Interaction between perfluoro chemicals and phosphatidylcholine vesicles

Self-assembly of soluble proteins on functionalized lipid layers: a tentative correlation between the fluidity properties of the lipid film and protein ordering

New series of amphiphilic structures are designed to exhibit various fluidity properties when spread at the air-water interface. The influence of the molecular structure of these lipids on the process of two-dimensional (2D) crystallization of the B subunit of DNA gyrase, a soluble protein, is investigated in terms of size of the crystals produced, protein ordering, and crystallization kinetics. Whereas no difference is observed concerning the mean size of the protein 2D crystals obtained on the different lipid supports, the ultimate protein ordering observable by electron microscopy using the negative-staining technique is more regularly attained with some of these new lipids. The most interesting point results from large discrepancies in crystallization kinetics as highly-ordered protein 2D crystals form within 6-24 h depending on the lipid layer structure. Thus, these new lipids reveal of special interest when studying proteins that suffer from extended incubation time at 4 degrees C or higher temperature and lose their functionality.

Interaction between erythrocytes and a perfluorochemical blood substitute

Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) are being widely developed for use as erythrocyte substitutes to carry oxygen to tissue in acute crises. Oxypherol, a commercially available PFC preparation commonly used for animal tests, reduces erythrocyte deformability in the presence of plasma. This undesirable effect further complicates oxygen delivery by erythrocytes. Our experiments indicate that one or more plasma proteins must be present to observe Oxypherol-induced reduction in erythrocyte deformability, but the latter is not protein specific. Neither platelet activation nor enhanced protein adsorption could account for the mechanism of altered erythrocyte flexibility. Using fluorine-19 NMR, it was found that a small amount of Oxypherol droplets is adsorbed on the surface of the erythrocytes. The amount of adsorbed droplets increases when Oxypherol is incubated with the erythrocytes in the presence of plasma, in parallel with a decrease in erythrocyte deformability. Therefore, it seems likely that the loss of deformability of the erythrocytes is caused by the adsorption of small Oxypherol droplets on the erythrocytes.