Molecular mobility and structure of elastin deduced from the solvent and temperature dependence of 13C magnetic resonance relaxation data.

13C relaxation parameters, T1, line width, and NOE, have been determined for backbone carbons of ligamentum nuchae elastin swollen by 0.15 M NaCl, 0.15 M NaCl-formamide, 0.15 M NaCl-ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, and formamide. The data have been analyzed in terms of (a) a single correlation time model and (b) a model employing a log-chi2 distribution of correlation times used by Schaefer (1973) to analyze solid cis-polyisoprene 13C relaxation data. Employing the latter mode, one obtains an approximately self-consistent quantitative analysis of all the elastin data. An average backbone correlation time, tau, of ca. 2 nsec is calculated for elastin swollen in the presence of polar organic solvents at 37 degrees, in approximate agreement with tau of 0.4 nsec obtained for bulk cis-polyisoprene at 35 degrees. The influence of solvent and temperature on elastin spectra indicate that the larger tau value (approximately 80 nsec) obtained for elastin swollen by 0.15 M NaCl at 37 degrees is a consequence of weak interchain polar and hydrophobic interactions, a result which is in accord with the reported viscoelastic behavior exhibited by water-swollen elastin at 37 degrees. The results obtained further suggest that Gly, Pro, and Val residues are significantly more mobile than Ala residues, which are located in the cross-link regions. Hence, the NMR data support the view that water-swollen elastin is composed of a network of mobile chains, except possibly in the cross-link regions.     

Influence of methanol on the rotational diffusion of poly(L-lysine) in the helix–coil transition

¹³C spin-lattice relaxation times of poly(L -lysine) have been obtained at 67.9 MHz in aqueous solution and in a mixed solvent (40% methanol/60% water). A concomitant determination of the conformation by CD permits the correlation of conformation and rotational diffusion of the polymer. The dependence on pH of the spin-lattice relaxation times of the ¹³C^α and the side-chain carbon resonances reflects the diffusional motion in the random-coil conformation, in the helix–coil transition, and in the conformation of the α-helix. In the mixed solvent the reorientational correlation time of the C^α-H^α vector increases from τ = 0.37 nsec (random coil) to τ = 12.0 nsec (α-helix). In aqueous solution the correlation time of this vector increases from τ = 0.33 nsec (random coil) to τ ? 11 nsec. The reorientation rates of the side-chain methylene groups in the two solvents are markedly different. The reorientation of all methylene groups is reduced in the mixed solvent.     

Dielectric relaxation studies on bovine ligamentum nuchae

Dielectric relaxation studies of bovine ligamentum nuchae are reported over the frequency range of 1 MHz to 1 GHz and over the temperature range of 23–48°C. A temperature-dependent relaxation process was observed at low megahertz-frequency with the correlation time of around 40 ns. The result is quite similar to that of a synthetic polypentapeptide (VPGVG) and of α-elastin. The relaxation is proposed to arise in part from the peptide libration within the polypentapeptide of bovine ligamentum nuchae.     

Fourier transform infrared investigation of the Escherichia coli methionine aporepressor

This study represents the first physicochemical analysis of the recently cloned methionine repressor protein (Met aporepressor) from Escherichia coli. Infrared spectrometry was used to investigate the secondary structure and the hydrogen-deuterium exchange behavior of the E. coli Met aporepressor. The secondary structure of the native bacterial protein was derived by analysis of the amide I mode. The amide I band contour was found to consist of five major component bands (at 1625, 1639, 1653, 1665, and 1676 cm-1) which reflect the presence of various substructures. The relative areas of these component bands are consistent with a high alpha-helical content of the peptide chain secondary structure in solution (43%) and a small amount of beta-sheet structure (7%). The remaining substructure is assigned to turns (10%) and to unordered (or less ordered) structures (40%). The temperature dependence of the infrared spectra of native Met aporepressor in D2O medium over the temperature interval 20-80 degrees C indicates that there are two discrete thermal events: the first thermal event, centered at 42 degrees C, is associated with the hydrogen-deuterium exchange of the hard-to-exchange alpha-helical peptide bonds accompanied by a partial denaturation of the protein, while the second event, centered around 50 degrees C, represents the irreversible thermal denaturation of the protein.     

