Action of detergents on membranes: differences between lipid extracted from red cell ghosts and from red cell lipid vesicles by Triton X-100

Visualization of detergent solubilization of membranes: implications for the isolation of rafts

Although different detergents can give rise to detergent-resistant membranes of different composition, it is unclear whether this represents domain heterogeneity in the original membrane. We compared the mechanism of action of five detergents on supported lipid bilayers composed of equimolar sphingomyelin, cholesterol, and dioleoylphosphatidylcholine imaged by atomic force microscopy, and on raft and nonraft marker proteins in live cells imaged by confocal microscopy. There was a marked correlation between the detergent solubilization of the cell membrane and that of the supported lipid bilayers. In both systems Triton X-100 and CHAPS (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate) distinguished between the nonraft liquid-disordered (l(d)) and raft liquid ordered (l(o)) lipid phases by selectively solubilizing the l(d) phase. A higher concentration of Lubrol was required, and not all the l(d) phase was solubilized. The solubilization by Brij 96 occurred by a two-stage mechanism that initially resulted in the solubilization of some l(d) phase and then progressed to the solubilization of both l(d) and l(o) phases simultaneously. Octyl glucoside simultaneously solubilized both l(o) and l(d) phases. These data show that the mechanism of membrane solubilization is unique to an individual detergent. Our observations have significant implications for using different detergents to isolate membrane rafts from biological systems.

Sorting of lipids and transmembrane peptides between detergent-soluble bilayers and detergent-resistant rafts

Specific proteins and lipids sequester to regions of cell membranes called rafts. Due to their high content of sphingomyelin (SM) and cholesterol, raft bilayers are thicker than nonraft bilayers and, at least at 4 degrees C, are resistant to Triton X-100 extraction. It has been postulated that rafts concentrate proteins with long transbilayer domains because of "hydrophobic matching" between the transbilayer domain and the thick bilayer hydrocarbon region. However, because the area compressibility and bending moduli of SM:cholesterol bilayers are larger than that of nonraft bilayers, there should be an energy cost to partition proteins or peptides into rafts. To determine the effects on peptide sorting of raft thickness and mechanical properties, we incorporated two transbilayer peptides (P-23, P-29) into bilayers composed of SM, dioleoylphosphatidylcholine, and cholesterol, separated detergent-soluble membranes (DSMs) from detergent-resistant membranes (DRMs), and measured their peptide and lipid compositions. P-23 and P-29 were designed to have transbilayer domains that matched the hydrocarbon thicknesses of DSMs and DRMs, respectively. At both 4 degrees C and 37 degrees C DSMs were enriched in dioleoylphosphatidylcholine and DRMs were enriched in SM and cholesterol. At both temperatures both P-23 and P-29 preferentially localized to DSMs, demonstrating the importance of bilayer mechanical properties relative to hydrophobic mismatch. However, at 37 degrees C significantly more P-29 than P-23 was located in DRMs, implying that hydrophobic matching played a role in peptide sorting at physiological temperature. These experiments demonstrate that the sorting of peptides as measured by detergent extraction is temperature-dependent and both bilayer mechanical properties and hydrophobic matching impact peptide distribution between DSMs and DRMs.

Structure, composition, and peptide binding properties of detergent soluble bilayers and detergent resistant rafts

Lipid bilayers composed of unsaturated phosphatidylcholine (PC), sphingomyelin (SM), and cholesterol are thought to contain microdomains that have similar detergent insolubility characteristics as rafts isolated from cell plasma membranes. We chemically characterized the fractions corresponding to detergent soluble membranes (DSMs) and detergent resistant membranes (DRMs) from 1:1:1 PC:SM:cholesterol, compared the binding properties of selected peptides to bilayers with the compositions of DSMs and DRMs, used differential scanning calorimetry to identify phase transitions, and determined the structure of DRMs with x-ray diffraction. Compared with the equimolar starting material, DRMs were enriched in both SM and cholesterol. Both transmembrane and interfacial peptides bound to a greater extent to DSM bilayers than to DRM bilayers, likely because of differences in the mechanical properties of the two bilayers. Thermograms from 1:1:1 PC:SM:cholesterol from 3 to 70 degrees C showed no evidence for a liquid-ordered to liquid-disordered phase transition. Over a wide range of osmotic stresses, each x-ray pattern from equimolar PC:SM:cholesterol or DRMs contained a broad wide-angle band at 4.5 A, indicating that the bilayers were in a liquid-crystalline phase, and several sharp low-angle reflections that indexed as orders of a single lamellar repeat period. Electron density profiles showed that the total bilayer thickness was 57 A for DRMs, which was approximately 5 A greater than that of 1:1:1 PC:SM:cholesterol and 10 A greater than the thickness of bilayers with the composition of DSMs. These x-ray data provide accurate values for the widths of raft and nonraft bilayers that should be important in understanding mechanisms of protein sorting by rafts.

