Reversed hexagonal phase formation in lecithin-alkane-water systems with different acyl chain unsaturation and alkane length

Filling the Gap with Long n-Alkanes: Incorporation of C20 and C30 into Phospholipid Membranes

Investigating how hydrophobic molecules mix with phospholipid bilayers and how they affect membrane properties is commonplace in biophysics. Despite this, a molecular-level empirical description of a membrane model as simple as a phospholipid bilayer with long linear hydrophobic chains incorporated is still missing. Here, we present an unprecedented molecular characterization of the incorporation of two long n-alkanes, n-eicosane (C20) and n-triacontane (C30) with 20 and 30 carbons, respectively, in phosphatidylcholine (PC) bilayers using a combination of experimental techniques (²H NMR, ³¹P NMR, ¹H-¹³C dipolar recoupling solid-state NMR, X-ray scattering, and cryogenic electron microscopy) and atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. At low hydration, deuterated C20 and C30 yield ²H NMR spectra evidencing anisotropic-motion, which demonstrates their miscibility in PC membranes up to a critical alkane-to-acyl-chain volume fraction, ϕ_c. The acquired ²H NMR spectra of C20 and C30 have notably different lineshapes. At low alkane volume fractions below ϕ_c, CHARMM36 MD simulations predict such ²H NMR spectra qualitatively and thus enable an atomistic-level interpretation of the spectra. Above ϕ_c, the ²H NMR lineshapes become characteristic of motions in the intermediate-regime that, together with the MD simulation results, suggest the onset of immiscibility between the alkane molecules and the acyl chains. For all the systems investigated, the phospholipid molecular structure is unperturbed by the presence of the alkanes. However, at conditions of excess hydration and at surprisingly low alkane fractions below ϕ_c, a peak characteristic of isotropic motion is observed in both the ²H spectra of the alkanes and ³¹P spectra of the phospholipids, strongly indicating that the incorporation of the alkanes induces a reduction on the average radius of the lipid vesicles.

Lipid monolayer spontaneous curvatures: A collection of published values

Lipid monolayer spontaneous curvatures (or lipid intrinsic curvatures) are one of several material properties of lipids that enable the stored curvature elastic energy in a lipid aggregate to be determined. Stored curvature elastic energy is important since it can modulate the function of membrane proteins and plays a role in the regulatory pathways of phospholipid homeostasis. Due to the large number of different lipid molecules that might theoretically exist in nature, very few lipid spontaneous curvatures have been determined. Herein the values of lipid spontaneous curvatures that exist in the literature are collected, alongside key experimental details. Where possible, trends in the data are discussed and finally, obvious gaps in the knowledge are signposted.

31P and 1H NMR Studies of the Molecular Organization of Lipids in the Parallel Artificial Membrane Permeability Assay

The parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA) has emerged as a widely used primary in vitro screen for passive permeability of potential drug candidates. However, the molecular structure of the permeation barrier (consisting of a filter-supported dodecane-egg lecithin mixture) has never been characterized. Here, we investigated the long-range order of phospholipids in the PAMPA barrier by means of ³¹P static solid-state NMR. Diffusion constants of PAMPA membrane components were derived from liquid state NMR and, in addition, drug distribution between the PAMPA lipid phase and buffer (log D_PAMPA at pH 7.4) was systematically investigated. Increasing concentration of n-dodecane to the system egg lecithin-water (lamellar phase, L_α) induces formation of inverted hexagonal (H_ii) and isotropic phases. At n-dodecane concentrations matching those used in PAMPA (9%, w/v) a purely "isotropic" phase was observed corresponding to lipid aggregates with a diameter in the range 4-7 nm. Drug distribution studies indicate that these reverse micelles facilitate the binding to, and in turn the permeation across, the PAMPA dodecane barrier, in particular for amphiphilic solutes. The proposed model for the molecular architecture and function of the PAMPA barrier provides a fundamental, hitherto missing framework to evaluate the scope but also limitations of PAMPA for the prediction of in vivo membrane permeability.

Phospholipid-based nonlamellar mesophases for delivery systems: bridging the gap between empirical and rational design

Phospholipids are ubiquitous cell membrane components and relatively well-accepted ingredients due to their natural origin. Phosphatidylcholine (PC) in particular offers a promising alternative to monoglycerides for lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) delivery system applications in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, provided its strong tendency to form zero-mean curvature lamellar mesophases in water can be overcome. Higher negative curvatures are usually reached through the addition of a third lipid component, forming a ternary diagram phospholipid/water/oil. The initial part of this work summarizes the potential advantages and the challenges of phospholipid-based delivery system applications. In the next part, various ternary PC/water/oil systems are discussed, with a special emphasis on the PC/water/cyclohexane and PC/water/α-tocopherol systems. We report that R-(+)-limonene has a quantitatively similar effect as cyclohexane. The last part is devoted to the theoretical interpretation of the observed phase behaviors. A fruitful parallel is drawn with PC polymer-like reverse micelles, leading to a thermodynamic description in terms of interfacial bending energy. Investigations at the molecular level are reviewed to help in bridging the empirical and theoretical approaches. Predictive rules are finally derived from this wide-ranging overview, thereby opening the way to a future rational design of PC-based LLC delivery systems.

Lipid polymorphism in lyotropic liquid crystals for triggered release of bioactives

In this review we present recent progress on lyotropic liquid crystals (LLC) as delivery vehicles for cosmetoceuticals, nutraceuticals, and drugs. LLC have been known for decades and their potential as delivery vehicles is well recognized. Yet, the two major mesophases, reverse hexagonal (H(II)) and bicontinuous cubic (primitive, gyroid, and diamond), are relatively hard gels with very slow release kinetics of the bioactives. In recent years a discontinuous cubic micellar mesophase (Q(L)) was characterized and studied, showing significant potential as a delivery vehicle. In addition, the H(II) mesophase formed could be much more fluid and produced at room temperature. Recent studies concentrated on establishing methods to evaluate solubilization capacity and relationship between the diameter and length of the cylinders and the nature of the solubilizates. Special attention was given to finding methods to target the vehicles to the lumen and to trigger the release of the bioactives. This review summarizes the efforts of our group along with work by numerous other scientists in this area. All these efforts suggest that the lyotropic mesophases and the corresponding dispersed soft particles (cubosomes, hexosomes, micellosomes) are now more than ever ready to become drug delivery vehicles for transport across the skin and the gut.

