Membrane fusion and molecular segregation in phospholipid vesicles

The effects of Ca2+ and Sr2+ on Ca2+-sensitive biochemical changes in human erythrocytes and their membranes

1. The Ca2+-dependency of K+ efflux, microvesiculation and breakdown of polyphosphoinositides and of ankyrin have been measured in intact human erythrocytes exposed to ionophore A23187 and HEDTA [N'-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine NNN'-triacetate]-Ca2+ buffers. Half-maximal responses were observed at pCa values of 6.4, 4.1, 5.0 and 4.8 respectively. 2. The Ca2+ dependencies of K+ efflux and breakdown of polyphosphoinositides and ankyrin measured in erythrocyte ghosts without addition of ionophore showed almost identical values with those seen in whole cells treated with ionophore. 3. We conclude that ionophore A23187 is able to cause rapid equilibration of extracellular and intracellular [Ca2+] in intact cells and that in the presence of a suitable Ca2+ buffer, ionophore A23187 can be used to precisely fix the intracellular concentration of Ca2+ in erythrocytes. 4. The relatively high concentration of Ca2+ required to produce microvesiculation in intact cells may indicate that microvesiculation could be at least partly dependent on a direct interaction of Ca2+ with phospholipid. 5. Results obtained with Sr2+ paralleled those with Ca2+, although higher Sr2+ concentrations were required to achieve the same effects as Ca2+. Mg2+ produced none of the changes seen with Ca2+ or Sr2+.

Dynamics of antibody- and lectin-mediated endocytosis of hapten-containing liposomes by murine macrophages

The uptake by murine macrophages of liposomes, exhibiting one of a variety of haptenic groups on their surfaces, was greatly enhanced by the addition of an intact antibody or a lectin specific for the incorporated hapten. The uptake of untreated liposomes was slow and linear over long periods, whereas upon addition of the antibody or lectin, over 30-fold increase in the maximal rate of uptake was observed. The process reached a plateau after 90-120 min. The interaction of the antibody- or lectin-treated liposome with the macrophages apparently resulted in an active endocytosis of soluble fluorescent, intraliposomal marker had a granular intracellular pattern in treated cells. The uptake was sensitive to azide and the liposome constituents could not be detected at the cell surface. The size of the liposomes as well as the state of stimulation of the macrophages (thioglycollate stimulated vs. normal) did not seem to have a major effect on the phagocytic process. The time required to reach the plateau in uptake was independent of liposome composition or antibody concentration and is, apparently, an intrinsic property of the cells. The implication of this phenomenon on the dynamics of the relevant macrophage receptors is discussed.

Interactions of La2+ with phosphatidylserine vesicles: binding, phase transition, leakage, 31P-NMR and fusion

The interaction of La2+ with phosphatidylserine vesicles is studied by differential scanning calorimetry, 140La binding, 31P-NMR chemical shifts and relaxation rates, carboxyfluorescein and [14C]sucrose release, X-ray diffraction and freeze-fracture electron microscopy. In the presence of La3+ concentrations above 1 mM and an incubation temperature of 38 degrees C, i.e., at the phase transition temperature of the complex La/phosphatidylserine, the binding ratio of La/lipid exceeds a 1/3 ratio, reaching saturation at a 1/2 ratio. Analysis, employing a modified Gouy-Chapman equation, indicates a significant increase in the intrinsic binding constant of La/phosphatidylserine when the La3+ concentrations exceeds the threshold concentration for leakage. The analysis illustrates that at the molecular level the binding of La3+ can be comparable to or even weaker than that of Ca2+, but that even when present at smaller concentrations La3+ competes with and partially displaces Ca2+ from membranes or other negatively charged surfaces. The results suggest that the sequence La3+ greater than Ca2+ greater than Mg2+ reflects both the binding strength of these cations to phosphatidylserine as well as their ability to induce leakage, enhancement of 31P spin-lattice relaxation rates, fusion and other structural changes. The leakage, fusion, and other structural changes are more pronounced at the phase transition temperature of the La/lipid complex.

Interaction of propranolol with model phospholipid membranes. Monolayer, spin label and fluorescent spectroscopy studies

The interaction of propranolol with model phospholipid membranes was studied using various experimental techniques. The partition coefficient of propranolol in the negatively charged membranes of vesicles prepared from phosphatidylserine and phosphatidic acid was found to be more than 20-times higher than in neutral phosphatidylcholine membranes. Preferential interaction of propranolol with acidic phospholipid membranes was confirmed using the monolayer compression isotherm technique and the spin-labelling method. Phosphatidylserine monolayers were markedly expanded even at a relatively low drug concentration (5 . 10(-6) M). In contrast, the effect of propranolol on phosphatidylcholine monolayers was much smaller, being detectable only at a higher concentration of the drug (1 . 10(-4) M). Spin-labeling experiments show that propranolol exerts marked ordering effect on bilayers prepared from acidic phospholipids and does not change the order parameter of phosphatidylcholine membranes. The dependence of the propranolol fluorescence spectrum on the polarity of the solvent allowed us to identify the intercalation region of the drug in the membrane. The fluorophore moiety of propranolol was found to be localized in the lipid polar head groups region of the bilayer. The role of electrostatic and hydrophobic effects in propranolol-membrane interaction is discussed and the effect of propranolol on the ordering of phospholipid bilayers is compared with the effects of other anesthetic-like molecules.