Measurements of skin surface temperature during mobile phone use

We measured maximum temperature rises on the side of the face after 6 min of continuous mobile phone operation using two models of AMPS analog phones operating in the 835 MHz band and three early model GSM digital phones operating in the 900 MHz band. For the GSM phones the highest recorded temperature rise difference was 2.3 degrees C and for the AMPS phones it was 4.5 degrees C, both at locations on the cheek. The higher differential temperature rise between AMPS and GSM may reflect the higher maximum average operating power of AMPS (600 mW) versus GSM900 (250 mW). Additionally, we compared temperature changes at a consistent location on the cheek for an AMPS phone that was inoperative (-0.7 degrees C), transmitting at full power (+2.6 degrees C) and in stand-by mode (+2.0 degrees C). Our results suggest that direct RF heating of the skin only contributes a small part of the temperature rise and that most is due to heat conduction from the handset.     

An ESR Study of the mobility of the cholestane spin label in oriented lecithin-cholesterol multibilayers.

The motion of the cholestane spin label in oriented lecithin-cholesterol multibilayers is described in terms of a rotational diffusion about the long molecular axis with diffusion coefficient D parrell and a restricted random librational motion about axes perpendicular to the long axis with diffusion coefficient D1. The diffusion coefficients have been determined from the angular dependence of the ESR line shape at various temperatures and cholesterol contents. The temperature dependence of D parrell and D1 clearly shows the transition from the gel to liquid crystalline phase. Increasing amounts of cholesterol reduce the transition temperature. A strong reduction is found from o to 10 mole % cholesterol. At 50 mole % no longer a sharp transition is observed. In the temperature range from 40 to 80 degrees C the range of D is about 10 times larger than the range of D parrell, indicating a high activation energy for the librational motion arising from a strong hindrance by interaction with surrounding molecules. Cholesterol contents up to 10-20 mole % give an increase of D parrell and D1, arising from strong decrease of the transition temperature in this range. Above 10-20 mole % a reduction of D parrell and D1 is found. However, the effect of cholesterol is much stronger on D1 than on D parrell. In the liquid crystalline phase at about 60 degrees C the effect of cholesterol on D parrell is even negligible, while D1 strongly changes. This indicates that in the liquid crystalline phase only the librational motion is influenced by cholesterol, due to a denser packing of the molecules in the bilayer.     

Librational motion of an "immobilized" spin label: hemoglobin spin labeled by a maleimide derivative.

The spin label Tempo-maleimide, when "immobilized" in hemoglobin, is shown to exhibit motional fluctuation whose amplitude and/or frequency depend on temperature and solution conditions. These motional fluctuations are observable by several electron spin resonance techniques. For desalted hemoglobin the fluctuations are detectable at approximately -15 degrees C using saturation transfer techniques and at approximately +25 degrees C using line-width measurements of normal absorption spectra. In ammonium sulfate precipitated hemoglobin, however, motional fluctuations are not detectable by either technique up to at least 40 degrees C. The most probable mechanism for spin-label motion appears to be either fluctuations in protein conformation which affect the label binding site or conformational transitions of the nitroxide ring itself. These motional fluctuations are shown to introduce a librational character to the overall label motion during hemoglobin rotational diffusion, with the librational motion significantly affecting the use of spin-label spectral shapes to calculate hemoglobin rotational correlation times.     

Dynamics of the phosphate group in phospholipid bilayers. A 31P nuclear relaxation time study.

The spin-lattice relaxation time of the 31P nucleus in the phosphate group of egg yolk phosphatidylcholine multilamellar dispersions has been investigated at four resonant frequencies (38.9, 81.0, 108.9, and 145.7 MHz) in the temperature range from -30 degrees to 60 degrees C. The observed frequency dependence of the relaxation indicates that both dipolar relaxation and relaxation due to anisotropic chemical shielding are significant mechanisms. The experimental data have thus been modeled assuming both mechanisms and the analysis has allowed the contribution of each to the relaxation to be determined along with the correlation time for the molecular reorientation as a function of temperature. Dipolar relaxation was found to dominate at low nuclear magnetic resonance frequencies while at high frequencies the anisotropic chemical shift dominates. The correlation time of the phosphate group is on the order of 10(-9) s at 60 degrees C and increases to approximately 10(-7) s at -30 degrees C. It is observed that the freezing of the buffer which occurs at approximately -8 degrees C has a significant effect on the phosphate group reorientation. This effect of the freezing is to change the activation energy for the phosphate group reorientation from 16.9 KJ/mol above -8 degrees C to 32.5 KJ/mol below -8 degrees C.     

