New approach to study fast and slow motions in lipid bilayers: application to dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine-cholesterol interactions.

Natural abundance 13C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to investigate the effect of the incorporation of cholesterol on the dynamics of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayers in the liquid-crystalline phase. In particular, the use of a combination of the cross-polarization and magic angle spinning techniques allows one to obtain very high resolution spectra from which can be distinguished several resonances attributed to the polar head group, the glycerol backbone, and the acyl chains of the lipid molecule. To examine both the fast and slow motions of the lipid bilayers, 1H spin-lattice relaxation times as well as proton and carbon spin-lattice relaxation times in the rotating frame were measured for each resolved resonance of DMPC. The use of the newly developed ramped-amplitude cross-polarization technique results in a significant increase in the stability of the cross-polarization conditions, especially for molecular groups undergoing rapid motions. The combination of T1 and T1 rho measurements indicates that the presence of cholesterol significantly decreases the rate and/or amplitude of both the high and low frequency motions in the DMPC bilayers. This effect is particularly important for the lipid acyl chains and the glycerol backbone region.     

Lateral diffusion of the phospholipid molecule in dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers. An investigation using nuclear spin--lattice relaxation in the rotating frame

Measurements of the proton NMR spin--lattice relaxation time in the rotating frame (T 1rho) have permitted the explicit determination of the lateral diffusion coefficient of phospholipid molecules in the lamellar mesophase of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine at temperatures above the phase-transition temperature. The experimentally observed temperature and frequency dependence of T 1rho for the dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine protons suggest that intermolecular dipole--dipole relaxation contributions are important. Proton T 1rho experiments involving dilution with deuterated dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine support the premise that intermolecular dipolar interactions are significant and, concomitantly, that lateral diffusion is the motion modulating that interaction. The lateral diffusion coefficient is determined directly from the dependence of the rotating frame spin--lattice relaxation rate (1/T 1rho) on the strength of the applied radiofrequency field in the spin-locking experiment. A series of experiments with varying concentrations of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine in the lamellar mesophase indicates that the lateral diffusion coefficient varies as a function of phospholipid concentration.     

19F NMR investigation of molecular motion and packing in sonicated phospholipid vesicles

Dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) labeled with a C19F2 group in the 4-, 8-, or 12-position of the 2-acyl chain has been investigated in sonicated unilamellar vesicles (SUV) by fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) at 282.4 MHz from 26 to 42 degrees C. The 19F NMR spectra exhibit two overlapping resonances with different line widths. Spin-lattice relaxation time measurements have been performed in both the laboratory frame (T1) and the rotating frame (T1 rho) in order to investigate the packing and dynamics of phospholipids in lipid bilayers. Quantitative line-shape and relaxation analyses are possible by using the experimental chemical shift anisotropy (delta nu CSA) and the internuclear F-F vector order parameter (SFF) values obtained from the 19F powder spectra of multilamellar liposomes. The following conclusions can be made: The 19F chemical shift difference between the inside and outside leaflets of SUV can be used to monitor the lateral packing of the phospholipid in the two SUV monolayers. The hydrocarbon chains in the outer layer are found to be more tightly packed than those of the inner one, and the differences between them become smaller near the chain terminals. The effective correlation time [(1-4) x 10(-7) s] obtained from either the motional narrowing of the line widths or off-resonance T1 rho measurements is shorter than that estimated from the Stokes-Einstein diffusion model (10(-6) s), on the basis of a hydrodynamic radius of 110 A for SUV.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Electron and proton magnetic resonance studies of the effect of rhodopsin incorporation on molecular motion in dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers

The effect of rhodopsin incorporation on molecular motion in L-α-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayers is analyzed with nitroxide ESR and proton NMR techniques. A partial, binary phase diagram for DMPC-rhodopsin is constructed by studying the partitioning of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (Tempo) between polar and hydrophobic domains as a function of temperature and system composition. Proton NMR spin-lattice relaxation measurements show that rhodopsin is associated with a domain of approx. 50 DMPC molecules which have reduced choline methyl mobilities. ESR studies, utilizing nitroxide-labeled fatty acid probes, indicate that rhodopsin immobilizes the outer half of the hydrophobic region in rhodopsin containing DMPC bilayers. Additional ESR studies, involving a nitroxide label placed in the middle of the membrane, as well as proton chain methyl spin-lattice relaxation measurements, indicate only slight rhodopsin-induced immobilization in the central part of the membrane.     

