Raman spectroscopic studies of biological membrane model systems: dietherlecithins

Phases and phase transitions of the phosphatidylcholines

LIPIDAT (http://www.lipidat.chemistry.ohio-state.edu) is an Internet accessible, computerized relational database providing access to the wealth of information scattered throughout the literature concerning synthetic and biologically derived polar lipid polymorphic and mesomorphic phase behavior and molecular structures. Here, a review of the data subset referring to phosphatidylcholines is presented together with an analysis of these data. This subset represents ca. 60% of all LIPIDAT records. It includes data collected over a 43-year period and consists of 12,208 records obtained from 1573 articles in 106 different journals. An analysis of the data in the subset identifies trends in phosphatidylcholine phase behavior reflecting changes in lipid chain length, unsaturation (number, isomeric type and position of double bonds), asymmetry and branching, type of chain-glycerol linkage (ester, ether, amide), position of chain attachment to the glycerol backbone (1,2- vs. 1,3-) and head group modification. Also included is a summary of the data concerning the effect of pressure, pH, stereochemical purity, and different additives such as salts, saccharides, amino acids and alcohols, on phosphatidylcholine phase behavior. Information on the phase behavior of biologically derived phosphatidylcholines is also presented. This review includes 651 references.

Thermotropic and barotropic phase behavior of dihexadecylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membrane

The temperature (T)-pressure (P) phase diagram of the ether-linked dihexadecylphosphatidylcholine (DHPC) multilamellar vesicles was constructed by the method of high-pressure optical density. The DHPC membrane at ambient pressure undergoes the pretransition (at 33.6 degrees C) from the interdigitated gel (L beta I) phase to the ripple gel (P' beta) phase, and succeedingly the main transition (at 44.4 degrees C) from the P' beta phase to the liquid crystal (L alpha) phase. Since the slope of the T-P diagram for the pretransition, 0.316 K MPa-1, is larger than that for the main transition, 0.242 K MPa-1, the phase boundary between P' beta and L beta I phases disappeared at high pressure above 130 MPa. A triple point among L beta I, P' beta and L alpha phases was found at 130 MPa and 74.5 degrees C. Difference in phase diagrams between the ether-linked and ester-linked phospholipid bilayer membranes has been elucidated.

Structural and chemical specificity of diacylglycerols for protein kinase C activation

The structural and chemical specificity of diacylglycerols, lipid components of the quaternary complex for protein kinase C activation, have been evaluated. The ether-linked analogs of the diacyl lipids, either dialkyl or alkyl acyl, were not effective activators of protein kinase C and thus had little influence on reducing the Ca++ requirement of the enzyme. Ester-linked compounds such as 1-palmitoyl-sn-2-butyrylglycerol were as effective as dioleoylglycerol in stimulating protein phosphorylation. Increasing the carbon number at the sn-2 position from two to four resulted in enhanced enzymatic activity, suggesting that the chain length at the secondary hydroxyl is also of importance. These data clearly establish the necessity of the sn-1 carbonyl group of ester-linked glycerolipids in the protein kinase C activation complex.

Phase transitions of alkyl ether analogs of phosphatidylcholine

The phase-transition temperatures of aqueous dispersions of diester, monoether and diether analogs of phosphatidylcholine were determinmed using transparinaric acid as a fluorescent probe. The diether analog of phosphatidylcholine has a higher phase-transition temperature, whilst the monoether analog has a lower phase-transition temperature than their diester counterpart.