Food volatile compounds facilitating HII mesophase formation: solubilization and stability

Four lipophilic food volatile molecules of different chemical characteristics, phenylacetaldehyde, 2,6-dimethyl-5-heptenal, linalool, and trans-4-decenal, were solubilized into binary mixtures of monoolein/water, facilitating the formation of reverse hexagonal (H(II)) mesophases at room temperature without the need of solvents or triglycerides. Some of the flavor compounds are important building blocks of the hexagonal mesostructure, preventing phase transition with aging. The solubilization loads were relatively high: 12.6, 10.0, 12.6, and 10.0 wt % for phenylacetaldehyde, 2,6-dimethyl-5-heptenal, linalool, and trans-4-decenal, respectively. Phenylacetaldehyde formed mixtures of lamellar and cubic phases. Linalool, 2,6-dimethyl-5-heptenal, and trans-4-decenal induced structural shift from lamellar directly to H(II) mesophase, remaining stable at room temperature. Lattice parameters were found to increase with water content and to decrease with temperature and/or food volatile content. trans-4-Decenal produces more stable H(II) mesophase compared to linalool-loaded mesophase. At 40-60 °C, depending on the chemical structure and on the solubilization location of the food volatile compounds, the H(II) mesophase transforms to isotropic micellar phase, facilitating the release of the food volatile compounds. Molecular interactions suggest the existence of two consecutive stages in the solubilization process.

Transitions induced by solubilized fat into reverse hexagonal mesophases

Lyotropic liquid crystals of glycerol monooleate (GMO) and water binary mixtures have been extensively studied and their resemblance to human membranes has intrigued many scientists. Biological systems as well as food mixtures are composed of lipids and fat components including triacylglycerols (TAGs, triglycerides) that can affect the nature of the assembly of the mesophase. The present study examines the effect of TAGs of different chain lengths (C(2)-C(18)) at various water/GMO compositions, on phase transitions from lamellar or cubic to reverse hexagonal (L(alpha)-H(II) and Q-H(II)). The ability of the triglycerides to promote the formation of an H(II) mesophase is chain length-dependent. It was found that TAG molecules with very short acyl chains (triacetin) can hydrate the head groups of the lipid and do not affect the critical packing parameter (CPP) of the amphiphile; therefore, they do not affect the self-assembly of the GMO in water, and the mesophase remains lamellar or cubic. However, TAGs with medium chain fatty acids will solvate the tails of the lipid, and will affect the CPP of the GMO, and transform the lamellar or cubic phases into hexagonal mesophase. TAGs with long chain fatty acids are very bulky, not very miscible with the GMO, and therefore, kinetically are very slow to solvate the lipid tails of the amphiphile and are difficult to accommodate into the lipophilic parts of the GMO. Their effect on the transitions from a lamellar or cubic phase to hexagonal is detected only after months of equilibration. In order to enhance the effect of the TAG on the phase transitions in the GMO/triglyceride/water systems, temperature and electrolytes effects were examined. In the presence of short and medium chain triglycerides, increasing temperature caused a transition from lamellar or hexagonal to L(2) phase (highest CPP value). However, in the presence of long chain TAGs, increasing temperature to ca. 40 degrees C caused a formation of H(II) mesophase. In addition, it was found that in tricaprylin/GMO/water systems, the increase in temperature caused a decrease in the lattice parameter. The effect of NaCl on the H(II) mesophase revealed interesting results. At low concentration of tricaprylin (5 wt%), the addition of only 0.1 wt% of NaCl was sufficient to cause the formation of well-defined H(II) mesophase, while further addition of electrolyte increased the hexagonal lattice parameters. At higher TAGs concentrations (10 wt%), addition of electrolyte resulted in the formation of H(II) with modifications of the lattice parameter. All the examined effects were more pronounced with increasing water content.

Formation of a liquid crystalline phase from phosphatidylcholine at the oil-aqueous interface

Adsorption of phospholipid (1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine) and formation of a surface phase at the oil-water interface has been followed by using ellipsometry. The properties of the interfacial phase were found to depend strongly on whether phospholipid was added to the oil phase or to the aqueous phase as liposomal structures. In the latter case a monolayer formed, while if the phospholipid was supplied from the oil phase a lamellar phase appeared at the interface. The effect on the stabilizing surface phase of a surface-active protein (beta-lactoglobulin) was also investigated. The observations are important for understanding stabilizing properties of surface-active compounds commonly used to stabilize emulsions. In addition it has been demonstrated that ellipsometry can be used to study the initial process when a two-phase system consisting of a water and an oil phase is transformed into a three phase system or eventually to a one-phase system.

Phase behavior of the lecithin/water/isooctane and lecithin/water/decane systems

The isothermal pseudo-ternary-phase diagram was determined at 25 degrees C for systems composed oflecithin, water, and, as oil, either isooctane or decane. This was accomplished by a combination of polarizing microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, and NMR techniques. The lecithin-rich region of the phase diagram is dominated by a lamellar liquid-crystalline phase (Lalpha). For lecithin contents less than 60% and low hydration (mole ratio water/lecithin = W0 < 5.5), the system forms a viscous gel of branched cylindrical reverse micelles. With increase in the water content, the system phase separates into two phases, which is either gel in equilibrium with essentially pure isooctane (for lecithin < 25%) or a gel in equilibrium with Lalpha (for lecithin > 25%). These two-phase regions are very thin with respect to water dilution. For 8 < W0 < 54 very stable water-in-oil emulsions form. It is only after ripening for more than 1 year that the large region occupied by the emulsion reveals a complex pattern of stable phases. Moving along water dilution lines, one finds (i) the coexistence of gel, isooctane and Lalpha, (ii) equilibrium between reverse micelles and spherulites, and, finally, (iii) disconnected reverse micelles that fail to solubilize water for W0 > 54. This results in a Winsor II phase equilibrium at low lecithin content, while for lecithin > 20% the neat water is in equilibrium with a reverse hexagonal phase and an isotropic liquid-crystalline phase. The use of the decane as oil does not change the main features of the phase behavior.

Temperature-dependence of the solubilization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) by the non-ionic surfactant Triton X-100, kinetic and structural aspects

Most of the studies on the solubilization of model membranes conducted thus far involved model membranes made of liquid-crystalline phospholipids. Relatively little is known on the influence of temperature and of the phase of the lipid bilayers on their solubilization by detergents. The aim of the present study was to gain knowledge about the temperature and phase dependence of the solubilization of phospholipid bilayers by the non-ionic detergent Triton X-100 (TR). Detailed investigation of the kinetics of the solubilization of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), as well as of palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC) by TR at different temperatures reveals that: (i) solubilization of DPPC is a relatively slow process, especially below Tm. This means that in order to prevent misleading conclusions it is important to monitor the solubilization after a steady state is established. (ii) Both the steady state structure and size of DPPC/TR aggregates and the kinetics of solubilization depend on temperature. (iii) The TR concentration required for solubilization of POPC bilayers is an increasing function of temperature, although no phase change of bilayers occurs in the studied temperature range. (iv) Detailed studies of the temperature-induced changes of the aggregates present in DPPC/TR or POPC/TR mixtures suggest that the state of aggregation at any temperature above 23 degrees C represents equilibrium. By contrast, for DPPC/TR mixtures at 4 degrees C all the processes are very slow, which complicates the interpretation of results obtained through the common practice of studying "rafts" by investigating detergent-resistant membranes.

