Electron paramagnetic resonance studies of magnetically aligned phospholipid bilayers utilizing a phospholipid spin label: The effect of cholesterol

X-band EPR spectroscopy has been employed to study the dynamic properties of magnetically aligned phospholipid bilayers (bicelles) utilizing a variety of phosphocholine spin labels (n-PCSL) as a function of cholesterol content. The utilization of both perpendicular and parallel aligned bicelles in EPR spectroscopy provides a more detailed structural and orientational picture of the phospholipid bilayers. The magnetically aligned EPR spectra of the bicelles and the hyperfine splitting values reveal that the addition of cholesterol increases the phase transition temperature and alignment temperature of the DMPC/DHPC bicelles. The corresponding molecular order parameter, S_mol, of the DMPC/DHPC bicelles increased upon addition of cholesterol. Cholesterol also decreased the rotational motion and increased the degree of anisotropy in the interior region of the bicelles. This report reveals that the dynamic properties of DMPC/DHPC bicelles agree well with other model membrane systems and that the magnetically aligned bicelles are an excellent model membrane system.     

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.     

Investigating the structural and dynamic properties of n-doxylstearic acid in magnetically-aligned phospholipid bilayers by X-band EPR spectroscopy

X-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy has been employed to investigate the dynamic properties of magnetically-aligned phospholipid bilayers (bicelles) based on the molecular order parameters (S(mol)), the hyperfine splitting values and the line shapes of the EPR spectra. For the first time, a series of EPR spectra of n-doxylstearic acid spin-labels (n = 5, 7, 12, and 16) incorporated into Tm3+-doped parallel-aligned, Dy3+-doped perpendicular-aligned, and randomly dispersed 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine/1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC/DHPC) bicelles with respect to the direction of the static magnetic field have been investigated as a function of cholesterol content and temperature variation to characterize the orientational aspects along the hydrocarbon acyl chains. Important general observations are that under conditions for which the bicelle is poised in the liquid crystalline phase, the degree of ordering decreases as the nitroxide moiety is transferred toward the end of the stearic acid acyl chains. The addition of cholesterol increases the phase transition temperature and alignment temperature of the DMPC/DHPC phospholipid bilayers and increases the chain order. However, increasing the temperature of the bicelle system decreases the chain order. This report reveals that the dynamic properties of DMPC/DHPC bicelles agree well with other biological and model membrane systems. The results indicate that magnetically-aligned phospholipid bilayers are an excellent model membrane system.     

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 evaluation of phospholipid bicelles for solution-state studies of membrane-associated biomolecules

Several complementary physical techniques have been used to characterize the aggregate structures formed in solutions containing dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC)/dihexanoylphosphatidylcholine (DHPC) at ratios of < or =0.5 and to establish their morphology and lipid organization as that of bicelles. (31)P NMR studies showed that the DMPC and DHPC components were highly segregated over a wide range of DMPC/DHPC ratios (q = 0.05-0.5) and temperatures (15 degrees C and 37 degrees C). Only at phospholipid concentrations below 130 mM did the bicelles appear to undergo a change in morphology. These results were corroborated by fluorescence data, which demonstrated the inverse dependence of bicelle size on phospholipid concentration as well as a distinctive change in phospholipid arrangement at low concentrations. In addition, dynamic light scattering and electron microscopy studies supported the hypothesis that the bicellar phospholipid aggregates are disk-shaped. The radius of the planar domain of the disk was found to be directly proportional to the ratio of DMPC/DHPC and inversely proportional to the total phospholipid concentration when the DMPC/DHPC ratio was held constant at 0.5. Taken together, these results suggest that bicelles with low q retain the morphology and bilayer organization typical of their liquid-crystalline counterparts, making them useful membrane mimetics.     

