Motional restrictions of membrane proteins: a site-directed spin labeling study

Site-directed mutagenesis was used to produce 27 single cysteine mutants of bacteriophage M13 major coat protein spanning the whole primary sequence of the protein. Single-cysteine mutants were labeled with nitroxide spin labels and incorporated into phospholipid bilayers with increasing acyl chain length. The SDSL is combined with ESR and CD spectroscopy. CD spectroscopy provided information about the overall protein conformation in different mismatching lipids. The spin label ESR spectra were analyzed in terms of a new spectral simulation approach based on hybrid evolutionary optimization and solution condensation. This method gives the residue-level free rotational space (i.e., the effective space within which the spin label can wobble) and the diffusion constant of the spin label attached to the protein. The results suggest that the coat protein has a large structural flexibility, which facilitates a stable protein-to-membrane association in lipid bilayers with various degrees of hydrophobic mismatch.     

Membrane Protein Frustration: Protein Incorporation into Hydrophobic Mismatched Binary Lipid Mixtures

Bacteriophage M13 major coat protein was reconstituted in different nonmatching binary lipid mixtures composed of 14:1PC and 22:1PC lipid bilayers. Challenged by this lose-lose situation of hydrophobic mismatch, the protein-lipid interactions are monitored by CD and site-directed spin-label electron spin resonance spectroscopy of spin-labeled site-specific single cysteine mutants located in the C-terminal protein domain embedded in the hydrophobic core of the membrane (I39C) and at the lipid-water interface (T46C). The CD spectra indicate an overall α-helical conformation irrespective of the composition of the binary lipid mixture. Spin-labeled protein mutant I39C senses the phase transition in 22:1PC, in contrast to spin-labeled protein mutant T46C, which is not affected by the transition. The results of both CD and electron spin resonance spectroscopy clearly indicate that the protein preferentially partitions into the shorter 14:1PC both above and below the gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition temperature of 22:1PC. This preference is related to the protein tilt angle and energy penalty the protein has to pay in the thicker 22:1PC. Given the fact that in Escherichia coli, which is the host for M13 bacteriophage, it is easier to find shorter 14 carbon acyl chains than longer 22 carbon acyl chains, the choice the M13 coat protein makes seems to be evolutionary justified.     

Modulation of gramicidin channel conformation and organization by hydrophobic mismatch in saturated phosphatidylcholine bilayers

The matching of hydrophobic lengths of integral membrane proteins and the surrounding lipid bilayer is an important factor that influences both structure and function of integral membrane proteins. The ion channel gramicidin is known to be uniquely sensitive to membrane properties such as bilayer thickness and membrane mechanical properties. The functionally important carboxy terminal tryptophan residues of gramicidin display conformation-dependent fluorescence which can be used to monitor gramicidin conformations in membranes [S.S. Rawat, D.A. Kelkar, A. Chattopadhyay, Monitoring gramicidin conformations in membranes: a fluorescence approach, Biophys. J. 87 (2004) 831-843]. We have examined the effect of hydrophobic mismatch on the conformation and organization of gramicidin in saturated phosphatidylcholine bilayers of varying thickness utilizing the intrinsic conformation-dependent tryptophan fluorescence. Our results utilizing steady state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopic approaches, in combination with circular dichroism spectroscopy, show that gramicidin remains predominantly in the channel conformation and gramicidin tryptophans are at the membrane interfacial region over a range of mismatch conditions. Interestingly, gramicidin conformation shifts toward non-channel conformations in extremely thick gel phase membranes although it is not excluded from the membrane. In addition, experiments utilizing self quenching of tryptophan fluorescence indicate peptide aggregation in thicker gel phase membranes.     

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.     

