Membrane lipid dynamics and enzymic activity in bovine adrenal cortex microsomes

The lipid dynamics of the adrenocortical microsomal membranes was studied by monitoring the fluorescence anisotropy and excited state lifetime of a set of anthroyloxy fatty acid probes (2-, 7-, 9- and 12-(9-anthroyloxy)-stearic acid (AP) and 16-(9-anthroyloxy)palmitic acid (AS). It was found that a decreasing polarity gradient from the aqueous membrane interface to the membrane interior, was present. This gradient was not modified by the proteins, as evidenced by comparison of complete membranes and derived liposomes, suggesting that the anthroyloxy probes were not in close contact with the proteins. An important change of the value of the mean rotational relaxation time as a function of the position of the anthroyl ring along the acyl chain was evidenced. In the complete membranes, a relatively more fluid medium was evidenced in the C₁₆ as compared to the C₂ region, while the rotational motion appeared to be the most hindered at the C₇–C₉ level. In the derived liposomes, a similar trend was observed but the mobility was higher at all levels. The decrease of the mean rotational relaxation time was more important for 12-AS and 16-AP. Temperature dependence of the mean rotational relaxation time of 2-AS, 12-AS and 16-AP in the complete membranes revealed the existence of a lipid reorganization occurring around 27°C and concerning mainly the C₁₆ region. The extent to which the acyl chain reacted to this perturbation at the C₁₂ level depended on pH. The presence of proteins increased the apparent magnitude of this reorganization and also modified the critical temperature from approx. 23°C in the derived liposomes to approx. 27°C in the complete membranes. Thermal dependence of the maximum velocity of the $\text{3-}\text{oxosteroid}\text{Δ}{}^5\text{?Δ}{}^4\text{-}\text{isomerase}$, the second enzyme in the enzymatic sequence, responsible for the biosynthesis of the $\text{3-}\text{oxo}\text{-Δ}{}^4\text{-}\text{steroids}$ in the adrenal cortex microsomes, was studied. The activation energy of the catalyzed reaction was found to be low and constant ($\text{2–5}\text{kcal}\text{·}\text{mol}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$) in the temperature range 16–40°C at pH 7.5, 8.5 and 9, corresponding to the minimum, intermediate and maximum rate, respectively. A drastic increase of the activation energy ($\text{20}\text{kcal}\text{·}\text{mol}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$) was observed at temperature below 16°C at pH 7.5. A correlated change of the $\text{p}\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>ES</mtext>}}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>app</mtext>}}$ as function of temperature was detected; at 36°C $\text{p}\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>ES</mtext>}}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>app</mtext>}}\text{= 8.3}$ while at 13°C the value shifted to 8.7. The pH range of the group ionization was narrower at 13°C. In contrast with the behaviour of the $\text{3β-}\text{hydroxy}\text{-Δ}{}^5\text{-}\text{steroid dehydrogenase}$, the $\text{3-}\text{oxosteroid}\text{Δ}{}^5\text{?Δ}{}^4\text{-}\text{isomerase}$ was apparently unaffected by the lipid reorganization at 27°C. It is suggested that this enzyme possesses a different and more fluid lipid environment than the bulk lipids.     

The activation energy of incorporation of extrinsic probes in model vesicles

Time dependence of fluorescence enhancement of probes after addition to lipid vesicles has been used to investigate the position of chromophores in the lipid bilayer. Incorporation studies of a series of $\text{n-(9-}\text{anthroyloxy}$) fatty acids ($\text{n}\text{= 2, 2, 12}\text{and}\text{16}$) and 1,6-diphenylhexatriene in dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine vesicles are described. The activation energies for incorporation of these several lipid-mimic type fluorescent probes have been measured. Results show that the activation energy is a function of the distance of the anthracene moiety (chromophore) from the polar end of the probe and the length of the acyl portion of the probe. An average insertion energy of 0.6 kcal/carbon is seen for these fatty acid probes. The activation energy of 1,6-diphenylhexatriene, a factor of 2 greater than that of 16-(9-anthroyloxy)palmitic acid, is consistent with locating 1,6-diphenyl-hexatriene in the middle of the bilayer.     