A comparative study of the effect of cholesterol on bicelle model membranes using X-band and Q-band EPR spectroscopy

X-band and Q-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic techniques were used to investigate the structure and dynamics of cholesterol containing phospholipid bicelles based upon molecular order parameters (S_mol), orientational dependent hyperfine splittings and line shape analysis of the corresponding EPR spectra. The nitroxide spin-label 3-β-doxyl-5-α-cholestane (cholestane) was incorporated into DMPC/DHPC bicelles to report the alignment of bicelles in the static magnetic field. The influence of cholesterol on aligned phospholipid bicelles in terms of ordering, the ease of alignment, phase transition temperature have been studied comparatively at X-band and Q-band. At a magnetic field of 1.25 T (Q-band), bicelles with 20 mol% cholesterol aligned at a much lower temperature (313 K), when compared to 318 K at a 0.35 T field strength for X-band, showed better hyperfine splitting values (18.29 G at X-band vs. 18.55 G at Q-band for perpendicular alignment and 8.25 G at X-band vs. 7.83 G at Q-band for the parallel alignment at 318 K) and have greater molecular order parameters (0.76 at X-band vs. 0.86 at Q-band at 318 K). Increasing cholesterol content increased the bicelle ordering, the bicelle-alignment temperature and the gel to liquid crystalline phase transition temperature. We observed that Q-band is more effective than X-band for studying aligned bicelles, because it yielded a higher ordered bicelle system for EPR spectroscopic studies.     

Biophysical studies of the membrane location of the voltage-gated sensors in the HsapBK and KvAP K channels

The membrane location of two fragments in two different K⁺-channels, the KvAP (from Aeropyrum pernix) and the HsapBK (human) corresponding to the putative “paddle” domains, has been investigated by CD, fluorescence and NMR spectroscopy. Both domains interact with q = 0.5 phospholipid bicelles, DHPC micelles and with POPC vesicles. CD spectra demonstrate that both peptides become largely helical in the presence of phospholipid bicelles. Fluorescence quenching studies using soluble acrylamide or lipid-attached doxyl-groups show that the arginine-rich domains are located within the bilayered region in phospholipid bicelles. Nuclear magnetic relaxation parameters, T₁ and ¹³C-¹H NOE, for DMPC in DMPC/DHPC bicelles and for DHPC in micelles showed that the lipid acyl chains in the bicelles become less flexible in the presence of either of the fragments. An even more pronounced effect is seen on the glycerol carbons. ²H NMR spectra of magnetically aligned bicelles showed that the peptide derived from KvAP had no or little effect on bilayer order, while the peptide derived from HsapBK had the effect of lowering the order of the bilayer. The present study demonstrates that the fragments derived from the full-length proteins interact with the bilayered interior of model membranes, and that they affect both the local mobility and lipid order of model membrane systems.     

Opsin stability and folding: modulation by phospholipid bicelles

Integral membrane proteins do not fare well when extracted from biological membranes and are unstable or lose activity in detergents commonly used for structure and function investigations. We show that phospholipid bicelles provide a valuable means of preserving alpha-helical membrane proteins in vitro by supplying a soluble lipid bilayer fragment. Both 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC)/3-[(cholamidopropyl)dimethyl-ammonio]-1-propane sulfonate (Chaps) and DMPC/l-α-1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC) bicelles dramatically increase the stability of the mammalian vision receptor rhodopsin as well as its apoprotein, opsin. Opsin is particularly unstable in detergent solution but can be directly purified into DMPC/Chaps. We show that opsin can also be directly purified in DMPC/DHPC bicelles to give correctly folded functional opsin, as shown by the ability to regenerate rhodopsin to  70% yield. These well-characterised DMPC/DHPC bicelles enable us to probe the influence of bicelle properties on opsin stability. These bicelles are thought to provide DMPC bilayer fragments with most DHPC capping the bilayer edge, giving a soluble bilayer disc. Opsin stability is shown to be modulated by the q value, the ratio of DMPC to DHPC, which reflects changes in the bicelle size and, thus, proportion of DMPC bilayer present. The observed changes in stability also correlate with loss of opsin secondary structure as determined by synchrotron far-UV circular dichroism spectroscopy; the most stable bicelle results in the least helix loss. The inclusion of Chaps rather than DHPC in the DMPC/Chaps bicelles, however, imparts the greatest stability. This suggests that it is not just the DMPC bilayer fragment in the bicelles that stabilises the protein, but that Chaps provides additional stability either through direct interaction with the protein or by altering the DMPC/Chaps bilayer properties within the bicelle. The significant stability enhancements and preservation of secondary structure reported here in bicelles are pertinent to other membrane proteins, notably G-protein-coupled receptors, which are unstable in detergent solution.     