The effects of gramicidin on the structure of phospholipid assemblies

Gramicidin is an antibiotic peptide that can be incorporated into the monolayers of cell membranes. Dimerization through hydrogen bonding between gramicidin monomers in opposing leaflets of the membrane results in the formation of an iontophoretic channel. Surrounding phospholipids influence the gating properties of this channel. Conversely, gramicidin incorporation has been shown to affect the structure of spontaneously formed lipid assemblies. Using small-angle x-ray diffraction and model systems composed of phospholipids and gramicidin, the effects produced by gramicidin on lipid layers were measured. These measurements explore how peptides are able to modulate the spontaneous curvature properties of phospholipid assemblies. The reverse hexagonal, H(II), phase formed by dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) monolayers decreased in lattice dimension with increasing incorporation of gramicidin. This indicated that gramicidin itself was adding negative curvature to the lipid layers. In this system, gramicidin was measured to have an apparent intrinsic radius of curvature, R0pgram, of -7.1 A. The addition of up to 4 mol% gramicidin in DOPE did not result in the monolayers becoming stiffer, as measured by the monolayer bending moduli. Dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) alone forms the lamellar (L(alpha)) phase when hydrated, but undergoes a transition into the reverse hexagonal (H(II)) phase when mixed with gramicidin. The lattice dimension decreases systematically with increased gramicidin content. Again, this indicated that gramicidin was adding negative curvature to the lipid monolayers but the mixture behaved structurally much less consistently than DOPE/gramicidin. Only at 12 mol% gramicidin in dioleoylphosphatidylcholine could an apparent radius of intrinsic curvature of gramicidin (R0pgram) be estimated as -7.4 A. This mixture formed monolayers that were very resistant to bending, with a measured bending modulus of 115 kT.

Molecular packing in sphingomyelin bilayers and sphingomyelin/phospholid mixtures

The molecular packing properties of sphingomyelin (SM) from egg yolk were studied. The influence of the spontaneous curvature of SM on the phase behaviour of SM/dodecane/water systems was investigated. A comparison was made to a previous study by Lindblom et al. (Liq. Cryst. 3 (1988) 783), of the phase behaviour of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)/dodecane/water systems, where a reversed hexagonal liquid crystalline was shown to form at high water contents (60-80%, w/w). In contrast, SM/dodecane/water systems mainly maintained a lamellar liquid crystalline phase at all compositions and temperatures >35 degrees C. This suggests that the spontaneous curvature of SM is larger than for DPPC. To further examine the packing properties of SM and DPPC, the phase behaviour of SM/dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE)/water and DPPC/DOPE/water systems were investigated. Aqueous dispersions of DOPE normally form a reversed hexagonal liquid crystalline phase, while an isotropic phase was formed at small additions (20 mol.%) of SM or DPPC and a lamellar liquid crystalline phase was maintained at higher fractions (>35 mol.%) of SM or DPPC.

Stalk model of membrane fusion: solution of energy crisis

Membrane fusion proceeds via formation of intermediate nonbilayer structures. The stalk model of fusion intermediate is commonly recognized to account for the major phenomenology of the fusion process. However, in its current form, the stalk model poses a challenge. On one hand, it is able to describe qualitatively the modulation of the fusion reaction by the lipid composition of the membranes. On the other, it predicts very large values of the stalk energy, so that the related energy barrier for fusion cannot be overcome by membranes within a biologically reasonable span of time. We suggest a new structure for the fusion stalk, which resolves the energy crisis of the model. Our approach is based on a combined deformation of the stalk membrane including bending of the membrane surface and tilt of the hydrocarbon chains of lipid molecules. We demonstrate that the energy of the fusion stalk is a few times smaller than those predicted previously and the stalks are feasible in real systems. We account quantitatively for the experimental results on dependence of the fusion reaction on the lipid composition of different membrane monolayers. We analyze the dependence of the stalk energy on the distance between the fusing membranes and provide the experimentally testable predictions for the structural features of the stalk intermediates.

Small-angle neutron scattering study of the n-decane effect on the bilayer thickness in extruded unilamellar dioleoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes

Dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) and n-decane were mixed and hydrated afterwards in an excess of heavy water at 1 wt.% of DOPC. From this dispersion, unilamellar liposomes were prepared by extrusion through polycarbonate filter with 500-A pores. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) was conducted on these liposomes. From the Kratky-Porod plot ln[I(Q)Q2] vs. Q2 of SANS intensity I(Q) in the range of scattering vectors Q corresponding to the interval 0.001 A(-2) < or = Q2 < or = 0.006 A(-2), the liposome bilayer radius of gyration Rg and the bilayer thickness parameter d(g) = 12(0.5)Rg were obtained. The values of d(g) indicated that the bilayer thickness is within the experimental error constant up to n-decane/DOPC approximately 0.5 molar ratio, and then increases by 2.4 +/- 1.3 A up to n-decane/DOPC = 1.2 molar ratio.

Lipids in total extracts from Acholeplasma laidlawii A pack more closely than the individual lipids. Monolayers studied at the air-water interface

Pressure-area curves were obtained at 25, 35 and 45 degrees C for total lipid extracts and four individual glucolipids isolated from Acholeplasma laidlawii strain A-EF22. The glucolipids are 1,2-diacyl-3-0-(alpha-D-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol (MGlcDAG), 1,2 -diacyl-3-0-[alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-0-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl] -sn-glycerol (DGlcDAG), 1,2-diacyl-3-0-[alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-0-(6-0-acyl-alpha-D-gluco pyranosyl)]-sn-glycerol (MADGlcDAG), and 1,2-diacyl-3-0-[glycerophosphoryl-6-0-(alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-- >)-0-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl)]-sn-glycerol (GPDGlcDAG). The total lipid extracts were obtained from A. laidlawii, grown at 37 degrees C with fatty acids of varying degrees of unsaturation and chain length. The mean surface area per molecule was obtained from these pressure-area curves at surface pressures equal to 10, 20, 30 and 40 mN/m. It was found that the interfacial area of the lipids increases with increasing degree of unsaturation, but is nearly independent of the acyl chain length at constant unsaturation. The surface charge density varied between 4.7 x 10(-3) e-/angstrom(2) and 9.4 x 10(-3) e-/angstrum(2) for the total lipid extracts studied, but did not exhibit any consistent dependence on variations in degree of unsaturation or acyl chain length. The mean area per molecule was found to be smaller for the total lipid extracts than for the individual lipids. It is concluded that the bacterium strives to regulate its lipid composition in such a way that the packing of the lipids in the membrane is appropriately tight, and/or to keep a slight negative spontaneous curvature of the lipid bilayer of the cell membrane ("optimal packing"). This is in accordance with the physico-chemical model for the regulation of the lipid composition in the membrane of A. laidlaiwii previously presented by us (see e.g. Andersson, A.-S., Riffors, L., Bergqvist, M., Persson, S. and Lindblom, G. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 11119-11130).