Resolution of partition coefficients in the transverse plane of the lipid bilayer

The distribution of a small lipid soluble molecule across a lipid bilayer has been determined using fluorescence quenching techniques. The neutral form of the amine, N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) quenches the fluorescence of a series of n-(9-anthroyloxy) fatty acids (n = 2,6,9,12,16) which place a fluorophore at a graded series of positions from the surface to the centre of the lipid bilayer. A method is described for determining the partition coefficient of a quencher at each transverse position. The results show that DMA is located at all depths within the bilayer leaflet but that it is concentrated at the bilayer centre and to a lesser extent at the bilayer surface.     

Measurement and interpretation of fluorescence polarisations in phospholipid dispersions

An instrument that measures the temperature dependence of fluorescence polarisation and intensity directly and continuously is described. The behaviour of four fluorescent probes bound to a number of well characterised model systems was then examined. The motional properties of the probes were determined from the polarisation and intensity data and were found to be sensitive to the crystallineliquid crystalline phase transitions in phospholipid vesicles of dimyristoyl and dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine. Binary mixture of dilauroyl and dipalmitoyl phosphatidycholine show lateral phase separation and in this system the probes partition preferentially into the more ‘fluid’ phase. In systems that have been reported to contain ‘short range order’ or ‘liquid clustering’, such as dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine and liquid paraffin, the motion of the probes was found to have anomalous Arrhenius behaviour consistent with the idea that homogeneous phases were not being sampled. The significance of these findings for the interpretation of the behaviour of fluorescent probes bound to natural membranes is discussed.     

Synthesis and physical properties of phosphatidylcholine labelled with 9-(2-anthryl)nonanoic acid,a new fluorescent probe

Synthesis and physical properties of a new anthracene fatty acid, 9-(2-anthryl)nonanoic acid, and the corresponding anthracene-phosphatidylcholines which were obtained by condensing the acid with sn-1-palmitoyl-lysophosphatidylcholine (PAPC) and with egg lysophosphatidylcholine (EAPC) are described. Differential scanning calorimetry experiments show that these lipids can undergo a liquid-crystal to gel phase transition at temperatures of 15°C and 18°C for EAPC and PAPC, respectively. In monolayers, PAPC exhibits a compression curve nearly superimposable to that of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), with a molecular area of 0.48 nm² at π = 30 mN m^?1. The data indicate that in these lipids, the anthracene group is only slightly more bulky than a normal acyl chain and that it does not significantly affect the regular phospholipid molecular packing. In ethanol solutions or when incorporated into egg phosphatidylcholine liposomes in a molar ratio of 1%, these lipids display UV absorption spectra and fluorescence emission spectra similar to those of 2-methyl anthracene. For EAPC liposomes, a broad and structureless fluorescence emission spectrum centered at around 450 nm, was recorded, suggesting the occurrence of anthracene excimers. As ascertained by UV spectrophotometry, differential scanning calorimetry, fluorescence polarization and anthracene photodimerization experiments, EAPC displays good miscibility properties with lipids in the liquid state (egg phosphatidylcholine) or in the gel state (distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC)). The potential of these anthracene derivatives for studying the dynamics and the topological distribution of lipids in biomembranes is discussed.     

Fluorescent probes in model membranes. II. monolayer studies of 2,2′-(vinylenedi-p-phenylene)bisbenzoxazole, d-3-aminodesoxyequilenin and n-octadecylnaphthyl-2-amino-6-sulfonic acid with host-lipid tetradecanoic acid

Film studies at the air-water interface have been carried out for pure films of 2,2′-(vinylenedi-p-phenylene)bisbenzoxazole (VPBO), d-3-aminodesoxy-equlenin (EQ) and N-octadecylnapthyl-2-amino-6-sulfonic acid (ONS), and for mixed films with tetradecanoic acid for the first two fluorescent probes. Pure film isotherms indicate highly rigid non-monomolecular films for both VPBO and EQ, revealing the presence of strong intermolecular forces. In mixed films with tetradecanoic acid VPBO rapidly segregates with resultant film loss over a wide concentration range. EQ, however, can be stabilized by the host-lipid at low concentrations. This, coupled with an ability to only slightly affect the host-lipid liquid-condensed/liquid-expanded phase change, suggests that EQ can be regarded as “non-perturbing” and should be retained in condensed lipid phases.ONS, because of its unusual polar headgroup, resembled hexadecanoic acid more than octadecanoic acid. While difficulties in spreading ONS precluded the study of mixed films, the indications are that it would be a satisfactory expanded lipid state probe if mixing can be brought about.     