A 2H solid-state NMR spectroscopic investigation of biomimetic bicelles containing cholesterol and polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine

Deuterium solid-state NMR spectroscopy was used to qualitatively study the effects of both 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (PLiPC) and cholesterol on magnetically aligned phospholipid bilayers (bicelles) as a function of temperature utilizing the chain-perdeuterated probe 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DMPC-d54) in DMPC/dihexanoylPC (DHPC) phospholipid bilayers. The results demonstrate that polyunsaturated PC and cholesterol were successfully incorporated into DMPC/DHPC phospholipid bilayers, leading to a bicelle that will be useful for investigations of eukaryotic membrane protein-lipid interactions. The data indicate that polyunsaturated PC increases membrane fluidity and decreases the minimum magnetic alignment temperature for DMPC/DHPC bicelles. Conversely, the introduction of cholesterol into aligned DMPC/DHPC bilayers decreases fluidity in the membrane and increases the minimum temperature necessary to magnetically align the phospholipid bilayers. Finally, the addition of Tm3+ to magnetically aligned DMPC/DMPC-d54/PLiPC/DHPC bilayers doubles the quadrupolar splittings, indicating that this unique bicelle system can be aligned with the bilayer normal parallel to the static magnetic field.     

Deuteron nuclear magnetic resonance study of the dynamic organization of phospholipid/cholesterol bilayer membranes: molecular properties and viscoelastic behavior.

The influence of cholesterol on the dynamic organization of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) bilayers was studied by deuteron nuclear magnetic resonance (2H NMR) using unoriented and macroscopically aligned samples. Analysis of the various temperature- and orientation-dependent experiments were performed using a comprehensive NMR model based on the stochastic Liouville equation. Computer simulations of the relaxation data obtained from phospholipids deuterated at the 6-, 13- and 14-position of the sn-2 chain and cholesterol labeled at the 3 alpha-position of the rigid steroid ring system allowed the unambiguous assignment of the various motional modes and types of molecular order present in the system. Above the phospholipid gel-to-liquid-crystalline phase transition, TM, 40 mol % cholesterol was found to significantly increase the orientational and conformational order of the phospholipid with substantially increased trans populations even at the terminal sn-2 acyl chain segments. Lowering the temperature continuously increases both inter- and intramolecular ordering, yet indicates less ordered chains than found for the pure phospholipid in its paracrystalline gel phase. Trans-gauche isomerization rates on all phospholipid alkyl chain segments are slowed down by incorporated cholesterol to values characteristic of gel-state lipid. However, intermolecular dynamics remain fast on the NMR time scale up to 30 K below TM, with rotational correlation times tau R parallel for DMPC ranging from 10 to 100 ns and an activation energy of ER = 35 kJ/mol. Below 273 K a continuous noncooperative condensation of both phospholipid and cholesterol is observed in the mixed membranes, and at about 253 K only a motionally restricted component is left, exhibiting slow fluctuations with correlation times of tau R perpendicular greater than 1 microsecond. In the high-temperature region (T greater than TM), order director fluctuations are found to constitute the dominant transverse relaxation process. Analysis of these collective lipid motions provides the viscoelastic parameters of the membranes. The results (T = 318 K) show that cholesterol significantly reduces the density of the cooperative motions by increasing the average elastic constant of the membrane from K = 1 x 10(-11) N for the pure phospholipid bilayers to K = 3.5 x 10(-11) N for the mixed system.     

Proton exchange as a relaxation mechanism for T1 in the rotating frame in native and immobilized protein solutions.

T1 relaxation in the rotating frame (T1rho) is a sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast for acute brain insults. Biophysical mechanisms affecting T1rho relaxation rate (R1rho) and R1rho dispersion (dependency of R1rho on the spin-lock field) were studied in protein solutions by varying their chemical environment and pH in native, heat-denatured, and glutaraldehyde (GA) cross-linked samples. Low pH strongly reduced R1rho in heat-denatured phantoms displaying proton resonances from a number of side-chain chemical groups in high-resolution 1H NMR spectra. At pH of 5.5, R1rho dispersion was completely absent. In contrast, in the GA-treated phantoms with very few NMR visible side chain groups, acidic pH showed virtually no effect on R1rho. The present data point to a crucial role of proton exchange on R1rho and R1rho dispersion in immobilized protein solution mimicking tissue relaxation properties.     

