug free form. Finally, we collected oriented solid-state NMR spectra on isotopically enriched EmrE that displayed chemical shift perturbations to both transmembrane and loop residues upon TPP⁺ binding. All of these results prompt us to propose a mechanism whereby substrate-induced changes to the structural dynamics of EmrE alters the surrounding lipids within the bilayer.

Membrane solid-state NMR in Canada: A historical perspective

This manuscript presents an overview of more than 40years of membrane solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) research in Canada. This technique is a method of choice for the study of the structure and dynamics of lipid bilayers; bilayer interactions with a variety of molecules such as membrane peptides, membrane proteins and drugs; and to investigate membrane peptide and protein structure, dynamics, and topology. Canada has a long tradition in this field of research, starting with pioneering work on natural and model membranes in the 1970s in a context of emergence of biophysics in the country. The 1980s and 1990s saw an emphasis on studying lipid structures and dynamics, and peptide-lipid and protein-lipid interactions. The study of bicelles began in the 1990s, and in the 2000s there was a rise in the study of membrane protein structures. Novel perspectives include using dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) for membrane studies and using NMR in live cells. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Biophysics in Canada, edited by Lewis Kay, John Baenziger, Albert Berghuis and Peter Tieleman.

Preparation of Membrane Models of Gram-Negative Bacteria and Their Interaction with Antimicrobial Peptides Studied by CD and NMR

The antibiotic activity of antimicrobial peptides is generally derived via some type of disruption of the cell membrane(s). The most common models used to mimic the properties of bacterial membranes consist of mixtures of various zwitterionic and anionic phospholipids. This approach works reasonably well for Gram-positive bacteria. However, since the membranes of Gram-negative bacteria contain lipopolysaccharides, as well as zwitterionic and anionic phospholipids, a more complex model is required to simulate the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Herein we present a protocol for the preparation of models of the outer membranes of the Gram-negative bacteria Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This protocol can be used to prepare models of other Gram-negative bacteria provided the strain-specific lipopolysaccharides are available.

The oxidized phospholipid PazePC promotes permeabilization of mitochondrial membranes by Bax

Mitochondria play a crucial role in programmed cell death via the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, which is tightly regulated by the B-cell CLL/lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) protein family. Intracellular oxidative stress causes the translocation of Bax, a pro-apoptotic family member, to the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM) where it induces membrane permeabilization. Oxidized phospholipids (OxPls) generated in the MOM during oxidative stress directly affect the onset and progression of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. Here we use MOM-mimicking lipid vesicles doped with varying concentrations of 1-palmitoyl-2-azelaoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PazePC), an OxPl species known to significantly enhance Bax-membrane association, to investigate three key aspects of Bax's action at the MOM: 1) induction of Bax pores in membranes without additional mediator proteins, 2) existence of a threshold OxPl concentration required for Bax-membrane action and 3) mechanism by which PazePC disturbs membrane organization to facilitate Bax penetration. Fluorescence leakage studies revealed that Bax-induced leakage, especially its rate, increased with the vesicles' PazePC content without any detectable threshold neither for OxPl nor Bax. Moreover, the leakage rate correlated with the Bax to lipid ratio and the PazePC content. Solid state NMR studies and calorimetric experiments on the lipid vesicles confirmed that OxPl incorporation disrupted the membrane's organization, enabling Bax to penetrate into the membrane. In addition, 15N cross polarization (CP) and insensitive nuclei enhanced by polarization transfer (INEPT) MAS NMR experiments using uniformly (15)N-labeled Bax revealed dynamically restricted helical segments of Bax embedded in the membrane, while highly flexible protein segments were located outside or at the membrane surface.