Calcium- and magnesium-induced fusion of mixed phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylcholine vesicles: effect of ion binding

The aggregation, leakage, and fusion of pure PS (phosphatidylserine) and mixed PS/PC (phosphatidylcholine) sonicated vesicles were studied by light scattering, the release of encapsulated carboxyfluorescein, and a new fusion assay which monitors the mixing of the internal compartments of fusing vesicles. On a time scale of 1 min the extent of fusion was considerably greater than leakage. The Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations required to induce fusion increased when the PS content of the vesicles was decreased, and/or when the NaCl concentration was increased. Calculations employing a modified Gouy-Chapman equation and experimentally determined intrinsic binding constants of Na+ and Ca2+ to PS were shown to predict correctly the amount of Ca2+ bound in mixed PS/PC vesicles. For vesicles composed of either pure PS or of mixtures with PC in 100 mM NaCl (4:1 and 2:1 PS/PC); the induction of fusion (on a time scale of minutes) occurred when the amount of Ca or Mg bound/PS molecule exceeded 0.35-0.39. The induction of fusion for both pure PS and PS/PC mixed vesicles (with PS exceeding 50%) can be explained by assuming that destabilization of these vesicles requires a critical binding ratio of divalent cations to PS.

Correlation between membrane expansion and temperature-induced membrane fusion

For each phospholipid membrane, there is a characteristic phase transition temperature, and for each phospholipid spherical membrane, there is a specific 'fusion' temperature. In order to examine the possible correlation between temperature-induced membrane fusion and membrane expansion, the relationship between the physical states of phospholipid membranes at both temperatures have been investigated by the use of the monolayer system. Monolayer expansion studies have indicated that the increase in area per lipid molecule, caused by increasing the temperature from the phase transition to the fusion temperature, is approximately the same for five different phospholipids used. With the same temperature increase, phospholipid monolayers containing cholesterol did not expand appreciably. This correlates qualitatively with the greater inhibition of membrane fusion seen in the spherical phospholipid membrane systems when cholesterol was incorporated in the membrane. The effect of pH on the expansion of phosphatidylserine monolayers was also studied in relation to membrane fusion phenomena. The shift in fusion temperature of the spherical phospholipid membranes due to the change of pH is explained by the shift in phase transition temperatures of lipid membranes. The expanded area per molecule in the monolayer caused by increasing the temperature from the phase transition to the fusion temperature was approximately the same irrespective of surface charge densities.

Adsorption of divalent cations to bilayer membranes containing phosphatidylserine

The Stern equation, a combination of the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, the Boltzmann relation, and the Grahame equation from the theory of the diffuse double layer, provides a simple theoretical framework for describing the adsorption of charged molecules to surfaces. The ability of this equation to describe the adsorption of divalent cations to membranes containing brain phosphatidylserine (PS) was tested in the following manner. Charge reversal measurements were first made to determine the intrinsic 1:1 association constants of the divalent cations with the anionic PS molecules: when the net charge of a PS vesicle is zero one-half of the available sites are occupied by divalent cations. The intrinsic association constant, therefore, is equal to the reciprocal of the divalent cation concentration at which the mobility of a PS vesicle reverses sign. The Stern equation with this association constant is capable of accurately describing both the zeta potential data obtained with PS vesicles at other concentrations of the divalent cations and the data obtained with with vesicles formed from mixtures of PS and zwitterionic phospholipids. Independent measurements of the number of ions adsorbed to sonicated PS vesicles were made with a calcium-sensitive electrode. The results agreed with the zeta potential results obtained with multilamellar vesicles. When membranes are formed at 20 degrees C in 0.1 M NaCl, the intrinsic 1:1 association constants of Ni, Co, Mn, Ba, Sr, Ca, and Mg with PS are 40, 28, 25, 20, 14, 12, and 8 M-1, respectively.