Slow motions in oriented phospholipid bilayers and effects of cholesterol or gramicidin. A 19F-NMR T1 rho study.

In an extension of our earlier work (Peng, Z.-y., V. Simplaceanu, I. J. Lowe, and C. Ho. 1988. Biophys. J. 54:81-95), the rotating-frame nuclear spin-lattice relaxation (T1 rho) technique has been used to investigate the slow molecular motions (10(-4) - 10(-6) s) in lipid bilayers prepared from protonated or perdeuterated 19F-labeled phospholipids in the absence and presence of cholesterol or gramicidin as membrane-interacting molecules. Complications caused by the 19F-1H cross-polarization observed previously can be removed by the substitution of 2H for 1H in the acyl chains. Only a weak dependence of the T-1(1 rho) on the locking field strength is found for a phospholipid molecule with perdeuterated acyl chains, indicating that there are no slow motions with a single, well-defined correlation time between 5 x 10(-6) and 4 x 10(-5) s. However, the orientation dependences of the T-1(1 rho) can be well fitted by motional models with either one slow motion having an unspecified geometry or with a superposition of two specific types of slow motions. Cholesterol and gramicidin show distinct effects in altering either the geometry or the weighting of slow motions in phospholipid bilayers, as reflected by changes in the orientation dependence. These two additives also exhibit quite different label-position specificities. A qualitative understanding of the induced effects of cholesterol and gramicidin on the dynamics of phospholipid bilayers will be discussed.     

The interaction of amino-deuteromethylated melittin with phospholipid membranes studied by deuterium NMR

Melittin, deuteromethylated on each of the four amino groups (Gly-1 N alpha and Lys-7, 21, and 23 N epsilon), was prepared by reductive methylation using deuteroformaldehyde and NaBD3CN. Deuterium NMR spectra were obtained for the modified peptide (D-melittin) bound to phospholipid bilayers and erythrocyte ghosts. D-Melittin at 4 mol% (peptide:lipid) induced reversible transitions between extended bilayers and micelles at the phase-transition temperature in dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayers. These changes in lipid morphology did not occur at 1 mol% D-melittin: DMPC and the peptide was highly motionally restricted in gel in gel-phase lipid.     

Development of magnetically aligned phospholipid bilayers in mixtures of palmitoylstearoylphosphatidylcholine and dihexanoylphosphatidylcholine by solid-state NMR spectroscopy

This study reports the solid-state NMR spectroscopic characterization of a long chain phospholipid bilayer system which spontaneously aligns in a static magnetic field. Magnetically aligned phospholipid bilayers or bicelles are model systems which mimic biological membranes for magnetic resonance studies. The oriented membrane system is composed of a mixture of the bilayer forming phospholipid palmitoylstearoylphosphatidylcholine (PSPC) and the short chain phospholipid dihexanoylphosphatidylcholine (DHPC) that breaks up the extended bilayers into bilayered micelles or bicelles that are highly hydrated (approx. 75% aqueous). Traditionally, the shorter 14 carbon chain phospholipid dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) has been utilized as the bilayer forming phospholipid in bicelle studies. Alignment (perpendicular) was observed with a PSPC/DHPC q ratio between 1.6 and 2.0 slightly above T(m) at 50 degrees C with (2)H and (31)P NMR spectroscopy. Paramagnetic lanthanide ions (Yb(3+)) were added to flip the bilayer discs such that the bilayer normal was parallel with the static magnetic field. The approx. 1.8 (PSPC/DHPC) molar ratio yields a thicker membrane due to the differences in the chain lengths of the DMPC and PSPC phospholipids. The phosphate-to-phosphate thickness of magnetically aligned PSPC/DHPC phospholipid bilayers in the L(alpha) phase may enhance the activity and/or incorporation of different types of integral membrane proteins for solid-state NMR spectroscopic studies.     