Sterols associated with small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs): intrinsic mobility role for 1H NMR detection

Small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) of phospholipids are often used as a membrane model system for studying the interaction of molecules. When using NMR under the standard liquid-state conditions, SUV phospholipid proton spectra can be recorded, exhibiting sharp signals. This is not only because of the fast vesicular tumbling but also because of the combination of this tumbling with the individual motion of the lipids inside the bilayer. This appears evident because addition of cholesterol is responsible of broader resonances because of the slowing down of the lipid motion. On the other hand, no (1)H signal is detected for cholesterol in the bilayer. This lack of detection of the inserted molecules explains why generally SUVs are not considered as a good model for NMR studies under the standard liquid-state conditions. Here, we use two other sterols in order to demonstrate that an increase of the molecular mobility inside the bilayer could allow the detection of their proton resonances. For desmosterol and lanosterol, which show higher mobility inside the bilayer, with increasing lateral diffusion rates, (1)H sterol signals are detected in contrast to cholesterol. For the fast diffusing lanosterol, no significant improvement in detection is observed using deuterated lipids, demonstrating that homonuclear dipolar coupling is fully averaged out. Furthermore, in the case of low mobility such as for cholesterol, the use of a fast magic angle spinning probe is shown to be efficient to recover the full proton spectrum.

Interaction of cholesterol-like molecules in polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine lipid bilayers as revealed by a self-consistent field theory

Cholesterol is one of the most abundant components in biological membranes. In this paper we apply a detailed state-of-the-art self-consistent field (SCF) theory to predict the influence of cholesterol-look-alikes in the bilayer composed of 1-stearoyl-2-docosahexaenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (18:022:6omega3cis PC) lipids with a polyunsaturated 22:6 and a fully saturated 18:0 tail. The cholesterol-like molecule is composed of a hydroxyl group, a rigid chain fragment with length n segments and a branched semiflexible moiety with methylene side groups. We vary both the length of the rigid fragment in the cholesterol-look-alikes and their mole fraction in the tensionless bilayers. We find that these additives significantly increase the order of the saturated tails, but influence the conformational properties of the unsaturated tail much less. With increasing loading the bilayer thickness and the area available per PC head group increase. The hydroxyl group anchors close to the membrane-water interface, but with increasing loading the distribution of this polar group widens. The orientational order of the rigid part is high and we conclude that the cholesterol has significant mobility in the normal direction in the hydrophobic region of the bilayer indicating that one singly hydroxyl group is giving only a weak anchoring to the water-interface. Cholesterol-look-alikes increase the fluctuation of the tail ends and decrease the interdigitation of the tails. Several of our predictions correspond to molecular dynamics (MD) simulation results, but there are also important differences. Most notably the cholesterol-look-alikes can visit the membrane symmetry-plane more easily in SCF than in MD. Possible reasons for this are discussed.

Multinuclear Solid-State-NMR and FT-IR-Absorption Investigations on Lipid/Trichogin Bilayers

Solid-state NMR and FT-IR absorption spectroscopy are employed to study the molecular properties of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) lipids as a function of trichogin-OMe content, a membrane-active analogue of the peptaibol trichogin GA IV. Variable-temperature NMR studies are performed, comprising (13)C-, (31)P-, and (14)N-NMR line-shape and relaxation experiments, to provide information about the mobility and ordering of the phospholipid head group and the acyl-chain region in the absence and presence of trichogin-OMe. Likewise, variable-temperature FT-IR-absorption studies are performed, and the conformation-sensitive CH(2) stretching bands are analyzed to examine the conformational state of the acyl chain. At lower trichogin-OMe concentrations, the peptide exhibits no remarkable influence on the dynamics and ordering features of the phospholipid molecules. It is concluded that, in this case, trichogin-OMe is embedded in the lipid bilayer, with its helix axis laying parallel to the bilayer plane, the more hydrophobic part pointing towards the inner part of the bilayer ('carpet-like' superstructure). The lipid dynamics are probed by rotating-frame spin-lattice-relaxation (T(1rho)) experiments for the (13)C and (31)P nuclei, which are assumed to be dominated by collective-order fluctuations. Variation of T(1rho) with sample composition is attributed to changes of the membrane stiffness. For the sample with the highest lipid/peptide (L/P) molar ratio, i.e., L/P 5 : 1, phase separation as a result of membrane disruption occurs. In this case, a second spectroscopic component can be separated in the (31)P-NMR spectra. In addition, the (motionally averaged) magnetic interactions are greatly reduced, the actual values differing for both components. The second spectroscopic component refers to membrane components with high trichogin-OMe concentration and to strong lipid-trichogin-OMe interactions, as reflected by significant changes of the head-group orientation (toroidal model). At the same time, DMPC molecules exist with minor lipid-trichogin-OMe interactions, most probably in smaller liposomes, trichogin-OMe being embedded in a 'carpet-like' manner. Moreover, lipid ordering is generally reduced for the highly concentrated sample, which may result from fast lateral lipid motion along the curved bilayer surface.