Liposome-encapsulated desferrioxamine in experimental iron overload

We have encapsulated desferrioxamine (DF) in multilamellar liposomes (ML) and unilamellar liposomes (UL). Liposomes were prepared either with or without a glycolipid, i..e. galactocerebroside (GC). The average diameter of ML was 0.5 microgram, and that of UL was 0.08 microgram. Less tha 5% of DF leaked out from the liposomes after incubation in mouse plasma for 6 h. 59Fe-ferritin and 59Fe-labelled heat damaged erythrocytes (59Fe-DRBC) were administered to normal and hypertransfused mice as models of iron overload. Ferritin was used to label liver parenchymal cells and DRBC to label the Kupffer cells of the liver. A single injection of ML or UL with or without galactocerebroside into normal and hypertransfused mice enhanced from 3- to 15-fold the urinary excretion of radioiron from 59Fe-ferritin and from 59Fe-DRBC injected mice. For both the normal and hypertransfused mice, liposomes containing GC removed more 59Fe radioactivity from mice receiving 59Fe-DRBC. Thus GAC-liposomes may have a higher affinity for parenchymal cells of the liver, whereas liposomes without the glycolipid may have a higher uptake by the Kupffer cells.

Studies on the mechanism of membrane fusion. Role of head-group composition in calcium- and magnesium-induced fusion of mixed phospholipid vesicles

We have investigated the contribution of various phospholipids to membrane fusion induced by divalent cations. Fusion was followed by means of a new fluorescence assay monitoring the mixing of internal aqueous contents of large (0.1 micrometer diameter) unilamellar liposomes. The rate and extent of fusion induced by Ca2+ in mixed phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylcholine vesicles were lower compared to those in pure phosphatidylserine vesicles. The presence of 50% phosphatidylcholine completely inhibited fusion, although the vesicles aggregated upon Ca2+ addition. When phosphatidylserine was mixed with phosphatidylethanolamine, however, rapid fusion could be induced by Ca2+ even in mixtures that contained only 25% phosphatidylserine. Phosphatidylethanolamine also facilitated fusion by Mg2+ which could not fuse pure phosphatidylserine vesicles. In phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylethanolamine/phosphatidylcholine mixtures, in which the phosphatidylcholine content was kept at 25%, phosphatidylethanolamine could not substitute for phosphatidylserine, and the fusogenic capacity of Mg2+ was abolished by the presence of merely 10% phosphatidylcholine. The initial rate of release of vesicle contents was slower than the rate of fusion in all the mixtures used. The presence of phosphate effected a considerable decrease in the threshold concentration of Ca2+ and also enhanced the rate and extent of fusion. Mg2+ had a synergistic effect on Ca2+-induced fusion of phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylethanolamine vesicles. We suggest that the role of phospholipids in membrane fusion is related to their ability to form dehydrated intermembrane complexes with divalent cations.

Structural differentiation of membranes involved in the secretion of polysaccharide slime by root cap cells of cress (Lepidium sativum L.)

The peripheral secretion tissue of the root cap of Lepidium sativum L. was investigated by electronmicroscopy and freeze-fracturing in order to study structural changes of membranes involved in the secretion process of polysaccharide slime. Exocytosis of slime-transporting vesicles occurs chiefly in the distal region of the anticlinal cell walls. The protoplasmic fracture face (PF) of the plasmalemma of this region is characterized by a high number of homogenously distributed intramembranous particles (IMPs) interrupted by areas nearly free of IMPs. Near such areas slime-transporting vesicles are found to be underlying the plasma membrane. It can be concluded that areas poor in particles are prospective sites for membrane fusion. During the formation of slime-transporting vesicles, the number of IMPs undergoes a striking change in the PF of dictyosome membranes and their derivatives. It is high in dictyosome cisternae and remarkably lower in the budding region at the periphery of the cisternae. Slime-transporting vesicles are as poor in IMPs as the areas of the plasmalemma. Microvesicles rich in IMPs are observed in the surroundings of dictyosomes. The results indicate that in the plasmalemma and in membranes of the Golgi apparatus special classes of proteins - recognizable as IMPs - are displaced laterally into adjacent membrane regions. Since the exoplasmic fracture face (EF) of these membranes is principally poor in particles, it can be concluded that membrane fusion occurs in areas characterized by a high quantity of lipid molecules. It is obvious that the Golgi apparatus regulates the molecular composition of the plasma membrane by selection of specific membrane components. The drastic membrane transformation during the formation of slime-transporting vesicles in the Golgi apparatus causes the enrichment of dictyosome membranes by IMPs, whereas the plasma membrane probably is enriched by lipids. The structural differentiations in both the plasma membrane and in Golgi membranes are discussed in relation to membrane transformation, membrane flow, membrane fusion, and recycling of membrane constituents.