Hydrophobic thickness, lipid surface area and polar region hydration in monounsaturated diacylphosphatidylcholine bilayers: SANS study of effects of cholesterol and β-sitosterol in unilamellar vesicles

The influence of a mammalian sterol cholesterol and a plant sterol β-sitosterol on the structural parameters and hydration of bilayers in unilamellar vesicles made of monounsaturated diacylphosphatidylcholines (diCn:1PC, n = 14-22 is the even number of acyl chain carbons) was studied at 30 °C using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). Recently published advanced model of lipid bilayer as a three-strip structure was used with a triangular shape of polar head group probability distribution (Ku?erka et al., Models to analyze small-angle neutron scattering from unilamellar lipid vesicles, Physical Review E 69 (2004) Art. No. 051903). It was found that 33 mol% of both sterols increased the thickness of diCn:1PC bilayers with n = 18-22 similarly. β-sitosterol increased the thickness of diC14:1PC and diC16:1PC bilayers a little more than cholesterol. Both sterols increased the surface area per unit cell by cca 12 Å² and the number of water molecules located in the head group region by cca 4 molecules, irrespective to the acyl chain length of diCn:1PC. The structural difference in the side chain between cholesterol and β-sitosterol plays a negligible role in influencing the structural parameters of bilayers studied.     

Asymmetric dipping of bacteriophage M13 coat protein with increasing lipid bilayer thickness

Knowledge about the vertical movement of a protein with respect to the lipid bilayer plane is important to understand protein functionality in the biological membrane. In this work, the vertical displacement of bacteriophage M13 major coat protein in a lipid bilayer is used as a model system to study the molecular details of its anchoring mechanism in a homologue series of lipids with the same polar head group but different hydrophobic chain length. The major coat proteins were reconstituted into 14:1PC, 16:1PC, 18:1PC, 20:1PC, and 22:1PC bilayers, and the fluorescence spectra were measured of the intrinsic tryptophan at position 26 and BADAN attached to an introduced cysteine at position 46, located at the opposite ends of the transmembrane helix. The fluorescence maximum of tryptophan shifted for 700 cm^-1 on going from 14:1PC to 22:1PC, the corresponding shift of the fluorescence maximum of BADAN at position 46 was approximately 10 times less (∼ 70 cm^-1). Quenching of fluorescence with the spin label CAT 1 indicates that the tryptophan is becoming progressively inaccessible for the quencher with increasing bilayer thickness, whereas quenching of BADAN attached to the T46C mutant remained approximately unchanged. This supports the idea that the BADAN probe at position 46 remains at the same depth in the bilayer irrespective of its thickness and clearly indicates an asymmetrical nature of the protein dipping in the lipid bilayer. The anchoring strength at the C-terminal domain of the protein (provided by two phenylalanine residues together with four lysine residues) was estimated to be roughly 5 times larger than the anchoring strength of the N-terminal domain.     

Structure and Dynamics of the Membrane-Bound Form of Pf1 Coat Protein: Implications of Structural Rearrangement for Virus Assembly

The three-dimensional structure of the membrane-bound form of the major coat protein of Pf1 bacteriophage was determined in phospholipid bilayers using orientation restraints derived from both solid-state and solution NMR experiments. In contrast to previous structures determined solely in detergent micelles, the structure in bilayers contains information about the spatial arrangement of the protein within the membrane, and thus provides insights to the bacteriophage assembly process from membrane-inserted to bacteriophage-associated protein. Comparisons between the membrane-bound form of the coat protein and the previously determined structural form found in filamentous bacteriophage particles demonstrate that it undergoes a significant structural rearrangement during the membrane-mediated virus assembly process. The rotation of the transmembrane helix (Q16-A46) around its long axis changes dramatically (by 160°) to obtain the proper alignment for packing in the virus particles. Furthermore, the N-terminal amphipathic helix (V2-G17) tilts away from the membrane surface and becomes parallel with the transmembrane helix to form one nearly continuous long helix. The spectra obtained in glass-aligned planar lipid bilayers, magnetically aligned lipid bilayers (bicelles), and isotropic lipid bicelles reflect the effects of backbone motions and enable the backbone dynamics of the N-terminal helix to be characterized. Only resonances from the mobile N-terminal helix and the C-terminus (A46) are observed in the solution NMR spectra of the protein in isotropic q > 1 bicelles, whereas only resonances from the immobile transmembrane helix are observed in the solid-state ¹H/¹⁵N-separated local field spectra in magnetically aligned bicelles. The N-terminal helix and the hinge that connects it to the transmembrane helix are significantly more dynamic than the rest of the protein, thus facilitating structural rearrangement during bacteriophage assembly.     