Multi-dimensional 1H-13C HETCOR and FSLG-HETCOR NMR study of sphingomyelin bilayers containing cholesterol in the gel and liquid crystalline states

(13)C cross polarization magic angle spinning (CP-MAS) and (1)H MAS NMR spectra were collected on egg sphingomyelin (SM) bilayers containing cholesterol above and below the liquid crystalline phase transition temperature (T(m)). Two-dimensional (2D) dipolar heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) spectra were obtained on SM bilayers in the liquid crystalline (L(alpha)) state for the first time and display improved resolution and chemical shift dispersion compared to the individual (1)H and (13)C spectra and significantly aid in spectral assignment. In the gel (L(beta)) state, the (1)H dimension suffers from line broadening due to the (1)H-(1)H homonuclear dipolar coupling that is not completely averaged by the combination of lipid mobility and MAS. This line broadening is significantly suppressed by implementing frequency switched Lee-Goldburg (FSLG) homonuclear (1)H decoupling during the evolution period. In the liquid crystalline (L(alpha)) phase, no improvement in line width is observed when FSLG is employed. All of the observed resonances are assignable to cholesterol and SM environments. This study demonstrates the ability to obtain 2D heteronuclear correlation experiments in the gel state for biomembranes, expands on previous SM assignments, and presents a comprehensive (1)H/(13)C NMR assignment of SM bilayers containing cholesterol. Comparisons are made to a previous report on cholesterol chemical shifts in dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayers. A number of similarities and some differences are observed and discussed.

Understanding sterol-membrane interactions, part II: complete 1H and 13C assignments by solid-state NMR spectroscopy and determination of the hydrogen-bonding partners of cholesterol in a lipid bilayer

The complete assignment of cholesterol 1H and 13C NMR resonances in a lipid bilayer environment (Lalpha-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine/cholesterol 2:1) has been obtained by a combination of 1D and 2D MAS NMR experiments: 13C spectral editing, ge-HSQC, dipolar HETCOR and J-based HETCOR. Specific chemical shift variations have been observed for the C1-C6 atoms of cholesterol measured in CCl4 solution and in the membrane. Based on previous work (F. Jolibois, O. Soubias, V. Reat, A. Milon, Chem. Eur. J. 2004, 10, preceding paper in this issue: DOI: 10.1002/chem.200400245) these variations were attributed to local changes around the cholesterol hydroxy group, such as the three major rotameric states of the C3-O3 bond and different hydrogen bonding partners (water molecules, carboxy and phosphodiester groups of phosphatidylcholine). Comparison of the experimental and theoretical chemical shifts obtained from quantum-chemistry calculations of various transient molecular complexes has allowed the distributions of hydrogen bonding partners and hydroxy rotameric states to be determined. This is the first time that the probability of hydrogen bonding occurring between cholesterol's hydroxy group and phosphatidylcholine's phosphodiester has been determined experimentally.