Photoinduced quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence in intact chloroplasts and algae. Resolution into two components

The light-induced decline of chlorophyll a fluorescence from a peak (P) to a low stationary level (S) in intact, physiologically active isolated chloroplasts and in intact Chlorella cells is shown to be predominantly composed of two components: (1) fluorescence quenching by partial reoxidation of the quencher Q, the primary acceptor of Photosystem II and (2) energy-dependent fluorescence quenching related to the photoinduced acidification of the intrathylakoid space. These two mechanisms of fluorescence quenching can be distinguished by the different kinetics of the relaxation of quenching observed upon addition of 3-(3′,4′-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU). The relaxation of quenching by addition of DCMU is biphasic. The fast phase with a half-time of about 1 s is attributed to the reversal of Q-dependent quenching. The slow phase with a half-time of about 15 s in chloroplasts and 5 s in Chlorella cells is ascribed to relaxation of energy-dependent quenching. As shown by fluorescence spectroscopy at 77 K, the energy-dependent fluorescence quenching essentially is not caused by increased transfer of excitation energy to Photosystem I. By analyzing the energy- and Q-dependent components of quenching, information on the energy state of the thylakoid membranes and on the redox state of Q under various physiological conditions is obtained.     

Synthesis and study on the binding of thiazol‐2(3H)‐ylidine derivative with human serum albumin using spectroscopic and molecular docking methods

In this article, a facile and convenient synthesis of thiazol‐2(3H)‐ylidine derivatives of fatty acid ( 3a – c ) is described. The binding of N′‐(4,5‐dimethyl‐3‐penylthiazol‐2(3H)‐ylidine)octadec‐9‐enehydrazide ( 3a ) with human serum albumin (HSA) is explored using various spectral methods and molecular docking. Fluorescence quenching results show that 3a induces conformational changes in HSA and the polarity around the tryptophan residues is increased. Stern–Volmer quenching plots at different temperatures (298, 305 and 312 K) show that the fluorescence quenching mechanism is static quenching. Synchronous fluorescence, 3D fluorescence spectra, circular dichroism and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy are used to determine the structural change in HSA on interaction with 3a . Förster resonance energy transfer analysis shows that the binding distance (r₀ = 2.78 nm) between HSA (Trp214) and 3a is within the of range 2–8 nm for quenching to occur. The molecular docking study also confirms that 3a is located in subdomain IIA (site I) of HSA and is stabilized by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic forces.     

Intensity effects on the fluorescence of in vivo chlorophyll

A technique for measuring relative quantum yields of fluorescence with a picosecond streak camera is described. We show that Chlorella pyrenoidosa exhibit an intensity dependent quantum yield when irradiated with single picosecond light pulses. This effect also occurs under conditions that inhibit the activity of the reaction centres, which can therefore be excluded as the cause.When a pulse train (pulse separation 6.9 ns) was used, the quantum yield was further reduced by the light absorbed from previous pulses, which indicates the formation of a quenching species having a relatively long lifetime.Absolute quantum yields calculated from the fluorescence decay show that single excitation pulses of 3 · 10¹³ photons/cm² give results comparable to those obtained by very low intensity methods.     

A dye-binding assay for measurement of the binding of Cu(II) to proteins

We analysed the theory of the coupled equilibria between a metal ion, a metal ion-binding dye and a metal ion-binding protein in order to develop a procedure for estimating the apparent affinity constant of a metal ion:protein complex. This can be done by analysing from measurements of the change in the concentration of the metal ion:dye complex with variation in the concentration of either the metal ion or the protein. Using experimentally determined values for the affinity constant of Cu(II) for the dye, 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylaxo)-5-(N-propyl-N-sulfopropylamino) aniline (5-Br-PSAA), this procedure was used to estimate the apparent affinity constants for formation of Cu(II):transthyretin, yielding values which were in agreement with literature values. An apparent affinity constant for Cu(II) binding to α-synuclein of ∼1 × 10⁹ M⁻¹ was obtained from measurements of tyrosine fluorescence quenching by Cu(II). This value was in good agreement with that obtained using 5-Br-PSAA. Our analysis and data therefore show that measurement of changes in the equilibria between Cu(II) and 5-Br-PSAA by Cu(II)-binding proteins provides a general procedure for estimating the affinities of proteins for Cu(II).     