Amphipathic antimicrobial piscidin in magnetically aligned lipid bilayers

The amphipathic antimicrobial peptide piscidin 1 was studied in magnetically aligned phospholipid bilayers by oriented-sample solid-state NMR spectroscopy. ³¹P NMR and double-resonance ¹H/¹⁵N NMR experiments performed between 25°C and 61°C enabled the lipid headgroups as well as the peptide amide sites to be monitored over a range of temperatures. The α-helical peptide dramatically affects the phase behavior and structure of anionic bilayers but not those of zwitterionic bilayers. Piscidin 1 stabilizes anionic bilayers, which remain well aligned up to 61°C when piscidin 1 is on the membrane surface. Two-dimensional separated-local-field experiments show that the tilt angle of the peptide is 80 ± 5°, in agreement with previous results on mechanically aligned bilayers. The peptide undergoes fast rotational diffusion about the bilayer normal under these conditions, and these studies demonstrate that magnetically aligned bilayers are well suited for structural studies of amphipathic peptides.     

Component volumes of unsaturated phosphatidylcholines in fluid bilayers: a densitometric study

The specific volumes of six 1,2-diacylphosphatidylcholines with monounsaturated acyl chains (diCn:1PC, n=14-24 is the even number of acyl chain carbons) in fluid bilayers in multilamellar vesicles dispersed in H(2)O were determined by the vibrating tube densitometry as a function of temperature. From the data obtained with diCn:1PC (n=14-22) vesicles in combination with the densitometric data from Tristram-Nagle et al. [Tristram-Nagle, S., Petrache, H.I., Nagle, J.F., 1998. Structure and interactions of fully hydrated dioleoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers. Biophys. J. 75, 917-925.] and Koenig and Gawrisch [Koenig, B.W., Gawrisch, K., 2005. Specific volumes of unsaturated phosphatidylcholines in the liquid crystalline lamellar phase. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1715, 65-70.], the component volumes of phosphatidylcholines in fully hydrated fluid bilayers at 30 degrees C were obtained. The volume of the acyl chain CH and CH(2) group is V(CH)=22.30 A(3) and V(CH2) =A(3), respectively. The volume of the headgroup including the glyceryl and acyl carbonyls, V(H), and the ratio of acyl chain methyl and methylene group volumes, r=V(CH3):V(CH2) are linearly interdependent: V(H)=a-br, where a=434.41 A(3) and b=-55.36 A(3) at 30 degrees C. From the temperature dependencies of component volumes, their isobaric thermal expansivities (alpha(X)=V(X)(-1)(partial differential V(X)/ partial differential T) where X=CH(2), CH, or H were calculated: alpha(CH2)=118.4x10(-5)K(-1), alpha(CH)=71.0x10(-5)K(-1), alpha(H)=7.9x10(-5)K(-1) (for r=2) and alpha(H)=9.6x10(-5)K(-1) (for r=1.9). The specific volume of diC24:1PC changes at the main gel-fluid phase transition temperature, t(m)=26.7 degrees C, by 0.0621 ml/g, its specific volume is 0.9561 and 1.02634 ml/g at 20 and 30 degrees C, respectively, and its isobaric thermal expansivity alpha=68.7x10(-5) and 109.2x10(-5)K(-1) below and above t(m), respectively. The component volumes and thermal expansivities obtained can be used for the interpretation of X-ray and neutron scattering and diffraction experiments and for the guiding and testing molecular dynamics simulations of phosphatidylcholine bilayers in the fluid state.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of model trans-membrane peptides in lipid bilayers: a systematic investigation of hydrophobic mismatch

Hydrophobic mismatch, which is the difference between the hydrophobic length of trans-membrane segments of a protein and the hydrophobic width of the surrounding lipid bilayer, is known to play a role in membrane protein function. We have performed molecular dynamics simulations of trans-membrane KALP peptides (sequence: GKK(LA)nLKKA) in phospholipid bilayers to investigate hydrophobic mismatch alleviation mechanisms. By varying systematically the length of the peptide (KALP15, KALP19, KALP23, KALP27, and KALP31) and the lipid hydrophobic length (DLPC, DMPC, and DPPC), a wide range of mismatch conditions were studied. Simulations of durations of 50-200 ns show that under positive mismatch, the system alleviates the mismatch predominantly by tilting the peptide and to a smaller extent by increased lipid ordering in the immediate vicinity of the peptide. Under negative mismatch, alleviation takes place by a combination of local bilayer bending and the snorkeling of the lysine residues of the peptide. Simulations performed at a higher peptide/lipid molar ratio (1:25) reveal slower dynamics of both the peptide and lipid relative to those at a lower peptide/lipid ratio (1:128). The lysine residues have favorable interactions with specific oxygen atoms of the phospholipid headgroups, indicating the preferred localization of these residues at the lipid/water interface.     