Comparative study of the effects of several n-alkanes on phospholipid hexagonal phases

The effects of a series of normal alkanes (decane, dodecane, tetradecane, hexadecane, and octadecane) on the hexagonal H(II) structures containing dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) and dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) were studied using x-ray diffraction and osmotic stress. The alkanes affect structural dimensions and the monolayer intrinsic curvature and bending modulus. The alkane effects are chain-length dependent and are attributed to their different distribution within the H(II) structure. The data suggest that short-chain alkanes are more uniformly distributed within the H(II) hydrocarbon regions and change the curvature and bending modulus of the monolayer, whereas longer-chain alkanes appear confined more to the interstitial region and do not change the curvature and bending modulus.

Influence of membrane-spanning alpha-helical peptides on the phase behavior of the dioleoylphosphatidylcholine/water system

The effect of solubilized hydrophobic peptides on the phase behavior of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC)/water system was studied by 2H- and 31P-NMR spectroscopy and by x-ray diffraction, and partial phase diagrams were constructed. The utilized peptides were HCO-AWW(LA)5WWA-NHCH2CH2OH (WALP16), which is an artificial peptide designed to resemble a transmembrane part of a membrane protein; and VEYAGIALFFVAAVLTLWSMLQYLSAAR (Pgs peptide E), a peptide that is identical to one of the putative transmembrane segments of the membrane-associated protein phosphatidylglycerophosphate synthase (Pgs) in Escherichia coli. Circular dichroism spectroscopy suggests that both peptides are mostly alpha-helical in DOPC vesicles. The most striking features in the phase diagram of the WALP16/DOPC/water system are 1) a single lamellar liquid crystalline (L alpha) phase forms only at very low peptide concentrations. 2) At low water content and above a peptide/lipid molar ratio of approximately 1:75 a reversed hexagonal liquid crystalline (H[II]) phase coexists with an L alpha phase, while in excess water this phase forms at a peptide/lipid molar ratio of approximately 1:25. 3) At peptide/lipid ratios > or =1:6 a single H(II) phase is stable. Also, the Pgs peptide E strongly affects the phase behavior, and a single L alpha phase is only found at low peptide concentrations (peptide/lipid molar ratios <1:50), and water concentrations <45% (w/w). Higher peptide content results in coexistence of L alpha and isotropic phases. Generally, the fraction of the isotropic phase increases with increasing temperature and water concentration, and at 80% (w/w) water content only a single isotropic phase is stable at 55 degrees C. Thus, both peptides were found to be able to induce nonlamellar phases, although different in structure, in the DOPC/water system. The phase transitions, the extensions of the one-phase regions, and the phase structures observed for the two systems are discussed in terms of the molecular structure of the two peptides and the matching between the hydrophobic lengths of the peptides and the bilayer thickness of DOPC.

The influence of cholesterol on phospholipid membrane curvature and bending elasticity

The behavior of dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE)/cholesterol/tetradecane and dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC)/cholesterol/tetradecane were examined using x-ray diffraction and the osmotic stress method. DOPE/tetradecane, with or without cholesterol, forms inverted hexagonal (HII) phases in excess water. DOPC/tetradecane forms lamellar phases without cholesterol at lower temperatures. With tetradecane, as little as 5 mol% cholesterol in DOPC induced the formation of HII phases of very large dimension. Increasing levels of cholesterol result in a systematic decrease in the HII lattice dimension for both DOPE and DOPC in excess water. Using osmotic pressure to control hydration, we applied a recent prescription to estimate the intrinsic curvature and bending modulus of the HII monolayers. The radii of the intrinsic curvature, RPO, at a pivotal plane of constant area within the monolayer were determined to be 29.4 A for DOPE/tetradecane at 22 degrees C, decreasing to 27 A at 30 mol% cholesterol. For DOPC/tetradecane at 32 degrees C, RPO decreased from 62.5 A to 40 A as its cholesterol content increased from 30 to 50 mol%. These data yielded an estimate of the intrinsic radius of curvature for pure DOPC of 87.3 A. The bending moduli kc of DOPE/tetradecane and DOPC/tetradecane, each with 30 mol% cholesterol, are 15 and 9 kT, respectively. Tetradecane itself was shown to have little effect on the bending modulus in the cases of DOPE and cholesterol/DOPE. Surprisingly, cholesterol effected only a modest increase in the kc of these monolayers, which is much smaller than estimated from its effect on the area compressibility modulus in bilayers. We discuss possible reasons for this difference.

Effect of unsaturation on the chain order of phosphatidylcholines in a dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine matrix

The properties of phosphatidylcholines (PCs) having a perdeuterated stearic acid, 18:0d35, in the sn-1 position and the fatty acid 18:0, 18:1 omega 9, 18:2 omega 6, 18:3 omega 3, 20:4 omega 6, 20:5 omega 3, or 22:6 omega 3 at the sn-2 position were investigated in a matrix of dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) by 2H and 31P NMR spectroscopy. At a mole ratio of DOPE/PC = 5:1, the lipids form liquid crystalline lamellar phases below 40 degrees C and coexisting lamellar, inverse hexagonal (Hll), and cubic phases at higher temperatures. The sn-1 chain of the PCs in a DOPE matrix is appreciably more ordered than in pure PCs, corresponding to an increase in the hydrophobic bilayer thickness of approximately 1 A. Distearoylphosphatidylcholine in the DOPE matrix has a higher sn-1 chain order than the unsaturated PCs. We observed distinct differences in the lipid order of upper and lower sections of the hydrocarbon chains caused by changes of temperature, unsaturation, headgroups, and ethanol. Unsaturation lowers chain order, mostly in the lower third of the hydrocarbon chains. By contrast, the increase in chain order caused by the DOPE matrix and the decrease in order with increasing temperature have a constant magnitude for the upper two-thirds of the chain and are smaller for the lower third. Addition of 2 M ethanol reduced order parameters, in effect reversing the increase in chain order caused by the DOPE matrix.