Acidic phospholipid bicelles: a versatile model membrane system

With the aim of establishing acidic bicellar solutions as a useful membrane model system, we have used deuterium NMR spectroscopy to investigate the properties of dimyristoyl/dihexanoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC/DHPC) bicelles containing 25% (w/w in H(2)O) of either dimyristoylphosphatidylserine (DMPS) or dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol (DMPG). The addition of the acidic lipid component to this lyotropic liquid crystalline system reduces its range of stability because of poor miscibility of the two dimyristoylated phospholipids. Compared to the neutral bicelles, which are stable at pH 4 to pH 7, acidic bicelles are stable only from pH 5.5 to pH 7. Solid-state deuterium NMR analysis of d(54)-DMPC showed similar ordering in neutral and acidic bicelles. Fully deuterated DMPS or DMPG is ordered in a way similar to that of DMPC. Study of the binding of the myristoylated N-terminal 14-residue peptide mu-GSSKSKPKDPSQRR from pp60(nu-src) to both neutral and acidic bicelles shows the utility of these novel membrane mimetics.     

Probing the helical tilt and dynamic properties of membrane-bound phospholamban in magnetically aligned bicelles using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy

Wild-type phospholamban (WT-PLB), a Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) regulator in the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane, was studied using TOAC nitroxide spin labeling, magnetically aligned bicelles, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to ascertain structural and dynamic information. Different structural domains of PLB (transmembrane segment: positions 42 and 45, loop region: position 20, and cytoplasmic domain: position 10) were probed with rigid TOAC spin labels to extract the transmembrane helical tilt and structural dynamic information, which is crucial for understanding the regulatory function of PLB in modulating Ca(2+)-ATPase activity. Aligned experiments indicate that the transmembrane domain of wild-type PLB has a helical tilt of 13°±4° in DMPC/DHPC bicelles. TOAC spin labels placed on the WT-PLB transmembrane domain showed highly restricted motion with more than 100ns rotational correlation time (τ(c)); whereas the loop, and the cytoplasmic regions each consists of two distinct motional dynamics: one fast component in the sub-nanosecond scale and the other component is slower dynamics in the nanosecond range.     

31P NMR first spectral moment study of the partial magnetic orientation of phospholipid membranes.

Structural data can be obtained on proteins inserted in magnetically oriented phospholipid membranes such as bicelles, which are most often made of a mixture of long and short chain phosphatidylcholine. Possible shapes for these magnetically oriented membranes have been postulated in the literature, such as discoidal structures with a thickness of one bilayer and with the short acyl chain phosphatidylcholine on the edges. In the present paper, a geometrical study of these oriented structures is done to determine the validity of this model. The method used is based on the determination of the first spectral moment of solid-state (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. From this first moment, an order parameter is defined that allows a quantitative analysis of partially oriented spectra. The validity of this method is demonstrated in the present study for oriented samples made of DMPC, DMPC:DHPC, DMPC:DHPC:gramicidin A and adriamycin:cardiolipin.     

Lateral diffusion of PEG-Lipid in magnetically aligned bicelles measured using stimulated echo pulsed field gradient 1H NMR

Lateral diffusion measurements of PEG-lipid incorporated into magnetically aligned bicelles are demonstrated using stimulated echo (STE) pulsed field gradient (PFG) proton (1H) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Bicelles were composed of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) plus dihexanoyl phosphatidylcholine (DHPC) (q = DMPC/DHPC molar ratio = 4.5) plus 1 mol % (relative to DMPC) dimyristoyl phosphatidylethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000] (DMPE-PEG 2000) at 25 wt % lipid. 1H NMR STE spectra of perpendicular aligned bicelles contained only resonances assigned to residual HDO and to overlapping contributions from a DMPE-PEG 2000 ethoxy headgroup plus DHPC choline methyl protons. Decay of the latter's STE intensity in the STE PFG 1H NMR experiment (g(z) = 244 G cm(-1)) yielded a DMPE-PEG 2000 (1 mol %, 35 degrees C) lateral diffusion coefficient D = 1.35 x 10(-11) m2 s(-1). Hence, below the "mushroom-to-brush" transition, DMPE-PEG 2000 lateral diffusion is dictated by its DMPE hydrophobic anchor. D was independent of the diffusion time, indicating unrestricted lateral diffusion over root mean-square diffusion distances of microns, supporting the "perforated lamellae" model of bicelle structure under these conditions. Overall, the results demonstrate the feasibility of lateral diffusion measurements in magnetically aligned bicelles using the STE PFG NMR technique.     