Molecular dynamics simulation of the structure of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers with cholesterol, ergosterol, and lanosterol

Five molecular dynamics computer simulations were performed on different phospholipid:sterol membrane systems in order to study the influence of sterol structure on membrane properties. Three of these simulated bilayer systems were composed of a 1:8 sterol:phospholipid ratio, each of which employed one of the sterol molecules: cholesterol, ergosterol, and lanosterol. The two other simulations were of a bilayer with a 1:1 sterol:phospholipid ratio. These simulations employed cholesterol and lanosterol, respectively, as their sterol components. The observed differences in simulations with cholesterol and lanosterol may have their implication on the form of the phospholipid/sterol phase diagram.

Combined Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulation of hydrated lipid-cholesterol lipid bilayers at low cholesterol concentration

We have applied a hybrid equilibration and sampling procedure for the atomic level simulation of a hydrated lipid bilayer to systems consisting of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and cholesterol, and palmitoyl-oleyl phosphatidylcholine (POPC) at low (approximately 6%) cholesterol concentration. The procedure is applied to bilayers of 94 molecules of DPPC, 6 molecules of cholesterol, and 3205 water molecules, and to bilayers of 120 molecules of POPC, 8 molecules of cholesterol, and 4268 water molecules, at a temperature of 325 K. After equilibration, three separate 400-ps continuous molecular dynamics runs, separated by 10,000 configurational bias Monte Carlo steps, were carried out for each system. Properties of the systems were calculated and averaged over the three separate runs. Results of the simulations are presented and compared with experimental data and with other recent simulations of DPPC and cholesterol, and of pure DPPC, and pure POPC. Certain properties of the bilayers are indistinguishable from cholesterol-free bilayers, including lateral diffusion and electron density. Other properties, most notably the order parameter profile, show the effect of cholesterol even at low concentrations.

1H and (13)C NMR of multilamellar dispersions of polyunsaturated (22:6) phospholipids

The polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) makes up approximately 50% of the lipid chains in the retinal rod outer segment disk membranes and a large fraction of the lipid chains in the membranes of neuronal tissues. There is an extensive literature concerned with the dietary requirements for essential fatty acids and the importance of DHA to human health, but relatively little research has been done on the physical properties of this important molecule. Using (1)H and (13)C MAS NMR measurements of dispersions of 1-palmitoyl-2-docosahexaenoyl-phosphatidylcholine in excess phosphate buffer, we have unambiguously assigned most of the resonances in both the (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra. We were able to use cross-polarization spectroscopy to follow the transfer of polarization from specific (1)H nuclei not only to their directly bonded (13)C but also to those (13)C that are in close proximity, even though they are not directly bonded. Cross-peaks in two-dimensional cross-polarization spectra revealed a close association between the choline headgroup and at least part of the DHA chain but not with the palmitate chain. Finally, we examined the dynamics of the different parts of this lipid molecule, using rotating frame spin-lattice relaxation measurements, and found that methylene groups of both chains experience important motions with correlation times in the 10-micros range, with those for the palmitate chain being approximately 50% longer than those of the DHA chain. The choline headgroup and the chain terminal groups have significantly shorter correlation times, and that part of the dipolar interaction that is fluctuating at these correlation times is significantly smaller for these groups than it is for the palmitate and DHA chain methylenes.

A (2)H NMR study of macroscopically aligned bilayer membranes containing interfacial hydroxyl residues

The polar interface of membranes containing phosphatidylglycerol or cholesterol was studied by (2)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as a function of membrane hydration. The membranes were macroscopically aligned and hydrated with deuterium oxide. Water uptake and membrane annealing was achieved under NMR control, using a novel hydration technique. Well-resolved (2)H quadrupolar doublets were obtained from individual hydroxyl residues and from the interlamellar water. The response of the phosphatidylglycerol headgroup and of the cholesterol molecule to the spontaneous evaporation of interlamellar water could be thus monitored continuously. It is shown that the phosphatidylglycerol headgroup undergoes changes of conformation and average orientation with respect to the membrane surface and that the off-axis motion of the cholesterol molecule decreases. The deuteron exchange between hydroxyl residues and surface-associated D(2)O was determined by an inversion transfer technique. The exchange rates of the hydroxyl residues in the phosphatidylglycerol headgroup were different and depended strongly on the total hydration of the membrane. Significantly lower and almost hydration-independent rates were obtained for cholesterol. These results will be discussed with reference to earlier reports on the headgroup dynamics of phosphatidylglycerol and on the interaction of cholesterol with the membrane-water interface.