Labeling phospholipid membranes with lipid mimetic luminescent metal complexes

Lipid-mimetic metallosurfactant based luminophores are promising candidates for labeling phospholipid membranes without altering their biophysical characteristics. The metallosurfactants studied exhibit high structural and physicochemical similarity to phospholipid molecules, designed to incorporate into the membrane structure without the need for covalent attachment to a lipid molecule. In this work, two lipid-mimetic phosphorescent metal complexes are described: [Ru(bpy)₂(dn-bpy)]^2 + and [Ir(ppy)₂(dn-bpy)]⁺ where bpy is 2,2′-bipyridine, dn-bpy is 4,4′-dinonyl-2,2′-bipyridine and ppy is 2-phenylpyridine. Apart from being lipid-mimetic in size, shape and physical properties, both complexes exhibit intense photoluminescence and enhanced photostability compared with conventional organic fluorophores, allowing for prolonged observation. Moreover, the large Stokes shift and long luminescence lifetime associated with these complexes make them more suitable for spectroscopic studies. The complexes are easily incorporated into dimyristoil-phosphatidyl-choline (DMPC) liposomes by mixing in the organic solvent phase. DLS reveals the labeled membranes form liposomes of similar size to that of neat DMPC membrane. Synchrotron Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) measurements confirmed that up to 5% of either complex could be incorporated into DMPC membranes without producing any structural changes in the membrane. Fluorescence microscopy reveals that 0.5% label content is sufficient for imaging. Atomic Force Microscopic imaging confirms that liposomes of the labeled bilayers on a mica surface can fuse into a flat lamellar membrane that is morphologically identical to neat lipid membranes. These results demonstrate the potential of such lipid-mimetic luminescent metal complexes as a new class of labels for imaging lipid membranes.     

Properties of Palmitoyl Phosphatidylcholine, Sphingomyelin, and Dihydrosphingomyelin Bilayer Membranes as Reported by Different Fluorescent Reporter Molecules

The properties of vesicle membranes prepared from 16:0-SM, 16:0-DHSM, or DPPC were characterized using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and different fluorescent reporter molecules. The acyl-chain region was probed using free and phospholipid-bound 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene. 16:0-DHSM was found to be the more ordered than both DPPC and 16:0-SM 5°C below and above melting temperature. Interfacial properties of the phospholipid bilayers were examined using 6-dodecanoyl-2-dimethyl-aminonaphthalene (Laurdan), 6-propionyl-2-dimethyl-amino-naphthalene (Prodan), and dansyl-PE. Laurdan and Prodan reported that the two sphingomyelin (SM) membrane interfaces were clearly different from the DPPC membrane interface, whereas the two SM membrane interfaces had more similar properties (both in gel and liquid-crystalline phase). Prodan partition studies showed that membrane resistance to Prodan partitioning increased in the order: 16:0-SM < DPPC < 16:0-DHSM. The degree to which dansyl-PE is exposed to water reflects the structural properties of the membrane-water interface. By comparing the lifetime of dansyl-PE in water and deuterium oxide solution, we could show that the degree to which the dansyl moiety was exposed to water in the membranes increased in the order: 16:0-SM < DPPC < 16:0-DHSM. In conclusion, this study has shown that DHSM forms more ordered bilayers than acyl-chain matched SM or phosphatidylcholine, even in the liquid-crystalline state.     