The interaction of flavonoids with membranes: potential determinant of flavonoid antioxidant effects

Twenty six phenolic substances including representatives of the families, flavanones, flavanols and procyanidins, flavonols, isoflavones, phenolic acids and phenylpropanones were investigated for their effects on lipid oxidation, membrane fluidity and membrane integrity. The incubation of synthetic phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposomes in the presence of these phenolics caused the following effects: (a) flavanols, their related procyanidins and flavonols were the most active preventing 2,2'-azo-bis (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) (AMVN)-induced 2-thiobarituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) formation, inducing lipid ordering at the water-lipid interface, and preventing Triton X-100-induced membrane disruption; (b) all the studied compounds inhibited lipid oxidation induced by the water-soluble oxidant 2,2'-azo-bis (2-amidinopropane) (AAPH), and no family-related effects were observed. The protective effects of the studied phenolics on membranes were mainly associated to the hydrophilicity of the compounds, the degree of flavanol oligomerization, and the number of hydroxyl groups in the molecule. The present results support the hypothesis that the chemical structure of phenolics conditions their interactions with membranes. The interactions of flavonoids with the polar head groups of phospholipids, at the lipid-water interface of membranes, should be considered among the factors that contribute to their antioxidant effects.     

9-Amino-acridine as a probe of the electrical double layer associated with the chloroplast thylakoid membranes

Chloroplasts washed with monovalent cations are found to quench 9-amino-acridine fluorescence after resuspension in a cation-free medium. This quenching occurs in the absence of a high energy state and can be reversed by the addition of salts. The effectiveness of these salts is related to the charge carried by the cations and appears to be essentially independent of the associated anions. The order of effectiveness is polyvalent > divalent > monovalent, and virtually no variation is found within the groups of monovalent cations and divalent cations tested. Furthermore, choline and lysine are as effective as alkali metal cations, and lysyl-lysine is almost as effective as alkaline earth metal cations. These results are consistent with an effect mediated by the electrical double layer at the membrane surface rather than chemical bonding, and can be qualitatively explained in terms of the Gouy-Chapman theory.It appears that 9-amino-acridine acts as a diffusible monovalent cation which increases its fluorescence when displaced from the diffuse layer adjacent to the negatively charged membrane surface. The 9-amino-acridine fluorescence changes have been experimentally correlated with the cation-induced chlorophyll a fluorescence changes also observed with isolated chloroplasts.     

Orientation and dynamics of melittin in membranes of varying composition utilizing NBD fluorescence

Melittin is a cationic hemolytic peptide isolated from the European honey bee, Apis mellifera. The organization of membrane-bound melittin has earlier been shown to be dependent on the physical state and composition of membranes. In this study, we covalently labeled the N-terminal (Gly-1) and Lys-7 of melittin with an environment-sensitive fluorescent probe, the NBD group, to monitor the influence of negatively charged lipids and cholesterol on the organization and dynamics of membrane-bound melittin. Our results show that the NBD group of melittin labeled at its N-terminal end does not exhibit red edge excitation shift in DOPC and DOPC/DOPG membranes, whereas the NBD group of melittin labeled at Lys-7 exhibits REES of approximately 8 nm. This could be attributed to difference in membrane microenvironment experienced by the NBD groups in these analogs. Interestingly, the membrane environment of the NBD groups is sensitive to the presence of cholesterol, which is supported by time-resolved fluorescence measurements. Importantly, the orientation of melittin is found to be parallel to the membrane surface as determined by membrane penetration depth analysis using the parallax method in all cases. Our results constitute the first report to our knowledge describing the orientation of melittin in cholesterol-containing membranes. These results assume significance in the overall context of the role of membrane lipids in the orientation and function of membrane proteins and peptides.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of 9-(3-pyridylmethyl)-9-deazaguanine (BCX-34) in biological fluids

9-(3-Pyridylmethyl)-9-deazaguanine (BCX-34), a new purine nucleoside phosphorylase inhibitor, has selective immunosuppressive activity with potential therapeutic value in T-cell-mediated diseases. We now report a sensitive, specific and reproducible method for measurement of 9-(3-pyridylmethyl)-9-deazagunanine in biological fluids using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). 9-(3-Pyridylmethyl)-9-deazagunanine was extracted from plasma using perchloric acid precipitation followed by passage through Sep-Pak C₁₈ cartridges (average extraction efficiency, 64.6%). Standard curves were linear over the range of interest (28–1120 ng/ml in plasma and 200–4000 ng/ml in urine, r²>0.999). Within-day and between-day coefficients of variation were less than 8%. The limit of quantitation was 28 ng/ml in plasma and 200 ng/ml in urine. This HPLC method should be useful in future clinical studies with this drug.     