Chlorpromazine interaction with glycerophospholipid liposomes studied by magic angle spinning solid state (13)C-NMR and differential scanning calorimetry

Phosphatidylserine (PS) extracted from pig brain and synthetic dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) were used to make DPPC/DMPC and DPPC/PS large unilamellar liposomes with a diameter of approximately 1 microm. Chlorpromazine-HCl (CPZ), an amphipathic cationic psychotropic drug of the phenothiazine group, is known to partition into lipid bilayer membranes of liposomes with partition coefficients depending on the acyl chain length and to alter the bilayer structure in a manner depending on the phospholipid headgroups. The effects of adding CPZ to these membranes were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and proton cross polarization solid state magic angle spinning (13)C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (CP-MAS-(13)C-NMR). CP-MAS-(13)C-NMR spectra of the DPPC (60%)/DMPC (40%) and the DPPC (54%)/DMPC (36%)/CPZ (10%) liposomes, show that CPZ has low or no interaction with the phospholipids of this neutral and densely packed bilayer. Conversely, the DPPC (54%)/PS (36%)/CPZ (10%) bilayer at 25 degrees C demonstrates interaction of CPZ with the phospholipid headgroups (PS). This CPZ interaction causes about 30% of the acyl chains to enter the gauche conformation with low or no CPZ interdigitation among the acyl chains at this temperature (25 degrees C). The DPPC (54%)/PS (36%)/CPZ (10%) bilayer at a sample temperature of 37 degrees C (T(C)=31.2 degrees C), shows CPZ interdigitation among the phospholipids as deduced from the finding that approximately 30% of the phospholipid acyl chains carbon resonances shift low-field by 5-15 ppm.

Probing membrane surfaces and the location of membrane-embedded peptides by (13)C MAS NMR using lanthanide ions

A simple but efficient (13)C MAS NMR method is presented for the determination of the location of embedded molecules such as peptides relative to biological membrane surfaces by exploiting the interaction with paramagnetic lanthanide ions. Using various aqueous Dy(3+) concentrations a distance-dependent differential paramagnetic quenching of NMR lipid resonance intensities for specific carbon sites was observed, with residues at the bilayer surface quenched effectively and hydrophobic sites unaffected by Dy(3+). Tested on the membrane-embedded 50 residue long M13 coat protein, (13)C labeled at its Val-29 and Val-31 residues, no paramagnetic quenching was observed for the peptide resonances by Dy(3+), suggesting that Val-29 and Val-31 are not in close proximity to the bilayer interface, but buried deeply inside the hydrophobic region of the lipid bilayer.

Structure of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine/cholesterol bilayer at low and high cholesterol concentrations: molecular dynamics simulation

By using molecular dynamics simulation technique we studied the changes occurring in membranes constructed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and cholesterol at 8:1 and 1:1 ratios. We tested two different initial arrangements of cholesterol molecules for a 1:1 ratio. The main difference between two initial structures is the average number of nearest-neighbor DPPC molecules around the cholesterol molecule. Our simulations were performed at constant temperature (T = 50 degrees C) and pressure (P = 0 atm). Durations of the runs were 2 ns. The structure of the DPPC/cholesterol membrane was characterized by calculating the order parameter profiles for the hydrocarbon chains, atom distributions, average number of gauche defects, and membrane dipole potentials. We found that adding cholesterol to membranes results in a condensing effect: the average area of membrane becomes smaller, hydrocarbon chains of DPPC have higher order, and the probability of gauche defects in DPPC tails is lower. Our results are in agreement with the data available from experiments.