Structural effects of the antimicrobial peptide maculatin 1.1 on supported lipid bilayers

The interactions of the antimicrobial peptide maculatin 1.1 (GLFGVLAKVAAHVVPAIAEHF-NH₂) with model phospholipid membranes were studied by use of dual polarisation interferometry and neutron reflectometry and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and mixed DMPC–dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol (DMPG)-supported lipid bilayers chosen to mimic eukaryotic and prokaryotic membranes, respectively. In DMPC bilayers concentration-dependent binding and increasing perturbation of bilayer order by maculatin were observed. By contrast, in mixed DMPC–DMPG bilayers, maculatin interacted more strongly and in a concentration-dependent manner with retention of bilayer lipid order and structure, consistent with pore formation. These results emphasise the importance of membrane charge in mediating antimicrobial peptide activity and emphasise the importance of using complementary methods of analysis in probing the mode of action of antimicrobial peptides.     

Deuterium and phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance studies on the binding of polymyxin B to lipid bilayer-water interfaces

Deuterium and phosphorus NMR methods have been used to study the binding of polymyxin B to the surface of bilayers containing lipids that were deuterated at specific positions in the polar head-group region. The binding of polymyxin B to acidic dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol (DMPG) membranes induces only small structural distortions of the glycerol head group. The deuterium spin-lattice relaxation times for the different carbon-deuterium bonds in the head group of the same phospholipid are greatly reduced on binding of polymyxin B, indicating a restriction of the motional rate of the glycerol head group. Only very weak interactions were detected between polymyxin B and bilayers of zwitterionic dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC). In mixed bilayers of the two phospholipid types, in which either of the two phospholipids was deuterated, the presence of polymyxin B caused a lateral phase separation into DMPG-enriched phospholipid-peptide clusters and a DMPG-depleted phase. Complete phase separation did not occur: peptide-containing complexes with charged phosphatidylglycerol contained substantial amounts of zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine. Exchange of both phospholipid types between complexes and the bulk lipid matrix was shown to be fast on the NMR time scale, with a lifetime for phospholipid-peptide association of less than 1 ms.     

Polymer-cushioned bilayers. II. An investigation of interaction forces and fusion using the surface forces apparatus.

We have created phospholipid bilayers supported on soft polymer "cushions" which act as deformable substrates (see accompanying paper, Wong, J. Y., J. Majewski, M. Seitz, C. K. Park, J. N. Israelachvili, and G. S. Smith. 1999. Biophys. J. 77:1445-1457). In contrast to "solid-supported" membranes, such "soft-supported" membranes can exhibit more natural (higher) fluidity. Our bilayer system was constructed by adsorption of small unilamellar dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) vesicles onto polyethylenimine (PEI)-supported Langmuir-Blodgett lipid monolayers on mica. We used the surface forces apparatus (SFA) to investigate the long-range forces, adhesion, and fusion of two DMPC bilayers both above and below their main transition temperature (T(m) approximately 24 degrees C). Above T(m), hemi-fusion activation pressures of apposing bilayers were considerably smaller than for solid-supported bilayers, e.g., directly supported on mica. After separation, the bilayers naturally re-formed after short healing times. Also, for the first time, complete fusion of two fluid (liquid crystalline) phospholipid bilayers was observed in the SFA. Below T(m) (gel state), very high pressures were needed for hemi-fusion and the healing process became very slow. The presence of the polymer cushion significantly alters the interaction potential, e.g., long-range forces as well as fusion pressures, when compared to solid-supported systems. These fluid model membranes should allow the future study of integral membrane proteins under more physiological conditions.     

AFM study of the interaction of cytochrome P450 2C9 with phospholipid bilayers

Cytochromes P450 (CYP) are key enzymes involved in the metabolism of drugs and other lipophilic xenobiotics and endogenous compounds. In this study, atomic force microscopy was applied to characterise the association of CYP2C9 to dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) supported phospholipid bilayers. CYP2C9 was found to exclusively localise in the gel domains of partially melted DMPC bilayers. Despite lacking the N-terminus transmembrane spanning domain, the CYP2C9 protein appeared to partially embed into the membrane bilayer, as evidenced by an increase in melting temperature of surrounding phospholipids. Reversible binding of CYP2C9 via an engineered His tag to a phospholipid bilayer was facilitated using nickel-chelating lipids, presenting potential applications for biosensor technologies.     