Interaction of antimicrobial peptides from Australian amphibians with lipid membranes

Solid-state NMR and CD spectroscopy were used to study the effect of antimicrobial peptides (aurein 1.2, citropin 1.1, maculatin 1.1 and caerin 1.1) from Australian tree frogs on phospholipid membranes. 31P NMR results revealed some effect on the phospholipid headgroups when the peptides interact with DMPC/DHPC (dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine/dihexanoylphosphatidylcholine) bicelles and aligned DMPC multilayers. 2H NMR showed a small effect of the peptides on the acyl chains of DMPC in bicelles or aligned multilayers, suggesting interaction with the membrane surface for the shorter peptides and partial insertion for the longer peptides. 15N NMR of selectively labelled peptides in aligned membranes and oriented CD spectra indicated an alpha-helical conformation with helix long axis approximately 50 degrees to the bilayer surface at high peptide concentrations. The peptides did not appear to insert deeply into PC membranes, which may explain why these positively charged peptides preferentially lyse bacterial rather than eucaryotic cells.     

Effects of the local anesthetic tetracaine on the structural and dynamic properties of lipids in model membranes: a high-pressure Fourier transform infrared study

High-pressure Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used to study the effects of a local anesthetic, tetracaine, on the structural and dynamic properties of lipids in model membranes. The model membrane systems studied were multilamellar aqueous dispersions of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and 1,2-di-O-hexadecyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC) in the absence and presence of a physiological concentration of cholesterol (30 mol %). The infrared spectra were measured at 28 degrees C in a diamond anvil cell as a function of pressure up to 25 kbar. The results indicate that the effects of tetracaine on the structure of pure DMPC bilayers in the gel state are dependent on the state of charge of the anesthetic. The uncharged tetracaine disorders the lipid acyl chains while the charged form induces the formation of an interdigitated gel phase. The presence of cholesterol in the latter system prevents the formation of the interdigitated phase, whereas in the former system it disorders the lipid acyl chains in the gel state. Moreover, it is shown that the addition of uncharged tetracaine to interdigitated DHPC bilayers does not alter the interdigitated state of the hydrocarbon chains.     

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.     

Reinvestigation by phosphorus NMR of lipid distribution in bicelles

Mixtures of dimyristoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and dihexanoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DHPC) in water form disks also called bicelles and different bilayer organizations when the mol ratio of the two lipids and the temperature are varied. The spontaneous alignment in a magnetic field of these bilayers above the transition temperature T(m) of DMPC is an attractive property that was successfully used to investigate protein structure by NMR. In this article, we have attempted to give an overview of all structural transformations of DMPC/DHPC mixtures that can be inferred from broad band (31)P-NMR spectroscopy between 5 and 60 degrees C. We show that above a critical temperature, T(v), perforated vesicles progressively replace alignable structures. The holes in these vesicles disappear above a new temperature threshold, T(h). The driving force for these temperature-dependent transformations that has been overlooked in previous studies is the increase of DHPC miscibility in the bilayer domain above T(m). Accordingly, we propose a new model (the "mixed bicelle" model) that emphasizes the consequence of the mixing. This investigation shows that the various structures of DMPC in the presence of increasing mol ratios of the short-chain DHPC is reminiscent of the observation put forward by several laboratories investigating solubilization and reconstitution of biological membranes.     

Morphology of fast-tumbling bicelles: a small angle neutron scattering and NMR study

Bilayered micelles, or bicelles, which consist of a mixture of long- and short-chain phospholipids, are a popular model membrane system. Depending on composition, concentration, and temperature, bicelle mixtures may adopt an isotropic phase or form an aligned phase in magnetic fields. Well-resolved (1)H NMR spectra are observed in the isotropic or so-called fast-tumbling bicelle phase, over the range of temperatures investigated (10-40 degrees C), for molar ratios of long-chain lipid to short-chain lipid between 0.20 and 1.0. Small angle neutron scattering data of this phase are consistent with the model in which bicelles were proposed to be disk-shaped. The experimentally determined dimensions are roughly consistent with the predictions of R.R. Vold and R.S. Prosser (J. Magn. Reson. B 113 (1996)). Differential paramagnetic shifts of head group resonances of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and dihexanoylphosphatidylcholine (DHPC), induced by the addition of Eu(3+), are also consistent with the bicelle model in which DHPC is believed to be primarily sequestered to bicelle rims. Selective irradiation of the DHPC aliphatic methyl resonances results in no detectable magnetization transfer to the corresponding DMPC methyl resonances (and vice versa) in bicelles, which also suggests that DHPC and DMPC are largely sequestered in the bicelle. Finally, (1)H spectra of the antibacterial peptide indolicidin (ILPWKWPWWPWRR-NH(2)) are compared, in a DPC micellar phase and the above fast-tumbling bicellar phases for a variety of compositions. The spectra exhibit adequate resolution and improved dispersion of amide and aromatic resonances in certain bicelle mixtures.     