The Interaction of Flavonoids with Membranes: Potential Determinant of Flavonoid Antioxidant Effects

Twenty six phenolic substances including representatives of the families, flavanones, flavanols and procyanidins, flavonols, isoflavones, phenolic acids and phenylpropanones were investigated for their effects on lipid oxidation, membrane fluidity and membrane integrity. The incubation of synthetic phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposomes in the presence of these phenolics caused the following effects: (a) flavanols, their related procyanidins and flavonols were the most active preventing 2,2′-azo-bis (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) (AMVN)-induced 2-thiobarituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) formation, inducing lipid ordering at the water-lipid interface, and preventing Triton X-100-induced membrane disruption; (b) all the studied compounds inhibited lipid oxidation induced by the water-soluble oxidant 2,2′-azo-bis (2-amidinopropane) (AAPH), and no family-related effects were observed. The protective effects of the studied phenolics on membranes were mainly associated to the hydrophilicity of the compounds, the degree of flavanol oligomerization, and the number of hydroxyl groups in the molecule. The present results support the hypothesis that the chemical structure of phenolics conditions their interactions with membranes. The interactions of flavonoids with the polar head groups of phospholipids, at the lipid–water interface of membranes, should be considered among the factors that contribute to their antioxidant effects.     

Lipid binding specificity of bovine α-lactalbumin: A multidimensional approach

Many soluble proteins are known to interact with membranes in partially disordered states, and the mechanism and relevance of such interactions in cellular processes are beginning to be understood. Bovine α-lactalbumin (BLA) represents an excellent prototype for monitoring membrane interaction due to its conformational plasticity. In this work, we comprehensively monitored the interaction of apo-BLA with zwitterionic and negatively charged membranes utilizing a variety of approaches. We show that BLA preferentially binds to negatively charged membranes at acidic pH with higher binding affinity. This is supported by spectral changes observed with a potential-sensitive membrane probe and fluorescence anisotropy measurements of a hydrophobic probe. Our results show that BLA exhibits a molten globule conformation when bound to negatively charged membranes. We further show, using the parallax approach, that BLA penetrates the interior of negatively charged membranes, and tryptophan residues are localized at the membrane interface. Red edge excitation shift (REES) measurements reveal that the immediate environment of tryptophans in membrane-bound BLA is restricted, and the restriction is dependent on membrane lipid composition. We envision that understanding the mechanism of BLA–membrane interaction would help in bioengineering of α-lactalbumin, and to address the mechanism of tumoricidal and antimicrobial activities of BLA–oleic acid complex.     

Use of excimerization of pyrene for assessing lipid microviscosity in biological membranes]

A method for estimating the fluidity of natural membranes from the pyrene excimer/monomer fluorescence ratio (Ie/Im) is proposed. The method makes it possible to exclude artefacts such as fluorescence quenching, aggregation, and redistribution of the probe in lipid mains with different microviscosity. It is shown that, upon variation of intramembrane pyrene concentration [pyr], the occurrence of a common crossover point in pyrene fluorescence spectra normalized to the corresponding probe concentration (isoemission or isobestic point) or, as a consequence, the linear dependence of Ie/[pyr] on Im/[pyr] can serve as a criterion of diffusion (fluidity)-controlled excimerization of pyrene. The isobestic point can be used for determining the range of working concentrations of the probe in membrane suspension. It was found from the intensity of pyrene fluorescence in the isobestic point and quenching with potassium iodide that at t < 30 degrees C, the probe is uniformly distributed throughout the membrane, and its excimerization is mainly controlled by the microviscosity of environment.     

Stage-specific changes in membrane microviscosity in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Misgurnus fossilis</Emphasis> embryos

Natural and probe fluorescence as well as membrane microviscosity was studied in eggs and embryos of Misgurnus fossilis by fluorescence microscopy. The lateral mobility of the probe (pyrene) increased in loach embryos from early to late blastula, which indicates a decrease in plasma membrane microviscosity. At the later stage of mid-gastrula, the microviscosity remained largely invariant. Considering that the embryo exposure to different temperatures changes the quantum yield of fluorescence and the degree of pyrene excimerization, one can gain information about both the temperature-induced structural changes and changes in membrane microviscosity in the embryos. Natural and probe fluorescence of embryonic membranes is proposed as at tool to study morphogenetic mechanisms.