Enrichment of saturated fatty acid containing phospholipids in sheep brain serotonin receptor preparations: use of microwave irradiation for rapid transesterification of phospholipids

During enrichment of the 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT)-binding serotonin 5-HT1A receptors from sheep brain gray matter (membrane isolation, detergent solubilization and reconstitution into vesicles) a consistent and striking increase in the composition of saturated fatty acids was observed in phospholipids which were coisolated with the receptors. A rapid procedure has been developed for the methylation of free and phospholipid linked fatty acids which were thus analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Esterification of free fatty acids and transesterification of phospholipid linked fatty acids were achieved with 14% boron trifluoride in methanol (BF3-CH3OH) in 20 s and 50 s, respectively, under low power microwave irradiation (60 W) with a post-reaction cooling of less than 5 min. This is in contrast to the conventional method of heating in a boiling water bath for 10-15 min with BF3-CH3OH which is inevitably preceded by time-consuming and inconvenient clamping of vials and followed by cooling for 10 min before the vials can be safely opened. Analysis of fatty acid profiles in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) from egg yolk, phosphatidylinositol (PI) from bovine liver and phosphatidylserine (PS) from bovine brain by both techniques showed comparable results. During detergent solubilization of sheep brain gray matter, the overall proportion of saturated fatty acids in PE (major lipid), PI, PC (major lipid) and PS increased from 50-60% in sheep brain phospholipids to 70-75% in 1.5% CHAPS solubilized, reconstituted and biologically active serotonin 5-HT1A preparations. In sharp contrast, the proportions of saturated fatty acids in 1.5% Triton X-100 solubilized PE (48.1%) (major lipid), PI (63.6%), PC (60.6%) (major lipid) and PS (62.2%) were not significantly different from those in the original sheep brain membranes. Strikingly, this was coupled with the occurrence of very low levels of 5-HT1A receptor activity in the Triton X-100 solubilized preparations. The abundance of 5-HT1A sites in the enriched vesicles obtained only from the CHAPS-solubilized preparations was further confirmed by specific radiolabeling of a 58-kDa polypeptide by the 5-HT1A specific ligand p-aminophenylethyl-m-trifluoromethylphenylpiparazine (PAPP) which was coupled to a 125I-labeled, photoreactive, heterobifunctional cross-linker, sulfosuccinimidyl-2-(p-azidosalicylamido)ethyl-1,3'-dithiopropiona te (SASD). Thus CHAPS-solubilized 5-HT1A receptor preparations are depleted in the more rigid lipids such as sphingolipids and cholesterol, (Banerjee et al. (1990) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1044, 305-314), but are enriched in vesicle-stabilizing, phospholipid-linked saturated fatty acids which in turn probably stabilize the heptahelical, membrane bound 5-HT1A receptor.

Fatty acid composition of lipids which copurify with band 3

In a previous study (L. R. Maneri and P. S. Low (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 16170-16178) we determined that the anion transport protein, band 3, was significantly stabilized by lipids containing saturated and/or long chain fatty acids. To determine whether this thermodynamic preference is reflected in the composition of lipids tightly associating with the anion transporter in vivo, we have analyzed the fatty acid content of phospholipids co-isolating with the purified integral domain of band 3. Our data demonstrate that although stearic acid comprises only 14% of the bulk lipid fatty acids of the red cell membrane, it constitutes -68% of the fatty acids of lipids co-isolating with band 3. Certain other long chain fatty acids were also enriched in the adherent lipids. These results suggest that the fatty acids which most effectively stabilize band 3 also have the highest affinity for the transport protein.