Entropic elastic processes in protein mechanisms. I. Elastic structure due to an inverse temperature transition and elasticity due to internal chain dynamics

Numerous physical characterizations clearly demonstrate that the polypentapeptide of elastin (Val1-Pro2-Gly3-Val4-Gly5)n in water undergoes an inverse temperature transition. Increase in order occurs both intermolecularly and intramolecularly on raising the temperature from 20 to 40 degrees C. The physical characterizations used to demonstrate the inverse temperature transition include microscopy, light scattering, circular dichroism, the nuclear Overhauser effect, temperature dependence of composition, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation, dielectric relaxation, and temperature dependence of elastomer length. At fixed extension of the cross-linked polypentapeptide elastomer, the development of elastomeric force is seen to correlate with increase in intramolecular order, that is, with the inverse temperature transition. Reversible thermal denaturation of the ordered polypentapeptide is observed with composition and circular dichroism studies, and thermal denaturation of the crosslinked elastomer is also observed with loss of elastomeric force and elastic modulus. Thus, elastomeric force is lost when the polypeptide chains are randomized due to heating at high temperature. Clearly, elastomeric force is due to nonrandom polypeptide structure. In spite of this, elastomeric force is demonstrated to be dominantly entropic in origin. The source of the entropic elastomeric force is demonstrated to be the result of internal chain dynamics, and the mechanism is called the librational entropy mechanism of elasticity. There is significant application to the finding that elastomeric force develops due to an inverse temperature transition. By changing the hydrophobicity of the polypeptide, the temperature range for the inverse temperature transition can be changed in a predictable way, and the temperature range for the development of elastomeric force follows. Thus, elastomers have been prepared where the development of elastomeric force is shifted over a 40 degrees C temperature range from a midpoint temperature of 30 degrees C for the polypentapeptide to 10 degrees C by increasing hydrophobicity with addition of a single CH2 moiety per pentamer and to 50 degrees C by decreasing hydrophobicity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Freezing of phosphocholine headgroup in fully hydrated sphingomyelin bilayers and its effect on the dynamics of nonfreezable water at subzero temperatures.

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy are applied to characterize the nonfreezable water molecules in fully hydrated D2O/sphingomyelin at temperatures below 0 degrees C. Upon cooling, DSC thermogram displays two thermal transitions peaked at -11 and -34 degrees C. The high-temperature exothermic transition corresponds to the freezing of the bulk D2O, and the low-temperature transition, which has not previously been reported, can be ascribed to the freezing of the phosphocholine headgroup in the lipid bilayer. The dynamics of nonfreezable water are also studied by 2H NMR T1 (spin-lattice relaxation time) and T2e (spin-spin relaxation time obtained by two pulse echo) measurements at 30.7 MHz and at temperatures down to -110 degrees C. The temperature dependence of the T1 relaxation time is characterized by a distinct minimum value of 2.1 +/- 0.1 ms at -30 degrees C. T2e is discontinuous at temperature around -70 degrees C, indicating another freezing-like event for the bound water at this temperature. Analysis of the relaxation data suggest that nonfreezable water undergoes both fast and slow motions at characteristic NMR time scales. The slow motions are affected when the lipid headgroup freezes.     