Correlation between lipid plane curvature and lipid chain order

The 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine: 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (POPE:POPC) system has been investigated by measuring, in the inverted hexagonal (HII) phase, the intercylinder spacings (using x-ray diffraction) and orientational order of the acyl chains (using 2H nuclear magnetic resonance). The presence of 20 wt% dodecane leads to the formation of a HII phase for the composition range from 0 to 39 mol% of POPC in POPE, as ascertained by x-ray diffraction and 2H nuclear magnetic resonance. The addition of the alkane induces a small decrease in chain order, consistent with less stretched chains. An increase in temperature or in POPE proportion leads to a reduction in the intercylinder spacing, primarily due to a decrease in the water core radius. A temperature increase also leads to a reduction in the orientational order of the lipid acyl chains, whereas the POPE proportion has little effect on chain order. A correlation is proposed to relate the radius of curvature of the cylinders in the inverted hexagonal phase to the chain order of the lipids adopting the HII phase. A simple geometrical model is proposed, taking into account the area occupied by the polar headgroup at the interface and the orientational order of the acyl chains reflecting the contribution of the apolar core. From these parameters, intercylinder spacings are calculated that agree well with the values determined experimentally by x-ray diffraction, for the variations of both temperature and POPE:POPC proportion. This model suggests that temperature increases the curvature of lipid layers, mainly by increasing the area subtended by the hydrophobic core through chain conformation disorder, whereas POPC content affects primarily the headgroup interface contribution. The frustration of lipid layer curvature is also shown to be reflected in the acyl chain order measured in the L alpha phase, in the absence of dodecane; for a given temperature, increased order is observed when the curling tendencies of the lipid plane are more pronounced.

Structural organisation and lipid composition of the epicuticular accessory layer of infective larvae of Trichinella spiralis

The epicuticle of infective larvae of Trichinella spiralis represents the interface between this intracellular nematode parasite and the cytosol of mammalian skeletal muscle. The macromolecular structures that make up the epicuticle were studied by freeze-fracture electron microscopy and compositional analysis. Three fracture planes were observed: one with a typical plasma membrane-type bilayer organisation which was overlaid by two extended layers of lipid in an inverted cylindrical configuration. This overall structure remained unchanged in response to variations in temperature between 20 degrees C and 45 degrees C. The lipid cylinders were on average 6.8 nm in diameter, with randomly-associated particles that were not dissociated by high-salt treatment, indicative of hydrophobically associated proteins. The majority of the lipids were non-polar, consisting of cholesterol, cholesterol esters, mono- and tri-glycerides, and free fatty acids. Three major classes of phospholipids were identified: phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine. Total lipid extracts did not adopt an inverted cylindrical or micellar configuration on isolation, but formed flat sheets of lamellae as did the purified polar and non-polar fractions of the lipids. Isolated lipids did not undergo thermally-induced polymorphism between 20 degrees C and 60 degrees C and there was no pH dependency of the structures adopted. The fatty acid saturation levels of the phospholipids were compatible with the observation that they did not form polymorphic structures on isolation. We suggest that this unusual configuration is probably stabilised by the associated (glyco)proteins and may be required for selective permeation of nutrients from the host cell cytosol and/or for maintaining the high curvature of the parasite within the cell.

Wild-type Escherichia coli cells regulate the membrane lipid composition in a "window" between gel and non-lamellar structures

Escherichia coli strain K12 was grown at 17, 27, and 37 degrees C. The acyl chain composition of the membrane lipids varied with the growth temperature; the fraction of cis-vaccenoyl chains decreased, and the fraction of palmitoyl chains increased, when the growth temperature was increased. However, the polar head group composition did not change significantly. The equilibria between lamellar and reversed non-lamellar phases of lipids extracted from the inner membrane (IM), and from both the membranes (IOM), were studied with NMR and x-ray diffraction. At temperatures above the growth temperature the lipid extracts formed a reversed hexagonal phase, or a bicontinuous cubic phase, depending on the degree of hydration of the lipids. It was observed that: 1) at equal elevations above the growth temperature, IM lipid extracts, as well as IOM lipid extracts, have a nearly equal ability to form non-lamellar phases; 2) IM extracts have a stronger tendency than IOM extracts to form non-lamellar phases; 3) non-lamellar phases are formed under conditions that are relatively close to the physiological ones; the membrane lipid monolayers are thus "frustrated"; and 4) as a consequence of the change of the acyl chain structures, the temperature for the lamellar gel to liquid crystalline phase transition is changed simultaneously, and in the same direction, as the temperature for the lamellar to non-lamellar phase transition. With a too large fraction of saturated acyl chains the membrane lipids enter a gel state, and with a too large fraction of unsaturated acyl chains the lipids transform to non-lamellar phases. It is thus concluded that the regulation of the acyl chain composition in wild-type cells of E. coli is necessary for the organism to be able to grow in a "window" between a lamellar gel phase and reversed non-lamellar phases.

Gramicidin channel-induced lipid membrane deformation energy: influence of chain length and boundary conditions

The influence of boundary conditions on the deformation energy of a lipid membrane containing a gramicidin A channel was evaluated numerically. A liquid crystal model was used to calculate the relative contributions of compression, splay and surface tension. It is proposed that the nearest neighbor lipid molecules are displaced from the channel end in a direction perpendicular to the bilayer and it is concluded that surface tension is the major component of the deformation free energy for monoolein (gmo)/n-alkane membranes. This unexpected result supports the validity of the liquid crystal models of membrane deformation since gramicidin lifetime has been shown to correlate with surface tension for gmo membranes. The theory accurately predicts the experimentally measured relative lifetimes without the use of adjustable parameters. For conditions where splay may be neglected surface tension is always the major component of the deformation energy, irrespective of the magnitude of the compression coefficient. The deformation may extend for hundreds of angstroms from the peptide. The results obtained here are expected to be important for the characterization of protein-membrane interactions in general.