Lipid-polyethylene glycol interactions: II. Formation of defects in bilayers

The kinetic properties of L-leucine transport across the human red blood cell membrane was analyzed according to the simple pore and carrier theory of Lieb and Stein (Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1974, 373: 165-177 and 178-196) at 25 degrees C, pH 7.4. Several methods were used in order to obtain a thorough kinetic description of L-leucine transport. A rejection of the simple pore model was suggested from the result of zero-trans influx and zero-trans and equilibrium-exchange efflux experiments. Several predictions from the simple carrier model, based on the requirement of consistency among different kinetic parameters, were tested in infinite experiments, i.e. experiments performed at a high concentration of substrate at one of the faces of the membrane. The simple pore model was rejected, but no crucial evidence against a simple carrier model, which displays symmetric properties at 25 degrees C, was found in the concentration range considered (0.002-68 mM). The relative magnitudes of the rate constants of the translocation process are discussed, and it is concluded (a) that both the dissociation and translocation of carrier-complex is faster than the translocation of the empty carrier, (b) that no translocation step is rate determining, and (c) that the carrier-complex is equally distributed across the membrane at equilibrium. The present work provides a unique example of a carrier-mediated transport mechanism which displays symmetric properties. L-leucine transport in red blood cells may be a convenient system for studying molecular mechanisms of facilitated transport.

Studies on the mechanism of membrane fusion: kinetics of calcium ion induced fusion of phosphatidylserine vesicles followed by a new assay for mixing of aqueous vesicle contents

We describe an assay for following the mixing of aqueous contents during fusion of phospholipid vesicles. Terbium is encapsulated as the Tb(citrate)3(6-) chelation complex in one population of vesicles, dipicolinic acid (DPA) in another. Vesicle fusion results in the formation of the fluorescent Tb(DPA)3(3-) chelation complex. The presence of EDTA (0.1 mM) and Ca2+ (greater than 1 mM) prevents the formation of the Tb/DPA complex in the external medium. We have studied the Ca2+-induced fusion of small or large unilamellar vesicles (SUV or LUV, respectively) composed of phosphatidylserine (PS). In addition, vesicle aggregation was monitored by light scattering, and release of vesicle contents was followed by carboxyfluorescein (CF) fluorescence enhancement. The addition of Ca2+ induced an immediate enhancement in Tb fluorescence with both SUV and LUV, which occurs on the same time scale as aggregation but much faster than the release of CF. The release of contents from LUV occurs with a considerable delay. It is estimated that the initial fusion of SUV is accompanied by 10% leakage of the internal volume per fusion event; in contrast, fusion of LUV is essentially nonleaky. Massive release of vesicle contents appears to be a secondary phenomenon related to the collapse of fused vesicles. The initial rate and the extent of Tb fluorescence enhancement are markedly dependent on the Ca2+ concentration. Threshold Ca2+ concentrations are 1.2 and 2.4 mM for SUV nd LUV, respectively. At saturating Ca2+ concentrations (greater than 10 mM), the rate of fusion of LUV is slightly lower than that of SUV at the same vesicle concentration. At any Ca2+ concentration, the rates of both SUV and LUV fusion are consistent with vesicle aggregation being rate limiting. When measured at a subsaturating Ca2+ concentration, fusion is essentially second order over a wide range of relatively low vesicle concentrations, whereas at higher vesicle concentrations the order is decreased. This suggests that at high vesicle concentrations (and at relatively low Ca2+ concentrations) aggregation may proceed faster than fusion.

Interaction of lipids with the plasma membrane of sperm cells. III. Antifusigenic effect by phosphatidylserine

Addition of 10% phosphatidylserine to dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine liposomes, containing 3H-cholesterol or 14C-phosphatidylcholine, inhibited interactions between liposomes and rabbit spermatozoa. Phosphatidylserine also caused an apparent decrease in the inhibitory effect of cholesterol-bearing liposomes on sperm fertilizing ability.

Membrane mutants: a yeast mutant with a lesion in phosphatidylserine biosynthesis

A single-gene nuclear choline-requiring mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was studied. Choline as a growth supplement to synthetic media could be substituted by low concentrations of dimethylethanolamine, monomethylethanolamine or ethanolamine. DL-Serine also supported growth, but only at high concentrations: on a molar basis it was approximately one hundred times less effective than choline. When cultured in unsupplemented medium the mutant cells soon ceased to grow. The growth-arrested cells contained less than one fifth of the phosphatidylethanolamine present in wild-type cells and only traces of phosphatidylserine. The relative content of the two phospholipid species was raised by growing the mutant cells in the presence of choline of the other supplements but still remained lower than in wild-type cells. The mutant cells depleted of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine had greatly diminished ability to fuse with other cells in mating and their protoplasts showed increased resistance to hypotonic lysis. Respiration was not substantially affected by the deficit of the two phospholipid species in the mutant. In cell-free preparations, the affinity of the phosphatidylserine synthesizing system for serine was found to be almost two orders of magnitude lower in the mutant than in the wild-type. The impairment of phosphatidylserine synthesis accounts for growth requirement and the abnormal phospholipid composition of the mutant cells.