The membrane-induced structure of melittin is correlated with the fluidity of the lipids

The effect of the bee toxin melittin on DMPC dynamics in fast-tumbling bicelles has been investigated. The (13)C R(1) and (13)C-(1)H NOE relaxation parameters for DMPC were used to monitor the effect of melittin and cholesterol on lipid dynamics. It was found that melittin has the largest effect on the DMPC mobility in DMPC/DHPC bicelles, while less effect was observed in cholesterol-doped bicelles, or in bicelles made with CHAPS, indicating that the rigidity of the membrane affects the melittin-membrane interaction. CD spectra were analysed in terms of cooperativity of the alpha-helix to random coil transition in melittin, and these results also indicated similar differences between the bicelles. The study shows that bicelles can be used to investigate lipid dynamics by spin relaxation, and in particular of peptide-induced changes in membrane fluidity.     

Three-dimensional structure of the transmembrane domain of Vpu from HIV-1 in aligned phospholipid bicelles

The three-dimensional backbone structure of the transmembrane domain of Vpu from HIV-1 was determined by solid-state NMR spectroscopy in two magnetically-aligned phospholipid bilayer environments (bicelles) that differed in their hydrophobic thickness. Isotopically labeled samples of Vpu(2-30+), a 36-residue polypeptide containing residues 2-30 from the N-terminus of Vpu, were incorporated into large (q = 3.2 or 3.0) phospholipid bicelles composed of long-chain ether-linked lipids (14-O-PC or 16-O-PC) and short-chain lipids (6-O-PC). The protein-containing bicelles are aligned in the static magnetic field of the NMR spectrometer. Wheel-like patterns of resonances characteristic of tilted transmembrane helices were observed in two-dimensional (1)H/(15)N PISEMA spectra of uniformly (15)N-labeled Vpu(2-30+) obtained on bicelle samples with their bilayer normals aligned perpendicular or parallel to the direction of the magnetic field. The NMR experiments were performed at a (1)H resonance frequency of 900 MHz, and this resulted in improved data compared to lower-resonance frequencies. Analysis of the polarity-index slant-angle wheels and dipolar waves demonstrates the presence of a transmembrane alpha-helix spanning residues 8-25 in both 14-O-PC and 16-O-PC bicelles, which is consistent with results obtained previously in micelles by solution NMR and mechanically aligned lipid bilayers by solid-state NMR. The three-dimensional backbone structures were obtained by structural fitting to the orientation-dependent (15)N chemical shift and (1)H-(15)N dipolar coupling frequencies. Tilt angles of 30 degrees and 21 degrees are observed in 14-O-PC and 16-O-PC bicelles, respectively, which are consistent with the values previously determined for the same polypeptide in mechanically-aligned DMPC and DOPC bilayers. The difference in tilt angle in C14 and C16 bilayer environments is also consistent with previous results indicating that the transmembrane helix of Vpu responds to hydrophobic mismatch by changing its tilt angle. The kink found in the middle of the helix in the longer-chain C18 bilayers aligned on glass plates was not found in either of these shorter-chain (C14 or C16) bilayers.     

Amantadine partition and localization in phospholipid membrane: a solution NMR study

Quantification of membrane partition potential of drug compounds is of great pharmaceutical interest. Here, a novel approach combining liquid-state NMR diffusion measurements and fast-tumbling lipid/detergent bicelles is used to measure accurately the partition coefficient K(p) of amantadine in phospholipid bilayers. Amantadine is found to have a strong membrane partition potential, with K(p) of 27.6 in DMPC and 37.8 in POPC lipids. Electrostatic interaction also plays a major role in the drug's affinity towards biological membrane as introduction of negatively charged POPG dramatically increases its K(p). Saturation transfer difference experiments in small bicelles indicate that amantadine localizes near the negatively charged phosphate group and the hydrocarbon chain of bilayer lipid. The approach undertaken in this study is generally applicable for characterizing interactions between small molecules and phospholipid membranes.