Influence of monoglucosyldiacylglycerol and monoacylmonoglucosyldiacylglycerol on the lipid bilayer of the membrane from Acholeplasma laidlawii strain A-EF22

The ability for 1,2-diacyl-3-O-(alpha-D-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol (MGlcDAG) and 1,2-diacyl-3-O-(6-O-acyl-(alpha-D-glucopyranosyl))-sn-glycerol (MAMGlcDAG) to induce non-lamellar phases in a lipid mixture with an in vivo composition, prepared from Acholeplasma laidlawii membranes, has been investigated. The phase transition temperatures from lamellar to non-lamellar structures were studied with varying fractions of MGlcDAG and MAMGlcDAG. The transition temperature decreased from 73 +/- 2 degrees C for 20 mol% MGlcDAG to 43 +/- 1 degree C for 63 mol% MGlcDAG, in lipid mixtures where the other lipids are the native bilayer-forming lipids. MAMGlcDAG behaved differently and the phase transition temperatures were found to be almost constant and between 51-53 degrees C as the fraction of MAMGlcDAG varied between 11-45 mol%. It was also found that MAMGlcDAG can only be solubilized in low concentrations in the lipid bilayer, which is in good agreement with the fractions of MAMGlcDAG found in the membrane of A. laidlawii. Higher concentrations of MAMGlcDAG resulted in phase separations of lamellar liquid crystalline and gel/crystalline phases. It is concluded that MAMGlcDAG is far more capable than MGlcDAG to induce non-lamellar structures at lower concentrations. The results are discussed in terms of the model of lipid regulation previously proposed by this laboratory (Lindblom, G., Hauksson, J.B., Rilfors, L., Bergenståhl, B., Wieslander, A. and Eriksson, P.O. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 16198-16207), and the importance for the bilayer stability in cell membranes. It is proposed that the phase behaviour of the membrane lipids has far-reaching consequences for membrane function.

Lipid extracts from membranes of Acholeplasma laidlawii A grown with different fatty acids have a nearly constant spontaneous curvature

X-ray diffraction methods were used to explore the variation in the spontaneous curvature of lipid extracts from Acholeplasma laidlawii strain A-EF22 grown with different mixtures of palmitic acid and oleic acid. It was shown that the cells respond to the different growing conditions by altering the polar head group compositions in order to keep the phase transition between lamellar and nonlamellar structures within a narrow temperature range. This has been interpreted to mean that the membrane lipids are adjusted toward an optimal packing (Lindblom et al. (1986) Biochemistry 25, 7502). Here it is shown that for these extracts, the membrane curvature is kept within a narrow range (58-73 A), compared to the range in curvatures exhibited by pure lipids extracts from the membrane (17-123 A). These observations support the hypothesis (Gruner (1989) J. Phys. Chem. 93, 7562) that the spontaneous curvature is a functionally important membrane parameter which is regulated by the organism and is likely to be one of the constraints controlling the lipid composition of the bilayer.

Membrane lipid composition and cell size of Acholeplasma laidlawii strain A are strongly influenced by lipid acyl chain length

The small, cell-wall-less prokaryote Acholeplasma laidlawii strain A-EF22 could grow with membrane lipids having an average acyl chain length Cn varying over 14.5- almost 20 carbons by exogenous supplementation with selected fatty acids. For 16 < Cn < 18, the cells grew with lipids containing 100% (mol/100 mol) monounsaturated acyl chains, whereas for Cn < 16 and Cn > 18, cell growth only occurred with gradually lower fractions of unsaturated chains. Cn was actively increased and decreased by chain elongation or de novo fatty acid synthesis upon incorporation of short-chain and long-chain fatty acids, respectively. The membrane lipid composition was strongly affected by the acyl chain length and unsaturation, and the metabolic responses are readily explained as a regulation mechanism based on the established phase equilibria of the individual lipids in the A. laidlawii membrane. Monoglucosyldiacylglycerol (Glc-acyl2-Gro) was the dominating lipid with short chains but the fraction of this lipid decreased with increasing Cn, correlating with the decreasing lamellar to nonlamellar phase transition temperatures for this lipid. The fractions of diglucosyldiacylglycerol (Glc2-acyl2Gro) and phosphatidylglycerol (PtdGro), forming lamellar phases only, increased with increasing Cn over the entire chain-length interval. A weaker correlation was usually observed between the relative amount of a lipid and the extent of chain unsaturation; however, the fractions of Glc2-acyl2Gro and PtdGro increased clearly with an increasing degree of unsaturation. Moreover, the synthesis of the nonbilayer-forming lipids acyl2Gro and monoacyl-Glc-acyl2Gro was strongly stimulated by a high degree of chain saturation. Concomitantly, the phase equilibria of Glc-acyl2Gro are shifted towards lamellar phases at the growth temperature. The fraction of the three potentially nonbilayer-forming lipids varied over 10-80% (mol/100 mol) total lipids as a function of the acyl chain composition. The combined molar fractions of the three phospholipids increased strongly with chain unsaturation. However, the fraction of phosphate moieties in the different lipids was constant over the entire chain-length interval. It is concluded that the regulation of the membrane lipid composition aims at maintaining similar phase equilibria and surface charge densities of the lipid bilayer. The size of A. laidlawii cells was changed in a systematic manner and correlated qualitatively with the packing properties of the lipids. Cell diameters were increased by an increase in acyl chain length and saturation, and was affected by additives such an n-dodecane and acyl2Gro.

Thermotropic phase properties of 1,2-di-O-tetradecyl-3-O-(3-O-methyl- beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol

The hydration properties and the phase structure of 1,2-di-O-tetradecyl-3-O(3-O-methyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol (3-O-Me-beta-D-GlcDAIG) in water have been studied via differential scanning calorimetry, 1H-NMR and 2H-NMR spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction. Results indicate that this lipid forms a crystalline (Lc) phase up to temperatures of 60-70 degrees C, where a transition through a metastable reversed hexagonal (Hll) phase to a reversed micellar solution (L2) phase occurs. Experiments were carried out at water concentrations in a range from 0 to 35 wt%, which indicate that all phases are poorly hydrated, taking up < 5 mol water/mol lipid. The absence of a lamellar liquid crystalline (L alpha) phase and the low levels of hydration measured in the discernible phases suggest that the methylation of the saccharide moiety alters the hydrogen bonding properties of the headgroup in such a way that the 3-O-Me-beta-D-GlcDAIG headgroup cannot achieve the same level of hydration as the unmethylated form. Thus, in spite of the small increase in steric bulk resulting from methylation, there is an increase in the tendency of 3-O-Me-beta-D-GlcDAIG to form nonlamellar structures. A similar phase behavior has previously been observed for the Acholeplasma laidlawii A membrane lipid 1,2-diacyl-3-O-(6-O-acyl-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol in water (Lindblom et al. 1993. J. Biol. Chem. 268:16198-16207). The phase behavior of the two lipids suggests that hydrophobic substitution of a hydroxyl group in the sugar ring of the glucopyranosylglycerols has a very strong effect on their physicochemical properties, i.e., headgroup hydration and the formation of different lipid aggregate structures.