Raman study of calcium-induced fusion and molecular segregation of phosphatidylserine/dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine-d54 membranes

Raman spectroscopy has been used to study the effect of Ca2+ on the molecular properties of model membranes consisting of mistures of phosphatidylserine and dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine-d54. The I2880/I2935 intensity ratio associated with the C-H stretching modes is used to monitor the phosphatidylserine molecules, while the linewidth at 2103 cm-1 associated with the C-2H stretching modes is used for the dimyristoyl phosphatidyl-choline-d54 molecules. Membranes containing phosphatidylserine and dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine-d54 at a molar ratio of 1 : 2 show evidence of initial immiscibility, which is further enhanced by the addition of Ca2+. Membranes containing phosphatidylserine and dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine-d54 at a molar ratio of 2 : 1 are completely miscible, and fuse with the addition of Ca2+. The phosphatidylserine molecules in the fused product of mixed vesicles have highly rigid acyl chains, and behave identically to those in an earlier Raman study of Ca2+-induced fusion of pure phosphatidylserine vesicles. The dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine-d54 molecules are also solid-like, suggesting a higher degree of miscibility with phosphatidylserine in the presence of Ca2+ than dipalmitoyl or distearoyl phosphatidylcholine.

Fusion of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles

Small unilamellar dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles formed by sonication are shown to fuse spontaneously below the phase transition temperature. The ultimate fusion products are unilamellar vesicles about 700 A in diameter, which are stable and provide an intact ionic permeation barrier either above or below the phase transition. The fused vesicles have been characterized by gel chromatography, trapped volume, 31P nuclear magnetic resonance, and negative stain and freeze-fracture electron microscopy.

Interaction of divalent cations and proteins with phospholipid vesicles

The broadening of spin-label absorption lines resulting from spin-exchange reactions that occur during collision with paramagnetic Ni2+ is diminished when Ni2+ binds to phospholipid vesicles. Subsequent addition of non-paramagnetic ions that compete for binding sites releases Ni2+ into solution and restores the line-broadening. The concentrations of various ions required to achieve this effect was used to order the ions with respect to their binding to vesicles containing phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol. The relative strengths of binding for those ions studied were: Ca2+ > Mg2+ > Zn2+ > Sr2+ > Ba2+. The spin-broadening assay was also used to study the effects of two proteins on the availability of Ni2+-binding sites on the vesicles. Ribonuclease, which is thought to associate electrostatically as an extrinsic protein on the surface of vesicles, completely blocked the Ni2+-binding sites at comparatively low protein concentrations. Quantitative considerations of these data suggest the possibility that Ni2+ may bind preferenetially to phosphatidylglycerol, and that these binding sites are aggregated in the ribonuclease-containing vesicles. In contract to ribonuclease, cytochrome c does not block Ni2+-bindings sites on the phospholipid vesicles, but rather contains sites of its own that bind Ni2+, both when the protein is in solution and when it is associated with the vesicles. These results are consistent with other studies which suggest that cytochrome c becomes partially embedded in membrane bilayers and associates with phospholipid molecules through hydrophobic interactions.

Enhancement of synaptic vesicle attachment to the plasma membrane fraction by copper

Synaptic vesicles from rat brain were labeled with 125I, and the association of the vesicles with other subcellular components of brain was examined using a centrifugation assay. Copper at micromolar concentrations enhances the binding of the vesicles to the synaptic membrane as well as other fractions. Magnesium, Ca2+, and calmodulin with Ca2+ are ineffective. There is virtually no binding of synaptic vesicles to the microtuble fraction and only a slight enhancement with Cu2+. These findings support the hypothesis that Cu may serve as a bridge between synaptic vesicles and the plasma membrane.

Fusion of liposome membranes by the n-alkyl bromides

It has been found that the n-alkyl bromides are capable of inducing the fusion of unilamellar liposomes. These compounds can bring about fusion of liposomes composed of either pure phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidycholine+phosphatidic acid. Fusion of unilamellar liposomes gives rise to multilamellar structures, the morphology of which has been examined by negative staining and freeze-fracture techniques. It has been shown by microelectrophoresis that the n-alkyl bromides have no effect on the surface charge of liposomes, and fusion has been further characterized by use of light scattering and differential scanning calorimetry, the latter indicating that true mixing of the fatty acyl chains occurs upon fusion. Finally, fusion occurs at n-alkyl bromide levels below that required to saturate the aqueous phase of the system.