Conformation of the antifreeze glycoprotein of polar fish

High-field proton and 13C NMR spectroscopy has been used to test and refine the recent proposal, based on vacuum uv circular dichroism results, of a threefold left-handed helical conformation for antifreeze glycoprotein (AFGP). Partial assignment of the protons of the glycotripeptide repeating unit has been made by comparison with spectra of model compounds, by selective decoupling, and by measurements of nuclear Overhauser effect (nOe). At 40 degrees C, AFGP fraction 8 (Mr 2600) shows 2-Hz linewidths which broaden at lower temperature. Neither 1H nor 13C chemical shifts depend strongly on temperature, suggesting no abrupt conformational transition. The nOe between alanine alpha and beta protons vary with temperature and with field strength, from small positive enhancements at 50 degrees C and 80 MHz to large negative effects at 3 degrees C and 300 MHz, indicating a substantial change of rotational correlation time with temperature. The higher-molecular-weight fraction 1-4 shows negative nOe at all temperatures. The CD spectra of fraction 1-4 show bands characteristic of the polyproline II structure at both 3 and 50 degrees C, while those bands in fraction 8 are weaker at 50 than 3 degrees C. The 1H nOe, the 13C T1, and CD data are interpreted as indicating that AFGP fraction 8 is an extended "rod-like" conformation at low temperature which becomes a flexible coil at high temperature, while fraction 1-4 is a flexible rod with sufficient segmental mobility to eliminate any long-range order.     

Backbone dynamics of alamethicin bound to lipid membranes: spin-echo electron paramagnetic resonance of TOAC-spin labels

Alamethicin F50/5 is a hydrophobic peptide that is devoid of charged residues and that induces voltage-dependent ion channels in lipid membranes. The peptide backbone is likely to be involved in the ion conduction pathway. Electron spin-echo spectroscopy of alamethicin F50/5 analogs in which a selected Aib residue (at position n = 1, 8, or 16) is replaced by the TOAC amino-acid spin label was used to study torsional dynamics of the peptide backbone in association with phosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes. Rapid librational motions of limited angular amplitude were observed at each of the three TOAC sites by recording echo-detected spectra as a function of echo delay time, 2τ. Simulation of the time-resolved spectra, combined with conventional EPR measurements of the librational amplitude, shows that torsional fluctuations of the peptide backbone take place on the subnanosecond to nanosecond timescale, with little temperature dependence. Associated fluctuations in polar fields from the peptide could facilitate ion permeation.     

A detailed analysis of the motions of cholesterol in biological membranes by 2H-NMR relaxation

Spin-lattice relaxation, T1z, measurements of [2,2,3,4,4,6-2H6]cholesterol in model membranes of DMPC were performed as a function of temperature, Larmor frequency and position of labelling in the fused ring system. The results are interpreted according to a hierarchy of motions, such that motion i of correlation time tau i reduces the residual ordering set, characterizing motions i-1, i-2, etc..., by the amount Si = d(2)00(beta i), where beta i is the angle between the axes of motional averaging of motions i and i-1, respectively and d(2)00 is the Wigner rotation matrix element. The appearance of minima in the temperature dependence of T1z for cholesterol, at 46.1 MHz and 30.7 MHz, and the scaling of these T1z (min) according to the orientation of each individual C-2H bond with respect to the axis of motional averaging of cholesterol, allows assignment of the sterol axial rotation to the second fastest motion, characterized by a correlation time of 3.2 X 10(-9) s at 25 degrees C and an activation energy of 32 +/- 5 kJ X mole-1. The fastest motion of cholesterol in DMPC could be a very rapid libration, 'wobbling', which does not contribute significantly to the T1z relaxation of cholesterol at physiological temperatures and Larmor frequencies smaller than 50 MHz, but does reduce the ordering of the cholesterol molecule in DMPC from S0 = 1 to S1 = 0.8, at 25 degrees C.     

NMR investigations of Mn(II)-leucine-enkephalin complexes in [2H6]-DMSO solution.

Structural and kinetic features of the Mn(II)-Leu-enkephalin binding equilibria were delineated by measuring 13C and 1H NMR spin-lattice relaxation rates. The temperature dependence of such rates showed that some carbons were experiencing slow exchange regimes such that kinetic parameters at room temperature could be calculated (k(off) = 1400 sec-1, delta H* = 12.0 kcal/mol, delta S* = -9.9 e.u.). The paramagnetic rates of fast exchanging carbons were interpreted by the Solomon-Bloembergen-Morgan theory to provide structural parameters. The terminal carboxyl and amino groups were shown to be the binding sites. The motional correlation time (tau c = 0.6 nsec at 298 K) was calculated by measuring selective and double-selective 1H spin-lattice relaxation rates for the free peptide. The number of coordinated ligands was evaluated by considering the distance of the Leu CO in the complex at 2.54 A, as shown by molecular models. Finally, carbon-Mn(II) distances were calculated and the molecular model of the 1:1 complex was built.     