Comparison between the dynamics of lipid/gramicidin A systems in the lamellar and hexagonal phases: a solid-state 13C NMR study

We have investigated the effect of gramicidin A on the dynamics of two model membranes: dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) in the lamellar phase at a lipid-to-peptide molar ratio of 10:1 and dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) in the hexagonal HII phase at a lipid-to-peptide molar ratio of 5:1. Natural abundance 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used in combination with magic angle spinning to increase the spectral resolution, therefore allowing the different regions of the lipid bilayers to be investigated from the same spectra. 31P NMR was also used to detect and confirm the formation of the DOPC HII phase in the presence of gramicidin A. In order to examine the effect of gramicidin A on both the fast and slow motions of DMPC and DOPC, the 1H spin-lattice relaxation times in the laboratory frame (HT1) as well as the 1H spin-lattice relaxation times in the rotating frame (HT1rho) were calculated for each resolved protonated lipid resonance in the 13C spectra. For both DMPC and DOPC, we found that the presence of gramicidin A does not significantly affect the fast motions of the lipid acyl chains but increases slightly the fast motions of the polar head group. However, the HT1rho are significantly decreased, this effect being more pronounced for DOPC most likely due to a decrease in the rate of the lipid lateral diffusion.

A carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic study of inter-proton pair order parameters: a new approach to study order and dynamics in phospholipid membrane systems

We report a simple new nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic method to investigate order and dynamics in phospholipids in which inter-proton pair order parameters are derived by using high resolution 13C cross-polarization/magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) NMR combined with 1H dipolar echo preparation. The resulting two-dimensional NMR spectra permit determination of the motionally averaged interpair second moment for protons attached to each resolved 13C site, from which the corresponding interpair order parameters can be deducted. A spin-lock mixing pulse before cross-polarization enables the detection of spin diffusion amongst the different regions of the lipid molecules. The method was applied to a variety of model membrane systems, including 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC)/sterol and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC)/sterol model membranes. The results agree well with previous studies using specifically deuterium labeled or predeuterated phospholipid molecules. It was also found that efficient spin diffusion takes place within the phospholipid acyl chains, and between the glycerol backbone and choline headgroup of these molecules. The experiment was also applied to biosynthetically 13C-labeled ergosterol incorporated into phosphatidylcholine bilayers. These results indicate highly restricted motions of both the sterol nucleus and the aliphatic side chain, and efficient spin exchange between these structurally dissimilar regions of the sterol molecule. Finally, studies were carried out in the lamellar liquid crystalline (L alpha) and inverted hexagonal (HII) phases of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE). These results indicated that phosphatidylethanolamine lamellar phases are more ordered than the equivalent phases of phosphatidylcholines. In the HII (inverted hexagonal) phase, despite the increased translational freedom, there is highly constrained packing of the lipid molecules, particularly in the acyl chain region.

Magic angle-oriented sample spinning (MAOSS): A new approach toward biomembrane studies