Fusion of liposomes with planar lipid bilayers

The fusion of liposomes with planar lipid bilayers was monitored by two different methods. (a) Liposomes consisting of phospholipids and cholesterol were added to the aqueous phase bathing the cholesterol-deficient planar lipid bilayers in the presence of nystatin. The resulting increase in the planar lipid bilayer's electrical conductance was considered indicative of fusion. (b) Transplanar lipid bilayer injection of 35SO24- trapped inside the liposomes. It is shown by both methods that fusion is specifically dependent on the presence of negatively charged phospholipids both in the liposomes and the planar lipid bilayers and on Ca2+ in the aqueous phase of the fusion system.

Studies on the mechanism of capacitation: albumin-mediated changes in plasma membrane lipids during in vitro incubation of rat sperm cells

Plasma membrane isolated from rat sperm cells after incubation in vitro had a significantly lower cholesterol/phospholipid mole ratio when the medium contained serum albumin. Transfer of albumin-bound phospholipids to the membrane can largely account for this effect. The result is broadly consistent with a previously proposed model for albumin-induced destabilization of sperm membrane (capacitation) and its reversal by seminal plasma membrane vesicles. Albumin also decreased sialic acid and, more specifically, ganglioside levels, presumably by promoting release of sperm neuraminidase. Cholesteryl ester comprised up to 0.5 mol/mol of cholesterol in these plasma membrane preparations.

Monitoring of phospholipid vesicle fusion by fluorescence energy transfer between membrane-bound dye labels

A sensitive method which utilizes fluorescence energy transfer to assay Ca2+ -or Mg2+ -mediated fusion of phospholipid vesicles is reported. More than 85% quenching results when phosphatidylserine vesicles labelled with dansyl phosphatidylethanolamine (donor) are fused with vesicles labelled with rhodamine phosphatidylethanolamine (acceptor) in the presence of 5 mM CaCl2 or 10 mM MgCl2. Higher concentrations of divalent cations are required to obtain maximal quenching when phosphatidylserine is partially replaced with phosphatidylethanolamine or phosphatidylcholine. The rate of vesicle fusion is dependent upon the concentrations of both cation and vesicles. Maximum quenching occurs within 5 min using phosphatidylserine vesicles and 5 mM Ca2+, but quenching is incomplete even after 20 h with 0.8--2 mM Ca2+. This probably reflects the heterogeneous size distribution of these vesicles, since the extent of fusion was found to correlated with vesicle size. Binding of antibody to membrane-localized phenobarbital hapten effectively blocks Ca2+ -mediated vesicle fusion. This effect can be inhibited by preincubation of the antibody with phenobarbital. Leakage of tempocholine from intact vesicles induced by 5 mM Ca2+ occurs even when fusion is prevented by bound antibody. This demonstrates that fusion is not a necessary requirement for Ca2+ -induced leakage.

Studies on the mechanism of capacitation. II. Evidence for lipid transfer between plasma membrane of rat sperm and serum albumin during capacitation in vitro

1. Evidence has been provided for the transfer of phosphatidyl[14C]choline and [3H]cholesterol between bovine serum albumin and cauda epididymal rat spermatozoa in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate medium, which can promote sperm capacitation. 2. An analysis of the lipid composition in both albumin and spermatozoa revealed that phospholipid levels decreased in the protein and increased by roughly comparable amounts in sperm cells during incubation in vitro. 3. Cholesterol (free + ester) increased in albumin and decreased in spermatozoa. Changes in the amount of esterified cholesterol were solely responsible for the increase associated with albumin, whereas whole sperm cell extracts showed a significant decline in free cholesterol. 4. The composition of albumin-bound fatty acids did not alter appreciably as a result of incubation with spermatozoa. 5. Rates of [14C]palmitic acid utilization by spermatozoa suggest that lipid synthesis accounted for less than 5% of the changes observed under the conditions of this study. 6. These results are interpreted as broadly supporting our previous proposal that lipid exchange between albumin and sperm cells is implicated in sperm capacitation in vitro. Specifically, the results are compatible with the idea that a decreased cholesterol/phospholipid ratio in the sperm plasma membrane facilitates this transformation.

The interaction of adriamycin with small unilamellar vesicle liposomes. A fluorescence study