The influence of membrane composition on the solubilizing effects of Triton X-100

Multilamellar liposomes containing pure phosphatidylcholine (PC) or mixtures of PC with cholesterol, cholesteryl palmitate, beta-carotene, cardiolipin, phosphatidylethanolamine or gramicidin A have been treated with the detergent Triton X-100. Solubilization has been monitored as a decrease in turbidity of the liposome suspension, and also by determination of bilayer components in the solubilized fraction. The same solubilization pattern is found for unsaturated (egg yolk) or saturated (dimyristoyl) PC. Similar results are also found when dimyristoyl PC is solubilized above or below its gel-to-fluid transition temperature. Cholesterol solubilizes in parallel with PC; gramicidin A is solubilized preferentially to this phospholipid and the non-polar lipids cholesteryl palmitate or beta-carotene remain insoluble at detergent concentrations producing complete PC solubilization. Addition of cardiolipin or phosphatidylethanolamine does not seem to alter the general pattern of PC solubilization. Phosphatidylethanolamine is less soluble than PC, while cardiolipin solubilizes at the same detergent concentrations than PC. These results are considered in relation to previous studies with natural membranes.

The reaggregation of rat brain microsomal membranes after the treatment with octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside. A study on ethanolamine base-exchange

The ethanolamine base-exchange activity of rat brain microsomes has been studied after treating the membranes with the non-ionic detergent n-octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside. The detergent could solubilize membrane lipid and protein. The concentrations of the detergent and of membrane protein were both important for this effect. The presence of disaggregating concentrations of octylglucopyranoside in the base-exchange incubation mixture strongly inhibited the incorporation of radioactive ethanolamine into lipid; however, the removal of the detergent through dialytic procedures before assaying the base-exchange reaction restored the enzymic activity almost completely. As shown by exposing the membranes to trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS), the phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) which was newly synthesized by base-exchange was also compartmented in the microsomal membrane. The treatment with the detergent after the base-exchange reaction abolished the compartmentation of the newly synthesized lipid. However, if microsomes were solubilized and the detergent was removed by dialysis before the assay of base-exchange, the reassembly of membranes occurred with a recovery of the compartmentation of the newly synthesized PE. The presence of Ca2+ in the dialytic medium was important for the preservation of base-exchange activity, probably affecting the reassembly of membrane components.

Detergent effects on enzyme activity and solubilization of lipid bilayer membranes

Over 50 detergents were tested to establish which would be most effective in releasing proteins from membrane-bounded compartments without denaturing them. Various concentrations each of detergent were tested for two activities: (1) solubilization of egg phospholipid liposomes as measured by reduction of turbidity and (2) effect of detergent concentration on the activities of soluble, hydrolytic enzymes. Those detergents most effective in solubilizing 0.2% lipid and least detrimental to enzymes were five pure, synthetic compounds recently introduced: CHAPS, CHAPSO, Zwittergents 310 and 312, and octylglucoside. Industrial detergents were generally much inferior, insofar as they solubilized membranes inefficiently and/or inactivated certain hydrolytic enzymes readily. The five detergents were characterized by (a) an unusually high critical micelle concentration and (b) a preference for forming mixed micelles with lipids instead of forming pure micelles, as indicated by an ability to solubilize lipid at concentrations of detergent significantly below the critical micelle concentration. This characteristic permits solubilization of high concentrations of membrane below the critical micelle concentration of the detergent so that protein denaturation is minimized. A generally applicable guideline that emerged from this study is that detergents should be used at approximately their critical micelle concentration which should not be exceeded by the concentration of membrane. Similar considerations should apply to the use of detergents in purifying and reconstituting intrinsic membrane proteins.

Membrane-surfactant interactions. The effect of Triton X-100 on sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles

The effect of Triton X-100 on purified sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles has been studied by means of chemical, ultrastructural and enzymic techniques. At low detergent/membrane ratios (about 1 Triton X-100 per 60 phospholipid molecules) the only effect observed is an increase in vesicle permeability. Higher surfactant concentrations, up to a 1:1 detergent/phospholipid ratio, produce a large enhancement of ATPase activity. Membrane solubilization occurs as a critical phenomenon when the surfactant/phospholipid molar ratio reaches a value around 1.5:1, corresponding to 2 mumol Triton X-100/mg protein. At this point, the suspension turbidity drops, virtually all the protein and phospholipid is solubilized and every organized structure disappears. Simultaneously, a dramatic increase in the specific activity of the solubilized ATPase is observed. The sudden solubilization of almost all the bilayer components at a given detergent concentration is attributed to the relative simplicity of this membrane system. Solubilization takes place at the same surfactant/membrane ratio, at least between 0.5 and 4 mg membrane protein/ml. The non-solubilized residue seems to consist mainly of delipidized aggregated forms of ATPase.