Similar regulatory mechanisms despite differences in membrane lipid composition in Acholeplasma laidlawii strains A-EF22 and B-PG9. A multivariate data analysis

Mycoplasmas are small, cell wall-deficient bacteria. The metabolic regulation of the lipid composition in the membrane of the species Acholeplasma laidlawii, strains A-EF22 and B-JU, is governed mainly by the balance between the potential formation of lamellar and nonlamellar phase structures. However, the regulatory features have not been consistently observed in the B-PG9 strain. A comparison has been performed between the membrane lipid composition for strains A-EF22 and B-PG9, simultaneously changing eight experimental conditions known to affect the regulation and packing properties of the A-EF22 lipids. Multiple regression and partial least-square discriminant analyses of many variables showed: (i) quantitative differences in membrane lipid and protein composition, and in membrane protein molecular masses of the two strains; (ii) different molar fractions of the major polar lipids monoglucosyldiacylglycerol (nonlamellar) and diglucosyldiacylglycerol (lamellar), which were caused by differences in lipid acyl chain length and unsaturation inherent in the strains and by the type of growth medium used; and (iii) similar regulatory mechanisms for changes in the lipid composition under most conditions, responding to the experimentally varied bilayer and nonbilayer properties of the lipid matrix. These regulatory principles are probably valid in other bacteria as well.

Packing of a triacylglucolipid from the membrane of Acholeplasma laidlawii strain A at the air/water interface

Pressure-area curves were generated at 22 degrees C and 40 degrees C for three glucolipids isolated from Acholeplasma laidlawii strain A-EF22. The glucolipids are 1,2-diacyl-3-O-(alpha-D-glucopyranosyl)-sn-glycerol (MGlcDAG), 1,2-diacyl-3-O-[alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-O-alpha-D- glucopyranosyl]-sn-glycerol (DGlcDAG), and 1,2-diacyl-3-O-[3-O-acyl-(alpha-D-glucopyranosyl)]-sn- glycerol (MAMGlc-DAG). The curves for MGlcDAG and DGlcDAG are characteristic for monolayers in a liquid phase at both temperatures. MGlcDAG has a smaller molecular area at all surface pressures compared to DGlcDAG. At 22 degrees C MAMGlcDAG shows a phase transition at 13 mN/m. However, at 40 degrees C the pressure-area curve for this lipid is characteristic for a monolayer in a liquid state. Mixed MAMGlcDAG-DGlcDAG and MGlcDAG-DGlcDAG monolayers showed no significant deviation from the additivity rule at 40 degrees C. The area per acyl chain is nearly the same for MAMGlcDAG and MGlcDAG. Our study supports our previous results that aqueous dispersions of these lipids form non-lamellar, reversed aggregates.

Diacylglycerol and hexadecane increase divalent cation-induced lipid mixing rates between phosphatidylserine large unilamellar vesicles

Bovine brain phosphatidylserine (BBPS) vesicles were prepared with traces of dioleoylglycerol (18:1, 18:1 DAG) or hexadecane (HD) to determine the influence of changes in headgroup or acyl chain packing on divalent cation-induced lipid mixing rates. A stopped-flow apparatus was used to combine vesicles with 3 mM Ca2+ or Ba2+. Aggregation was monitored by light scattering and lipid mixing by lipid probe dilution. Neither 3-6 mol% 18:1, 18:1 DAG nor up to 10 mol % HD significantly altered the BBPS chain melting temperature, vesicle diameter, or vesicle aggregation rates. Lipid mixing rates doubled by adding either 3 mol % 18:1, 18:1 DAG or 6 mol % HD to BBPS with no change in the Ca2+ concentration threshold. The Arrhenius slopes of the lipid mixing rates for control, 3 mol % 18:1, 18:1 DAG, and 6 mol % HD vesicles were identical. 2H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of perdeuterated dipalmitoylglycerol and HD in BBPS in the absence and presence of Ca2+ and Ba2+ showed that the solutes occupied different time-averaged positions in the bilayer under each condition. These data suggest that: 1) the enhanced lipid mixing rate is related to the volume of the added alkyl chains; 2) 18:1, 18:1 DAG and HD may alter the activation entropy or the attempt frequency at one or more steps in the lipid mixing process; 3) 18:1, 18:1 DAG and HD are likely to act at a different spatial or temporal point than the divalent cation; and 4) it is unlikely that the effect of these solutes on lipid mixing is due to their equilibrium time-averaged positions in the bilayer. Others have shown that apolar lipids accelerate fusion in nonbilayer phase-forming systems, but BBPS does not form these phases under these conditions. Therefore, we propose that the effect of very small amounts of apolar substances may be very general, e.g., stabilizing the hydrophobic interstices associated with a variety of proposed intermediate structures.

Phases and phase transitions of the hydrated phosphatidylethanolamines

LIPIDAT is a computerized database providing access to the wealth of information scattered throughout the literature concerning synthetic and biologically derived polar lipid polymorphic and mesomorphic phase behavior. Here, a review of the LIPIDAT data subset referring to hydrated phosphatidylethanolamines (PE) is presented together with an analysis of these data. The PE subset represents 14% of all LIPIDAT records. It includes data collected over a 38-year period and consists of 1511 records obtained from 203 articles in 35 different journals. An analysis of the data in the subset has allowed us to identify trends in synthetic PE phase behavior reflecting changes in lipid chain length, chain unsaturation (number, isomeric type and position of double bonds), chain asymmetry and branching, type of chain-glycerol linkage (ether vs. ester) and headgroup modification. Also included is a summary of the data concerning the effect of pH, stereochemical purity, and different additives such as salts, saccharides, alcohols, amino adds and alkanes on PE phase behavior. Information on the phase behavior of biologically derived PE is also presented. This review includes 236 references.

Energetics of intermediates in membrane fusion: comparison of stalk and inverted micellar intermediate mechanisms

To understand the mechanism of membrane fusion, we have to infer the sequence of structural transformations that occurs during the process. Here, it is shown how one can estimate the lipid composition-dependent free energies of intermediate structures of different geometries. One can then infer which fusion mechanism is the best explanation of observed behavior in different systems by selecting the mechanism that requires the least energy. The treatment involves no adjustable parameters. It includes contributions to the intermediate energy resulting from the presence of hydrophobic interstices within structures formed between apposed bilayers. Results of these calculations show that a modified form of the stalk mechanism proposed by others is a likely fusion mechanism in a wide range of lipid compositions, but a mechanism based on inverted micellar intermediates (IMIs) is not. This should be true even in the vicinity of the lamellar/inverted hexagonal phase transition, where IMI formation would be most facile. Another prediction of the calculations is that traces of apolar lipids (e.g., long-chain alkanes) in membranes should have a substantial influence on fusion rates in general. The same theoretical methods can be used to generate and refine mechanisms for protein-mediated fusion.