Membrane protein assembly into Nanodiscs

Nanodiscs are soluble nanoscale phospholipid bilayers which can self-assemble integral membrane proteins for biophysical, enzymatic or structural investigations. This means for rendering membrane proteins soluble at the single molecule level offers advantages over liposomes or detergent micelles in terms of size, stability, ability to add genetically modifiable features to the Nanodisc structure and ready access to both sides of the phospholipid bilayer domain. Thus the Nanodisc system provides a novel platform for understanding membrane protein function. We provide an overview of the Nanodisc approach and document through several examples many of the applications to the study of the structure and function of integral membrane proteins.     

Membrane association and activity of 15/16-membered peptide antibiotics: Zervamicin IIB, ampullosporin A and antiamoebin I

Permeabilization of the phospholipid membrane, induced by the antibiotic peptides zervamicin IIB (ZER), ampullosporin A (AMP) and antiamoebin I (ANT) was investigated in a vesicular model system. Membrane-perturbing properties of these 15/16 residue peptides were examined by measuring the K⁺ transport across phosphatidyl choline (PC) membrane and by dissipation of the transmembrane potential. The membrane activities are found to decrease in the order ZER > AMP >> ANT, which correlates with the sequence of their binding affinities. To follow the insertion of the N-terminal Trp residue of ZER and AMP, the environmental sensitivity of its fluorescence was explored as well as the fluorescence quenching by water-soluble (iodide) and membrane-bound (5- and 16-doxyl stearic acids) quenchers. In contrast to AMP, the binding affinity of ZER as well as the depth of its Trp penetration is strongly influenced by the thickness of the membrane (diC_16:1PC, diC_18:1PC, C_16:0/C_18:1PC, diC_20:1PC). In thin membranes, ZER shows a higher tendency to transmembrane alignment. In thick membranes, the in-plane surface association of these peptaibols results in a deeper insertion of the Trp residue of AMP which is in agreement with model calculations on the localization of both peptide molecules at the hydrophilic-hydrophobic interface. The observed differences between the membrane affinities/activities of the studied peptaibols are discussed in relation to their hydrophobic and amphipathic properties.     

Surface features of the lipid droplet mediate perilipin 2 localization

All eukaryotic organisms store excess lipid in intracellular lipid droplets. These dynamic structures are associated with and regulated by numerous proteins. Perilipin 2, an abundant protein on most lipid droplets, promotes neutral lipid accumulation in lipid droplets. However, the mechanism by which perilipin 2 binds to and remains anchored on the lipid droplet surface is unknown. Here we identify features of the lipid droplet surface that influence perilipin 2 localization. We show that perilipin 2 binding to the lipid droplet surface requires both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. Reagents that disrupt these interactions also decrease binding. Moreover, perilipin 2 binding does not depend on other lipid droplet-associated proteins but is influenced by the lipid composition of the surface. Perilipin 2 binds to synthetic vesicles composed of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine, a phospholipid with unsaturated acyl chains. Decreasing the temperature of the binding reaction, or introducing phospholipids with saturated acyl chains, decreases binding. We therefore demonstrate a role for surface lipids and acyl chain packing in perilipin 2 binding to lipid droplets. The ability of the lipid droplet phospholipid composition to impact protein binding may link changes in nutrient availability to lipid droplet homeostasis.     

Quantitative coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering imaging of lipid distribution in coexisting domains

We demonstrate quantitative vibrational imaging of specific lipid molecules in single bilayers using laser-scanning coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy with a lateral resolution of 0.25 mum. A lipid is spectrally separated from other molecules by using deuterated acyl chains that provide a large CARS signal from the symmetric CD(2) stretch vibration around 2100 cm(-1). Our temperature control experiments show that d62-DPPC has similar bilayer phase segregation property as DPPC when mixing with DOPC. By using epi-detection and optimizing excitation and detection conditions, we are able to generate a clear vibrational contrast from d62-DPPC of 10% molar fraction in a single bilayer of DPPC/d62-DPPC mixture. We have developed and experimentally verified an image analysis model that can derive the relative molecular concentration from the difference of the two CARS intensities measured at the peak and dip frequencies of a CARS band. With the above strategies, we have measured the molar density of d62-DPPC in the coexisting domains inside the DOPC/d62-DPPC (1:1) supported bilayers incorporated with 0-40% cholesterol. The observed interesting changes of phospholipid organization upon addition of cholesterol to the bilayer are discussed.     