Carbon-13 NMR relaxation studies demonstrate an inverse temperature transition in the elastin polypentapeptide

Carbon-13 NMR longitudinal relaxation time and line-width studies are reported on the coacervate concentration (about 60% water by weight) of singly carbonyl carbon enriched polypentapeptides of elastin: specifically, (L-Val1-L-[1-13C]Pro2-Gly3-L-Val4-Gly5)n and (L-Val1-L-Pro2-Gly3-L-Val4-[1-13C]Gly5)n. On raising the temperature from 10 to 25 degrees C and from 40 to 70 degrees C, carbonyl mobility increases, but over the temperature interval from 25 to 40 degrees C, the mobility decreases. The results characterize an inverse temperature transition in the most fundamental sense of temperature being a measure of molecular motion. This transition in the state of the polypentapeptide indicates an increase in order of polypeptide on raising the temperature from 25 degrees C to physiological temperature. This fundamental NMR characterization corresponds with the results of numerous other physical methods, e.g., circular dichroism, dielectric relaxation, and electron microscopy, that correspondingly indicate an increase in order of the polypentapeptide both intramolecularly and intermolecularly for the same temperature increase from 25 to 40 degrees C. Significantly with respect to elastomeric function, thermoelasticity studies on gamma-irradiation cross-linked polypentapeptide coacervate show a dramatic increase in elastomeric force over the same interval that is here characterized by NMR as an inverse temperature transition. The temperature dependence of mobility above 40 degrees C indicates an activation energy of the order of 1.2 kcal/mol, which is the magnitude of barrier expected for elasticity.     

Transfer RNA structure by carbon NMR: C2 of adenine, uracil and cytosine.

Fourier transform 13C NMR spectra of E. coli tRNA enriched on 13C in either position 2 of adenine (60 atom % 13C) or in position 2 of uracil (82%) and cytosine (63%) were taken at 25.16 MHz over the temperature range 10 degrees - 76 degrees. For C2 of adenine the peak as initially 5 ppm wide, but narrowed to 0.5 ppm as the molecule unfolded. C2 of uracil displayed behavior similar to that of adenine while the cytosine peak, initially relatively narrow at low temperature, sharpened less dramatically. Comparison of spectra at 26.16 MHz and 67.9 MHz showed that the peak widths for folded tRNA were determined largely by chemical shift non-equivalence. T2 T2 measurements suggested that intrinsic line widths of most cytosine C2 peaks were 4 Hz and 2-3 Hz for uracil. Adenine C2 with a directly bonded proton had resonances of about 40 Hz line width. T1 values were measured for C2 of adenine and the ribose carbons of tRNA. Consideration of dipolar relaxation and chemical shift anisotrophy led to a calculated rotational correlation time of 1.6 +/- 0.4 x 10(-8) sec for the adenines and 1.3 +/- 0.3 x 10(-8) sec for the ribose carbons.     

Water proton magnetic resonance studies of normal and sickle erythrocytes. Temperature and volume dependence.

The temperature and cell volume dependence of the NMR water proton line-width, spin-lattice, and spin-spin relaxation times have been studied for normal and sickle erythrocytes as well as hemoglobin A and hemoglobin S solutions. Upon deoxygenation, the spin-spin relaxation time (T2) decreases by a factor of 2 for sickle cells and hemoglobin S solutions but remains relatively constant for normal cells and hemoglobin A solutions. The spin-lattice relaxation time (T1) shows no significant change upon deoxygenation for normal or sickle packed red cells. Studies of the change in the NMR linewidth, T1 and T2 as the cell hydration is changed indicate that these parameters are affected only slightly by a 10-20% cell dehydration. This result suggests that the reported 10% cell dehydration observed with sickling is not important in the altered NMR properties. Low temperature studies of the linewidth and T1 for oxy and deoxy hemoglobin A and hemoglobin S solutions suggest that the "bound" water possesses similar properties for all four species. The low temperature linewidth ranges from about 250 Hz at -15 degrees C to 500 Hz at -36 degrees C and analysis of the NMR curves yield hydration values near 0.4 g water/g hemoglobin for all four species. The low temperature T1 data go through a minimum at -35 degrees C for measurements at 44.4 MHz and -50 degrees C for measurements at 17.1 MHz and are similar for oxy and deoxy hemoglobin A and hemoglobin S. These similarities in the low temperature NMR data for oxy and deoxy hemoglobin A and hemoglobin S suggest a hydrophobically driven sickling mechanism. The room temperature and low temperature relaxation time data for normal and sickle cells are interpreted in terms of a three-state model for intracellular water. In the context of this model the relaxation time data imply that type III, or irrotationally bound water, is altered during the sickling process.     