Structural divergence among cannabinoids influences membrane dynamics: a 2H solid-state NMR analysis

Cannabinoids are compounds that can modulate neuronal functions and immune responses via their activity at the CB(1) receptor. We used (2)H NMR order parameters and relaxation rate determination to delineate the behavior of magnetically aligned phospholipid bilayers in the presence of several structurally distinct cannabinoid ligands. THC (Delta(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol) and WIN-55,212-2 were found to lower the phase transition temperature of the DMPC and to destabilize their acyl chains leading to a lower average S(CD) ( approximately 0.13), while methanandamide and CP-55,940 exhibited unusual properties within the lipid bilayer resulting in a greater average S(CD) ( approximately 0.14) at the top of the phospholipid upper chain. The CB(1) antagonist AM281 had average S(CD) values that were higher than the pure DMPC lipids, indicating a stabilization of the lipid bilayer. R(1Z) versus |S(CD)|(2) plots indicated that the membrane fluidity is increased in the presence of THC and WIN-55,212-2. The interaction of CP-55,940 with a variety of zwitterionic and charged membranes was also assessed. The unusual effect of CP-55,940 was present only in bicelles composed of DMPC. These studies strongly suggest that cannabinoid action on the membrane depends upon membrane composition as well as the structure of the cannabinoid ligands.     

31P and 2H NMR studies of structure and motion in bilayers of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine

The structural and motional properties of mixed bilayers of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) have been examined by using wide-line 31P, 14N, and 2H NMR. 2H and 14N NMR data showed that in mixed bilayers containing both PC and PE the conformations of the head-group moieties are essentially identical with those observed for bilayers containing a single phospholipid species. Equimolar amounts of cholesterol induce also only a small change in head-group conformation. 31P T1 relaxation measurements (at 300 MHz) at various temperatures of bilayers containing phospholipids with a mixture of phosphocholine and phosphoethanolamine head-groups and unsaturated fatty acid residues revealed in all cases a clearly defined minimum corresponding to the condition omega O tau C-1 approximately 1. For all phospholipid mixtures studied, the 31P T1 relaxation was homogeneous over the whole powder spectrum and could be fitted to a single-exponential decay. The 31P vs temperature profiles were analyzed by a simple correlation model following the analysis of Seelig et al. (1981) [Seelig, J., Tamm, L., Hymel, L., & Fleischer, S. (1981) Biochemistry 20, 3922-3932]. Rotational diffusion of the phosphate moiety in bilayers of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) was slower than that of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), and the activation energy was increased by a factor of 1.7 to 31.4 kJ mol-1.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Low-frequency motion in membranes. The effect of cholesterol and proteins

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation techniques have been used to study the effect of lipid-protein interactions on the dynamics of membrane lipids. Proton enhanced (PE) 13C-NMR measurements are reported for the methylene chain resonances in red blood cell membranes and their lipid extracts. For comparison similar measurements have been made of phospholipid dispersions containing cholesterol and the polypeptide gramicidin A+. It is found that the spin-lattice relaxation time in the rotating reference frame (T1 rho) is far more sensitive to protein, gramicidin A+ or cholesterol content than is the laboratory frame relaxation time (T1). Based on this data it is concluded that the addition of the second component to a lipid bilayer produces a low-frequency motion in the region of 10(5) to 10(7) Hz within the membrane lipid. The T1 rho for the superimposed resonance peaks derived from all parts of the phospholipid chain are all influenced in the same manner suggesting that the low frequency motion involves collective movements of large segments of the hydrocarbon chain. Because of the molecular co-operativity implied in this type of motion and the greater sensitivity of T1 rho to the effects of lipid-protein interactions generally, it is proposed that these low-frequency perturbations are felt at a greater distance from the protein than those at higher frequencies which dominate T1.     