The interaction of the antineoplastic agent adriamycin with sonicated liposomes composed of phosphatidylcholine alone and with small amounts (1-6%) of cardiolipin has been studied by fluorescence techniques. Equilibrium binding data show that the presence of cardiolipin increases the amount of drug bound to liposomes when the bilayer is below its phase transition temperature and when the ionic strength is relatively low (0.01 M). At higher ionic strength (0.15 M) and above the Tm (i.e. conditions which are closer to the physiological state) the binding of the drug to the two liposome types is nearly the same. Thus the differences in the interactions of adriamycin with cardiolipin-containing membranes, as opposed to those composed of phosphatidylcholine alone, are not due simply to increased binding but rather to an altered membrane structure when this lipid is present. Quenching of adriamycin fluorescence by iodide shows that bound drug is partially, but not completely, buried in the liposomal membrane. Both in the presence and absence of cardiolipin the bulk of the adriamycin is more accessible to the quencher below the Tm than above it; that is, a solid membrane tends to exclude the drug from deep penetration. Above the Tm, the presence of cardiolipin alters the nature of liposome-adriamycin interaction. Here the fluorescence quenching data suggest that the presence of small amounts of cardiolipin (3%) in a phosphatidylcholine matrix creates two types of binding environments for drug, one relatively exposed and the other more deeply buried in the membrane. The temperature dependence of the adriamycin fluorescence and the liposome light scattering reveal that cardiolipin alters the thermal properties of the bilayer as well as its interaction with adriamycin. At low ionic strength lateral phase separations may occur with both pure phosphatidylcholine and when 3% cardiolipin is present; under these conditions the bound adriamycin exists in two kinds of environment. It is notable that only adriamycin fluorescence reveals this phenomenon; thebulk property of liposome light scattering reports only on the overall membrane phase change. These data suggest that under certain conditions the drug binding sites in the membranes are decoupled from the bulk of the lipid bilayer.

Fusion of phosphatidylserine and mixed phosphatidylserine-phosphatidylcholine vesicles. Dependence on calcium concentration and temperature

Dynamic light scattering has been used to study the temperature dependence of Ca2+-induced fusion of phosphatidylserine vesicles and mixed vesicles containing phosphatidylserine and different phosphatidylcholines. The final vesicle size after Ca2+ and EDTA incubation serves as a measure of the extent of fusion. With phosphatidylserine vesicles, the extent of fusion shows a sharp maximum at an incubation temperature which depends on the Ca2+ concentration between 0.8 and 2 mM. The shift in the fusion peak temperature with Ca2+ concentration is similar to the typical shift in the phase transition temperature with divalent cation concentration in acidic phospholipids. The results suggest a direct correlation between the fusion peak temperature and the phase transition temperature in the presence of Ca2+ prior to fusion. With mixed vesicles containing up to 33% of a phosphatidylcholine in at least 2 mM Ca2+, the extent of fusion as a function of incubation temperature also shows a maximum. The fusion peak temperature is essentially independent of the quantity and type of phosphatidylcholine and the Ca2+ concentration, and identical to that with pure phosphatidylserine in excess Ca2+. The results imply that Ca2+- induced molecular segregation occurs first, and fusion subsequently takes place between pure phosphatidylserine domains.

Interaction of phospholipid membranes with poly(ethylene glycol)s

1. The water-soluble polymer, poly(ethylene glycol), causes concentration-dependent increases in the temperature of the gel--liquid crystalline phase transitions of aqueous dispersions of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine and of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylethanolamine. 2. For dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine it has been further demonstrated that poly(ethylene glycol) increases the transition enthalpy and entropy while decreasing the cooperativity of the transition. 3. These results are discussed in relation to the possible modes of action of poly(ethylene glycol) in promoting cell fusion.

Alterations of the carrier-mediated transport of an anionic solute, methotrexate, by charged liposomes in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells

Interaction of positively charged liposomes with Ehrlich ascites tumor cells increases the bidirectional transmembrane fluxes of the anionic folic acid analog, methotrexate. Negative liposomes reduce methotrexate influx. Stimulation of methotrexate influx by positively charged liposomes is time and concentration dependent, requiring at least a 5-min incubation with 2.5 mM phosphatidylcholine containing 20% stearylamine for maximum effect. Stimulation is not appreciably reversed by washing the cells. Similar increases are observed for influx and efflux so that there is no change in the steady-state methotrexate electrochemical-potential difference across the cell membrane. The increase influx appears to be a stimulation of the carrier-mediated transport process for methotrexate since both control and stimulated influx are abolished by the competitive inhibitor, 5-formyltetrahydrofolate or the sulfhydryl group inhibitor, p-chloromercuriphenylsulfonic acid and the Q10 of the system remains unchanged. Influx of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, which shares the same transport carrier as methotrexate, is also stimulated. However, the transport of folic acid, which is structurally similar to methotrexate but does not utilize the carrier, is unaffected. The kinetic change induced by positively charged liposomes is an increase in the Vma in, while the Kt in remains unchanged. Trans-stimulation of methotrexate influx by 5-formyltetrahydrofolate occurs to the same extent in the presence or absence of positively charged liposomes. The liposomes have no apparent effect on the intracellular water, the extracellular space, or the chloride distribution ratio. The data suggest that interaction of positively charged liposomes with Ehrlich ascites tumor cells accelerates the rate of transposition of the membrane carrier system for methotrexate, altering the kinetics of transport without a change in transport thermodynamics.