Lipid-controlled peptide topology and interactions in bilayers: structural insights into the synergistic enhancement of the antimicrobial activities of PGLa and magainin 2

To gain further insight into the antimicrobial activities of cationic linear peptides, we investigated the topology of each of two peptides, PGLa and magainin 2, in oriented phospholipid bilayers in the presence and absence of the other peptide and as a function of the membrane lipid composition. Whereas proton-decoupled ¹⁵N solid-state NMR spectroscopy indicates that magainin 2 exhibits stable in-plane alignments under all conditions investigated, PGLa adopts a number of different membrane topologies with considerable variations in tilt angle. Hydrophobic thickness is an important parameter that modulates the alignment of PGLa. In equimolar mixtures of PGLa and magainin 2, the former adopts transmembrane orientations in dimyristoyl-, but not 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-, phospholipid bilayers, whereas magainin 2 remains associated with the surface in all cases. These results have important consequences for the mechanistic models explaining synergistic activities of the peptide mixtures and will be discussed. The ensemble of data suggests that the thinning of the dimyristoyl membranes caused by magainin 2 tips the topological equilibrium of PGLa toward a membrane-inserted configuration. Therefore, lipid-mediated interactions play a fundamental role in determining the topology of membrane peptides and proteins and thereby, possibly, in regulating their activities as well.     

Investigation of the interaction of myelin basic protein with phospholipid bilayers using solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Interaction of bovine myelin basic protein and its constituent charge isomers (C1-C3) with phospholipid bilayers was studied using solid-state NMR experiments on model membranes. 31P NMR experiments on multilamellar vesicles and mechanically aligned bilayers were used to measure the degree of protein-induced disorder in the lipid headgroup region while 2H NMR data provided the disorder caused by the protein in the hydrophobic core of the bilayers. Our results suggest that MBP and its charge isomers neither fragment nor significantly disrupt DMPC, POPC, POPC:POPG, and POPE bilayers. These results demonstrate that the MBP-induced fragmentation of POPC bilayers is due to the freeze-thaw cycles used in the preparation of multilamellar vesicles and not due to intrinsic protein-lipid interactions.     

Effect of sequence hydrophobicity and bilayer width upon the minimum length required for the formation of transmembrane helices in membranes

The minimum hydrophobic length necessary to form a transmembrane (TM) helix in membranes was investigated using model membrane-inserted hydrophobic helices. The fluorescence of a Trp at the center of the sequence and its sensitivity to quenching were used to ascertain helix position within the membrane. Peptides with hydrophobic cores composed of poly(Leu) were compared to sequences containing a poly 1:1 Leu:Ala core (which have a hydrophobicity typical of natural TM helices). Studies varying bilayer width revealed that the poly(Leu) core peptides predominately formed a TM state when the bilayer width exceeded hydrophobic sequence length by (i.e. when negative mismatch was) up to ∼ 11-12 Å (e.g. the case of a 11-12 residue hydrophobic sequence in bilayers with a biologically relevant width, i.e. dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) bilayers), while poly(LeuAla) core peptides formed predominantly TM state with negative mismatch of up to 9 Å (a 13 residue hydrophobic sequence in DOPC bilayers). This indicates that minimum length necessary to form a predominating amount of a TM state (minimum TM length) is only modestly hydrophobicity-dependent for the sequences studied here, and a formula that defines the minimum TM length as a function of hydrophobicity for moderately-to-highly hydrophobic sequences was derived. The minimum length able to form a stable TM helix for alternating LeuAla sequences, and that for sequences with a Leu block followed by an Ala block, was similar, suggesting that a hydrophobicity gradient along the sequence may not be an important factor in TM stability. TM stability was also similar for sequences flanked by different charged ionizable residues (Lys, His, Asp). However, ionizable flanking residues destabilized the TM configuration much more when charged than when uncharged. The ability of short hydrophobic sequences to form TM helices in membranes in the presence of substantial negative mismatch implies that lipid bilayers have a considerable ability to adjust to negative mismatch, and that short TM helices may be more common than generally believed. Factors that modulate the ability of bilayers to adjust to mismatch may strongly affect the configuration of short hydrophobic helices.