Raman spectroscopic studies of model human pulmonary surfactant systems: phospholipid interactions with peptide paradigms for the surfactant protein SP-B

The temperature dependence of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)/phosphatidylglycerol (PG) multilayers, reconstituted with various synthetic peptides for modeling human lung surfactant, was monitored by vibrational Raman spectroscopy. The synthetic peptides consisted, respectively, of residues 59-81 of the human surfactant protein SP-B and 21 amino acid residue peptides containing repeating units of arginine separated by either four or eight leucines (RL4 or RL8). Each peptide demonstrated the ability to reduce significantly the surface tension of analogues of the phospholipid mixture used in the Raman studies. Raman spectroscopic integrated band intensities and relative peak height intensity ratios, two spectral parameters used to determine bilayer disorder, provided sensitive probes for characterizing multilayer perturbations in the reconstituted liposomes. Temperature profiles derived from the various Raman intensity parameters for the 3100-2800-cm-1 carbon-hydrogen (C-H) stretching mode region, a spectral interval representative of acyl chain vibrations, reflected lipid reorganizations due to the bilayer interactions of these peptides. For the three reconstituted multilamellar surfactant systems, the gel-to-liquid-crystalline phase-transition temperatures Tm, defined by acyl chain C-H stretching mode order/disorder parameters, increased from 35 degrees C in the peptide free system to 37-38 degrees C, indicating increased lipid headgroup constraints for the model liposomes. Although the values of Tm were similar for the three recombinant lipid/peptide assemblies, individual phase-transition cooperativities varied significantly between systems and between spectroscopically derived order/disorder parameters.     

A dielectric analysis of liquid and glassy solid glucose/water solutions

Dielectric relaxation data covering a temperature range from above room temperature to below the glass transition for 40% (w/w) and 75% (w/w) glucose/water solutions in the frequency range between 5 and 13 MHz are presented. These data are used to obtain correlation times for the dielectric relaxation in the viscous liquid and the glass and are compared with correlation times determined from deuterium nuclear spin relaxation times [J. Chem. Phys., 110 (1999) 3472-3483]. The two sets of results have the same temperature dependence, but differ in magnitude by a factor of 3, implying that the relaxation is a small-step rotational diffusion. Both the structural relaxation (alpha process) and the slow beta process are present. In the 40% glucose/water sample, there is a dielectric relaxation attributable to the ice that forms at low temperature. It is shown that the reciprocal of the viscosity, the correlation time derived from the dielectric relaxation, and the dc conductivity have a similar dependence on temperature.     

Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy on dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine-packaged gramicidin A

The complex permittivities of aqueous suspensions of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and of DMPC packaged gramicidin A' (DMPC-GA) have been determined over the frequency range of 1 MHz to 1 GHz and the temperature range of 0-60 degrees C. A dielectric relaxation/loss has been observed at about 66 MHz for the DMPC suspension (30 degrees C) and at about 57 MHz for the DMPC-GA suspension (30 degrees C). This dielectric relaxation/loss has been attributed to the rotational mobility of the zwitterionic group of DMPC. The temperature dependence (from 60 degrees C to 0 degrees C) of this dispersion/absorption process of the DMPC suspension indicates a sharp reduction of the dielectric relaxation at about 20 degrees C. This dielectric change is related to the conversions of shape and structure of bilayer aggregates. This sharp reduction of the dielectric relaxation disappears or broadens when GA is incorporated into the DMPC aqueous suspension. The interpretation of these results is that the GA addition into the DMPC aqueous suspension induces a small decrease of the rotational mobility of the zwitterionic group above the lipid phase transition, and a small increase of the rotational mobility of the zwitterionic group below the lipid phase transition.