The application of magic angle sample spinning (MAS) NMR to uniformly aligned biomembrane samples is demonstrated as a new general approach toward structural studies of membrane proteins, peptides, and lipids. The spectral linewidth from a multilamellar lipid dispersion is dominated, in the case of protons, by the dipolar coupling. For low-gamma or dilute spins, however, the chemical shift anisotropy dominates the spectral linewidth, which is reduced by the two-dimensional order in a uniformly aligned lipid membrane. The remaining line broadening, which is due to orientational defects ("mosaic spread") can be easily removed at low spinning speeds. This orientational order in the sample also allows the anisotropic intermolecular motions of membrane components (such as rotational diffusion, tauc = 10(-10) s) for averaging dipolar interactions to be utilized, e.g., by placing the membrane normal parallel to the rotor axis. The dramatic resolution improvement for protons which are achieved in a lipid sample at only 220 Hz spinning speed in a 9.4 T field is slightly better than any data published to date using ultra-high fields (up to 17.6 T) and high-speed spinning (14 kHz). Additionally, the analysis of spinning sidebands provides valuable orientational information. We present the first 1H, 31P, and 13C MAS spectra of uniformly aligned dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayers. Also, 1H resolution enhancement for the aromatic region of the M13 coat protein reconstituted into DMPC bilayers is presented. This new method combines the high resolution usually achieved by MAS with the advantages of orientational constraints obtained by working with macroscopically oriented samples. We describe the general potential and possible perspectives of this technique.

Membrane fluidity and oxygen diffusion in cholesterol-enriched erythrocyte membrane

This work studied the effect of cholesteryl hemisuccinate incorporation on membrane fluidity and on the kinetics of oxygen diffusion at different depths in the erythrocyte membrane. Cholesterol concentration in the membrane was expressed as the cholesterol-protein ratio (C/Pt). The membrane fluidity, as assessed by a fluorescence polarization method with diphenyl-hexatriene and 1-(4-trimethylamino)-6-phenylhexa-1,3,5-triene, decreased as the C/Pt ratio increased. Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy of pyrene dodecanoic acid (PDA) under an increasing C/Pt ratio in the erythrocyte membrane revealed enhanced oxygen diffusion in the middle of the membrane bilayer (in which PDA was incorporated), which was not the case with pyrene butyric acid (PBA) incorporated in the internal part of the membrane surface. It has generally been accepted that increased membrane fluidity reduces the physical barrier to oxygen permeation. Such conflicting observations on oxygen permeation in the rigidified erythrocyte membrane could be due to variations in oxygen solubility (preferential partitioning) in different polarity microdomains (cholesterol and phospholipid partitions).

High resolution 1H nuclear magnetic resonance of a transmembrane peptide

Although the strong 1H-1H dipolar interaction is known to result in severe homogeneous broadening of the 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of ordered systems, in the fluid phase of biological and model membranes the rapid, axially symmetric reorientation of the molecules about the local bilayer normal projects the dipolar interaction onto the motional symmetry axis. Because the linewidth then scales as (3 cos2 theta-1)/2, where theta is the angle between the local bilayer normal and the magnetic field, the dipolar broadening has been reduced to an "inhomogeneous" broadening by the rapid axial reorientation. It is then possible to obtain high resolution 1H-NMR spectra of membrane components by using magic angle spinning (MAS). Although the rapid axial reorientation effectively eliminates the homogeneous dipolar broadening, including that due to n = 0 rotational resonances, the linewidths observed in both lipids and peptides are dominated by low frequency motions. For small peptides the most likely slow motions are either a "wobble" or reorientation of the molecular diffusion axis relative to the local bilayer normal, or the reorientation of the local bilayer normal itself through surface undulations or lateral diffusion over the curved surface. These motions render the peptide 1H-NMR lines too broad to be observed at low spinning speeds. However, the linewidths due to these slow motions are very sensitive to spinning rate, so that at higher speeds the lines become readily visible. The synthetic amphiphilic peptide K2GL20K2A-amide (peptide-20) has been incorporated into bilayers of 1,2-di-d 27-myristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC-d54) and studied by high speed 1H-MAS-NMR. The linewidths observed for this transbilayer peptide, although too broad to be observable at spinning rates below -5 kHz, are reduced to 68 Hz at a spinning speed of 14 kHz (at 500C). Further improvements in spinning speed and modifications in sample composition designed to reduce the effectiveness of the slow motions responsible for the linewidth should result in significant further reduction in peptide linewidths. With this technique, there is now the potential for the use of 1H-MAS-NMR for the study of conformation, folding, and dynamics of small membrane peptides and protein fragments.