Probability of alamethicin conductance states varies with nonlamellar tendency of bilayer phospholipids

With few exceptions, membrane lipids are usually regarded as a kind of filler or passive solvent for membrane proteins. Yet, cells exquisitely control membrane composition. Many phospholipids found in plasma membrane bilayers favor packing into inverted hexagonal bulk phases. It was suggested that the strain of forcing such lipids into a bilayer may affect membrane protein function, such as the operation of transmembrane channels. To investigate this, we have inserted the peptide alamethicin into bilayer membranes composed of lipids of empirically determined inverted hexagonal phase "spontaneous radii" Ro, which will have expectably different degrees of strain when forced into bilayer form. We observe a correlation between measured Ro and the relative probabilities of different conductance states. States of higher conductance are more probable in dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine, the lipid of highest curvature, 1/Ro, than in dioleoylphosphatidylcholine, the lipid of lowest curvature.

Nonlamellar phases formed by membrane lipids

A brief review of membrane lipids forming cubic and reversed hexagonal phases is presented. An emphasis is made on anionic lipids and particular microbial lipids.

Distribution of decane within the unit cell of the inverted hexagonal (HII) phase of lipid-water-decane systems determined by neutron diffraction

The addition of a free alkane such as decane to lipid-water systems is known to promote the formation of a low-temperature inverted hexagonal (HII) phase [Kirk, G. L., & Gruner, S. M. (1985) J. Phys. (Paris) 46, 761]. Kirk et al. [Kirk, G. L., Gruner, S. M., & Stein, D. E. (1984) Biochemistry 23, 1093] have discussed the hydrocarbon packing anisotropy in the HII unit cell and have suggested that free alkane will distribute in a way that reduces this packing anisotropy by allowing the lipid chain environment to become more uniform. By combining neutron and X-ray diffraction data to do a Fourier reconstruction of the HII phase of dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) + water + deuterated decane, it was found that the decane preferentially partitions into the interstitial regions of the HII unit cell where it should be the most effective in alleviating the hydrocarbon chain packing stress, supporting the suggestion of Kirk et al. Using the distribution of decane within the unit cell, we have calculated the lipid length distribution for the situations with and without added alkane. With a suitable molecular model, this lipid length distribution may eventually be used to calculate the free energy change upon the addition of alkane. Such a measurement is important for a more realistic understanding of the interactions which lead to the formation of the HII phase.

X-ray diffraction reconstruction of the inverted hexagonal (HII) phase in lipid-water systems

The structure of the inverted hexagonal (HII) phase in biological lipid-water systems is studied to examine the physical interactions which drive the polymorphic phase behavior and which are also thought to play a relevant role in biological membrane function. A method is derived which yields the complex phase factors of the HII phase diffraction amplitudes from examination of a single sample. This method is applied to a low-resolution Fourier reconstruction of the HII phase in dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) + water, specifically to examine deviations from the presumed circular model of the HII phase. It is found that the average radius of the water core, Rw, as determined from a Fourier reconstruction, is in good agreement with previously measured values of Rw obtained from more time-consuming traditional methods [Tate, M. W., & Gruner, S. M. (1989) Biochemistry 28, 4245]. In addition to the average value of Rw, the Fourier reconstruction also can be used to determine the true shape of the water core. It is found that the water core is circular to within 5% of Rw when the unit cell size is less than approximately 75 A. Above 75 A, however, a definite shape deformation becomes apparent, with radial noncircularities of 5-10%, probably in response to the increased entropic cost of packing the hydrocarbon chains into the anisotropic environment of the HII unit cell [Kirk, G. L., Gruner, S. M., & Stein D. E. (1984) Biochemistry 23, 1093]. As a more direct probe of the packing anisotropy, Fourier reconstructions of DOPE + dodecane and DOPE + squalene systems were compared with the reconstruction of DOPE. These oils are known to promote the low temperature occurrence of the HII phase, presumably by a reduction in the hydrocarbon packing stress. In support of this hypothesis, the alkanes were observed to relax the water core to a circular shape for even large lattices. In addition, anisotropy of the electron density near the end of the lipid chains is reduced when alkane is added, implying a more uniform hydrocarbon packing environment, consistent with the results of neutron diffraction upon the addition of deuterated decane [Turner, D. C., Gruner, S. M., & Huang, J. (1992) Biochemistry (following paper in this issue)].

Effect of head-group structure and counterion condensation on phase equilibria in anionic phospholipid-water systems studied by 2H, 23Na, and 31P NMR and X-ray diffraction

The phase equilibria, hydration, and sodium counterion association for the systems DOPA-2H2O, DOPS-2H2O, DOPG-2H2O, and DPG-2H2O were investigated with 2H, 23Na, and 31P NMR and X-ray diffraction. The following one-phase regions were found in the DOPA-water system: a reversed hexagonal liquid-crystalline (HII) phase up to about 35 wt % water and a lamellar liquid-crystalline (L alpha) phase between about 55 and 98 wt % water. The area per DOPA molecule was 36-65 A2 in the HII phase (10-40 wt % water) and 69 A2 in the L alpha phase (60 wt % water). DOPS and DOPG with 10-98 wt % water, and DPG with 20-95 wt % water formed an L alpha phase at temperatures between 25 and 55 degrees C. At temperatures above 55 degrees C, DPG with 20 and 30 wt % water formed a mixture of L alpha, HII, and cubic liquid-crystalline phases, the mole percent of lipid forming nonlamellar phases being smaller at 30 wt % water than at 20 wt % water. DPG with 10 wt % water probably formed a mixture of an L alpha phase and at least one nonlamellar liquid-crystalline phase at 25 and 35 degrees C, and a pure HII phase at 45 degrees C and higher temperatures. At water concentrations above about 50 wt % the 23Na quadrupole splitting was constant for all four lipid-water systems studied, implying that the counterion association to the charged lipid aggregates did not change upon dilution. These experimental observations can be described with an ion condensation model but not with a simple equilibrium model. The fraction of counterions located close to the lipid-water interface was calculated to be greater than 95%. The 2H and 23Na NMR quadrupole splittings of 2H2O and sodium counterions, respectively, indicate that the molecular order in the polar head-group region decreases for the L alpha phase in the order DOPA approximately DPG greater than DOPS greater than DOPG.