Complex phase mixing of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine in multilamellar membrane vesicles

The phase mixing in dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine and bovine brain phosphatidylserine mixtures suspended in aqueous salt solutions was studied by differential scanning calorimetry, freeze-fracture electron microscopy and X-ray and electron diffraction. The pure dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine has two well-defined solidus phases P beta' and L beta' and a liquidus phase L alpha while the pure phosphatidylserine has a broad transition from L beta to L alpha. The mixture exhibits some dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine characteristics up to 30% phosphatidylserine when pure P beta' phase no longer exists. Phase mixing is observed at all compositions. An addition of 3% phosphatidylserine is found to be sufficient to destroy the sharp L beta'--P beta' transition observed in pure dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine. The transition between L beta' and P beta' in these mixtures is displaced to lower temperatures and becomes gradual as depicted by all three techniques, but freeze-fracture gives more definite information of the continuous transition. The most striking observation on the morphology of the mixed membranes (3--30% phosphatidylserine in dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine) is the presence of banded patterns (P beta') at temperatures well below the main transition peak as detected by differential scanning calorimetry.

Levels and distributions of phospholipids and cholesterol in the plasma membrane of neuroblastoma cells

Murine neuroblastoma cells (clone N-2A) grown in suspension (spinner cells) or attached on a plastic surface (monolayer cells) were used in studies of the phospholipid and cholesterol composition of whole cells, primary plasma membranes, plasma membranes internalized during phagocytosis of polystyrene latex beads, mitochondria and microsomes. Monolayer cells contained higher concentrations of total phospholipid, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylcholine, and lower concentration of phosphatidylethanolamine than spinner cells. The cholesterol levels and the relative proportions of the various phospholipids were similar in both cell types except phosphatidylethanolamine and sphingomyelin whose proportions were lower in monolayer cells. The primary plasma membranes of the two cell types differed significantly in the relative proportions of all phospholipids, except sphingomyelin, and the phospholipid to protein and the cholesterol to protein ratios were all higher in the membranes of spinner cells. In contrast to these results, all the phospholipid to protein and the cholesterol to protein ratios of the internalized plasma membranes were higher in monolayer than in spinner cells, and the proportions of all phospholipids, except phosphatidylethanolamine, were similar in both cell types. The membrane distributions of individual phospholipids and cholesterol were inferred from comparison of the phospholipid and cholesterol compositions of primary plasma membranes and plasma membranes internalized during phagocytosis of polystyrene beads. The results are consistent with a non-random distribution of most phospholipids in both spinner and monolayer cells, but the patterns of these distributions were different in the two cell types. With regard to cholesterol the results are compatible with a random or a heterogeneous distribution. All the phospholipid to protein ratios of the mitochondrial fraction of both cell types were lower than those of the plasma membranes. However, these ratios of the microsomal fraction were higher than those of the plasma membranes of monolayer cells, whereas they were comparable, with a few exceptions, to those of spinner cell membranes. The cholesterol to phospholipid molar ratios of plasma membranes were 6.4 and 4.3 fold greater than those of the mitochondrial and microsomal fractions, respectively.

Cholinergic stimulants and excess potassium ion increase the fluidity of plasma membranes isolated from adrenal chromaffin cells

Chromaffin cell membranes from the bovine adrenal medulla were labelled with the hydrophobic fluorescent probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene, and the fluorescence polarization (P) of the membrane suspensions was measured as a function of temperature. The P versus t profiles, between 20 and 37 degrees C, showed two linear regions separated by a break in the vicinity of 30 degrees C, reflecting a change in the phase behaviour of the constitutent lipids. Decreases in P values at higher temperature indicated progressive fluidization of the lipid bilayer. Previous incubation with either acetylcholine (0.5 mM) or nicotine (50 microM) produced further fluidization, the extent of which depended on the presence of added Ca2+ (2.2 mM). Thus, the flow activation energy, delta E, between approx. 30 and 37 degrees C was 9.1 kcal/mol for acetylcholine and 8.8 kcal/mol for acetylcholine plus Ca2+, as compared to 7.9 kcal/mol in the absence of acetylcholine and Ca2+. In the presence of nicotine, delta E was 11.4 kcal/mol when Ca2+ was absent and 9.5 kcal/mol when it was present. The cholinergic blocker, hexamethonium (0.5 mM), abolished the acetylcholine- or nicotine-induced changes. 65 mM K+ produced a similar fluidization, which was reversed by addition of Ca2+. An additive effect was observed when the membranes were incubated with both nicotine and K+, with delta E = 16.6 kcal/mol in the presence of Cas2+. These results indicate a receptor-mediated modulation of the lipid distribution between rigid and fluid regions in the membrane, which could be of importance for stimulated catecholamine secretion in the intact cell.