Solubilization of phospholipids by detergents. Structural and kinetic aspects

Most amphiphiles in biological membranes including phospholipids, steroids, and membrane proteins are insoluble amphiphiles and would form liquid crystals or insoluble precipitates alone in aqueous media. Detergents are soluble amphiphiles and above a critical concentration and temperature form micelles of various sizes and shapes. Much of the recent progress in studying the insoluble amphiphiles is due to the formation of thermodynamically stable isotropic solutions of these compounds in the presence of detergents. This process, which is commonly denoted as "solubilization,' involves transformation of lamellar structures into mixed micelles. The information available to date on the solubilization of phospholipids, which constitute the lipid skeleton of biomembranes, by the common detergents is discussed in this review, both with respect to the kinetics of this process and the structure of the various phospholipid-detergent mixed micelles formed. It is hoped that this discussion will lead to somewhat more useful, although still necessarily fairly empirical, approaches to the solubilization of phospholipids by detergents.

Phospholipid dependence of the anion transport system of the human erythrocyte membrane. Studies on reconstituted band 3/lipid vesicles

Band 3 protein extracted from human erythrocyte membranes by Triton X-100 was recombined with the major classes of phospholipid occurring in the erythrocyte membrane. The resulting vesicle systems were characterized with respect to recoveries, phospholipid composition, protein content and vesicle size as well as capacity and activation energy of sulfate transport. Transport was classified into band-3-specific fluxes and unspecific permeability by inhibitors. Transport number (sulfate ions per band 3 per minute) served as a measure of functional therapy after reconstitution. The transport properties of band 3 proved to be insensitive to replacement of phosphatidylcholine by phosphatidylethanolamine, while sphingomyelin and phosphatidylserine gradually inactivated band-3-specific anion transport when present at mole fractions exceeding 30 mol%. The activation energy of transport remained unaltered in spite of the decrease in transport numbers. The results, which are discussed in terms of requirements of band 3 protein function with respect to the fluidity and surface charge of its lipid environment, provide a new piece of evidence that the transport function of band 3 protein depends on the properties of its lipid environment just as the catalytic properties of some other membrane enzymes. The well-established species differences in anion transport (Gruber, W. and Deuticke, B. (1973) J. Membrane Biol. 13, 19-36) may to some extent reflect this lipid dependence.

Protein composition and extractability of lipid-modified membranes from Acholeplasma laidlawii

Membranes from acholeplasma laidlawii have been extracted with neutral detergents, which solubilize the proteins and lipids selectively, or with sodium deoxycholate, which gives an almost total solubilization. The amounts of individual proteins present in the detergent extracts of membranes with induced variations in lipid compositions were determined by crossed immunoelectrophoresis. Extraction with the neutral detergent Tween 20 showed that ionic lipids and the glucolipid diglucosyl diglyceride were enriched in the Tween extracts whereas the glucolipid monoglucosyl diglyceride (which cannot easily by accommodated in micelles for geometrical reasons) was enriched in the membrane residue. The amount of monoglucosyl diglyceride in the Tween 20 extracts increased when the content of this lipid was increased in the membrane, and protein D12 was also more easily extracted from membranes rich in monoglucosyl diglyceride. This was not correlated with an increase in the total amounts of D12 in the membrane (as analyzed by crossed immunoelectrophoresis after sodium deoxycholate solubilization), indicating that monoglucosyl diglyceride is involved in the anchoring of protein D12 in the membrane. The total amount of the flavoprotein T4a in the membrane was found to increase upon enhanced amounts of ionic membrane lipids. Furthermore, protein T4a was found to be increasingly extractable upon an increase in the amounts of unsaturated fatty acyl chains in the lipids. Several other proteins also displayed lipid-dependent extractabilities. These results support the hypothesis that for membrane proteins the extractability with neutral detergents and thus interactions with lipids are partly dependent upon the molecular shapes of the membrane lipid molecules. Thus, by use of these selective extraction procedures, information about protein-lipid interactions in the membrane was gained.