Spectroscopic and physicochemical studies on the interactions of reversible H+/K(+)-ATPase inhibitors with phospholipid bilayers

Three complementary techniques, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, have been used to characterise the interactions between dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) model biological membranes and two non-covalent inhibitors of the gastric (H+, K+)-ATPase. DSC, FT-IR and deuterium NMR studies of side-chain perdeuterated DMPC (DMPC-d54) support the prediction, based on physical property measurements, that SK&F 96079 partitions readily into phospholipid bilayers, resulting in a slight but measurable disordering of the lipid hydrocarbon side-chain motion and a concomitant reduction in the co-operativity and onset temperature of the gel to liquid crystalline phase transition. However, FT-IR and deuterium NMR studies show that the bilayer structure remains intact even at high (1:4) compound to lipid molar ratios. Proton (1H) NMR nuclear Overhauser effect determinations in sonicated codispersions reveal details of the membrane bound conformations of SK&F 96079. The structurally related analogue SK&F 96464, also studied by 1H-NMR, can be shown, by interpreting the effects of nitroxide-labelled fatty acid relaxation probes, to adopt a well-defined orientation relative to the bilayer, in contrast to SK&F 96079. This orientation directs the proton at the 5-position of the quinoline ring towards the hydrophobic centre of the bilayer, and the quinoline 8-methoxy group towards the surface and hence the aqueous phase. Molecular modelling has been used to rationalise this orientation in terms of hydrogen bonds between the amino NH group of SK&F 96464 and the sn-1 carbonyl group of DMPC, and between the NH group of the protonated quinoline ring of SK&F 96464 and the DMPC phosphodiester group.     

Lipid bilayer perturbations induced by simple hydrophobic peptides

Mixtures of tripeptides of the form Ala-X-Ala-O-tert-butyl with 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) bilayers have been used as a model system for studying the influence of hydrophobic peptides on membrane order and dynamic properties by means of deuterium NMR spectroscopy. Tripeptides with X = Ala, Leu, Phe, and Trp have been examined. Lipid 2H NMR spectra of acyl chain perdeuteriated DMPC ([2H54]DMPC) show that the addition of peptide disorders the bilayer lipid acyl chains and that the extent of the perturbation increases as the size of the central residue increases. Moment analyses of the spectra indicate that, while the average acyl chain order parameter decreases with increasing central residue size, the order parameter spread across the bilayer (the mean-squared width of the distribution) increases. Lipid segmental 2H longitudinal relaxation rates, 1/T1(i), exhibit a square-law functional dependence on SCD(i) both with and without the addition of peptide. The addition of peptide causes an increase in the slope of plots of 1/T1(i) vs. (SCD(i))2 with little change in the 1/T1(i) intercept, indicating a complex modulation of the acyl chain motions. 2H NMR spectra of Ala-[2H4]Ala-Ala-O-tert-butyl in DMPC bilayers have both isotropic and powder pattern components that vary as a function of temperature. At 30 degrees C the 2H spin-lattice relaxation times for the labeled Ala residue increase in going from bilayer-incorporated peptide to polycrystalline peptide to polycrystalline Ala.HCl. These experiments provide no information on the location of these peptides in the bilayer.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Interactions of a synthetic Leu–Lys-rich antimicrobial peptide with phospholipid bilayers

The interaction of the synthetic antimicrobial peptide P5 (KWKKLLKKPLLKKLLKKL-NH₂) with model phospholipid membranes was studied using solid-state NMR and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. P5 peptide had little secondary structure in buffer, but addition of large unilamellar vesicles (LUV) composed of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) increased the β-sheet content to ~20%. Addition of negatively charged LUV, DMPC–dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol (DMPG) 2:1, led to a substantial (~40%) increase of the α-helical conformation. The peptide structure did not change significantly above and below the phospholipid phase transition temperature. P5 peptide interacted differently with DMPC bilayers with deuterated acyl chains (d₅₄-DMPC) and mixed d₅₄-DMPC–DMPG bilayers, used to mimic eukaryotic and prokaryotic membranes, respectively. In DMPC vesicles, P5 peptide had no significant interaction apart from slightly perturbing the upper region of the lipid acyl chain with minimum effect at the terminal methyl groups. By contrast, in the DMPC–DMPG vesicles the peptide increased disorder throughout the entire acyl chain of DMPC in the mixed bilayer. P5 promoted disordering of the headgroup of neutral membranes, observed by ³¹P NMR. However, no perturbations in the T ₁ relaxation nor the T ₂- values were observed at 30°C, although a slight change in the dynamics of the headgroup at 20°C was noticeable compared with peptide-free vesicles. However, the P5 peptide caused similar perturbations of the headgroup of negatively charged vesicles at both temperatures. These data correlate with the non-haemolytic activity of the P5 peptide against red blood cells (neutral membranes) while inhibiting bacterial growth (negatively charged membranes).