Electrodynamics of Lipid Membrane Interactions in the Presence of Zwitterionic Buffers

Due to thermal motion and molecular polarizability, electrical interactions in biological systems have a dynamic character. Zwitterions are dipolar molecules that typically are highly polarizable and exhibit both a positive and a negative charge depending on the pH of the solution. We use multilamellar structures of common lipids to identify and quantify the effects of zwitterionic buffers that go beyond the control of pH. We use the fact that the repeat spacing of multilamellar lipid bilayers is a sensitive and accurate indicator of the force balance between membranes. We show that common buffers can in fact charge up neutral membranes. However, this electrostatic effect is not immediately recognized because of the concomitant modification of dispersion (van der Waals) forces. We show that although surface charging can be weak, electrostatic forces are significant even at large distances because of reduced ionic screening and reduced van der Waals attraction. The zwitterionic interactions that we identify are expected to be relevant for interfacial biological processes involving lipid bilayers, and for a wide range of biomaterials, including amino acids, detergents, and pharmaceutical drugs. An appreciation of zwitterionic electrodynamic character can lead to a better understanding of molecular interactions in biological systems and in soft materials in general.     

Modification of anomalous swelling in multilamellar vesicles induced by alkali halide salts

By use of small-angle X-ray scattering it is shown that addition of alkali halide salts in small amounts (0-200 mM) shifts the repeat spacing in multilamellar DC13PC vesicles and alters the anomalous swelling behaviour close to the main transition. Both effects follow the Hofmeister series of the ions. We suggest that the shift of repeat spacing can be explained by ion effects on the van der Waals attractive forces between the membranes and on the decay length of the repulsive hydration force. The anomalous swelling is explained in terms of a critical unbinding of the membranes. The proximity of the critical temperature of the unbinding to the main transition temperature can be tuned by varying the concentration and type of salt in the sample.     

Swelling of a Lecithin Lamellar Phase Induced by Small Carbohydrate Solutes

In this paper, we consider the effect of adding small carbohydrate solutes (small sugars) to DMPC (1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) L_α dispersions and the consequences on the force balance at zero osmotic pressure (maximal swelling). We show the importance of long incubations required to obtain samples at thermodynamic equilibrium where molecular diffusion has been completed. The monotonic increase of maximal swelling versus sugar content occurs as a combined effect of the screening of the van der Waals contribution and fluctuations in the lamellar stacks. According to this new approach, it is shown that changes in dielectric properties result in a much less pronounced effect than entropic forces (undulations) generated by the softening of the membranes at high sugar content. However, this sugar-induced swelling cannot be explained quantitatively by adding an entropic contribution to molecular interactions. Quantitative disagreement between the proposed mechanism and our observations is due either to nonadditivity of molecular interactions with entropic forces or to the relation used to account for the entropic contribution.     

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Model Lipid Membranes: Structural Effects of Impurities

Abstract

The gel to fluid phase transition or ordered to disordered phase transition observed in biological membranes are simulated by using constant energy Molecular Dynamics. The surface part of the membrane is modelled as a two-dimensional matrix formed by the head groups of the phospholipid molecules. Head molecules which are modelled as three spheres fused with three force centers, interact with each other via van der Waals and Coulomb type interactions. The -so called- impurity or foreign molecule embedded in the surface represents the protein type molecule which is present in biological membranes and control its activity. It is modelled as a pentagon having one force centers in each corner. It also interacts with the surface molecules again via van der Waals and Coulomb type interactions. The surface density is kept constant in the simulations of the systems with or without impurity. Structural and orientational changes due to impurity were observed and proved by monitoring two-dimensional order parameter. It has been shown that melting of the surface or breakage of the ordering of the surface molecules becomes easier and ordered to disordered phase transition temperature was lowered by 100 K if the impurity is present.     

Consequences of ions and pH on the supramolecular organization of sphingomyelin and sphingomyelin/cholesterol bilayers

For drug delivery purpose the anticancer drug S12363 was loaded into ESM/Chol-liposomes using either a pH or an ammonium gradient. Association between the drug and the liposome depends markedly on the liposome membrane structure. Thus, ESM and ESM/Chol bilayer organization had been characterized by coupled DSC and XRDT as a function of both cholesterol concentration and aqueous medium composition. ESM bilayers exhibited a ripple lamellar gel phase P(beta') below the melting temperature and adopted a L(beta)-like gel phase upon Chol insertion. Supramolecular organization of ESM and ESM/Chol bilayers was not modified by citrate buffer or ammonium sulfate solution whatever the pH (3< or = pH < or =7). Nevertheless, in ESM bilayer, ammonium sulfate salt induced a peculiar organization of head groups, leading to irregular d-spacing and weakly correlated bilayers. Moreover, in the presence of salts, a weakening of van der Waals attraction forces was seen and led to a swelling of the water layer.     

Differences between non-specific and bio-specific, and between equilibrium and non-equilibrium, interactions in biological systems

The interaction forces between biological molecules and surfaces are much more complex than those between non-biological molecules or surfaces, such as colloidal particle surfaces. This complexity is due to a number of factors: (i) the simultaneous involvement of many different molecules and different non-covalent forces - van der Waals, electrostatic, solvation (hydration, hydrophobic), steric, entropic and 'specific', and (ii) the flexibility of biological macromolecules and fluidity of membranes. Biological interactions are better thought of as 'processes' that evolve in space and time and, under physiological conditions, involve a continuous input of energy. Such systems are, therefore, not at thermodynamic equilibrium, or even tending towards equilibrium. Recent surface forces apparatus (SFA) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements on supported model membrane systems (protein-containing lipid bilayers) illustrate these effects. It is suggested that the major theoretical challenge is to establish manageable theories or models that can describe the spatial and time evolution of systems consisting of different molecules subject to certain starting conditions or energy inputs.     

The membrane volume occupied by anesthetic molecules: A reinterpretation of the erythrocyte expansion data

Seeman and coworkers (Seeman, P. (1972) Pharmacol. Rev. 24, 583–655) calculated that anesthetic agents exapnd membrane volume ten times more than the van der Waals volume of the agent alone. Their calculation was based on the assumption that the thickness of the erythrocyte membrane expands at the same rate as the surface area. However, recent data on bilayer membranes demonstrate that an expansion of membrane surface area is accompanied by a decrease in membrane thickness. A reinterpretation of their erythrocyte area expansion data using an appropriate contraction of membrane thickness suggests the volume in a membrane occupied by anesthetic molecules is approximately equal to their van der Waals volume.     

Regulation of channel function due to physical energetic coupling with a lipid bilayer

Regulation of membrane protein functions due to hydrophobic coupling with a lipid bilayer has been investigated. An energy formula describing interactions between lipid bilayer and integral ion channels with different structures, which is based on the screened Coulomb interaction approximation, has been developed. Here the interaction energy is represented as being due to charge-based interactions between channel and lipid bilayer. The hydrophobic bilayer thickness channel length mismatch is found to induce channel destabilization exponentially while negative lipid curvature linearly. Experimental parameters related to channel dynamics are consistent with theoretical predictions. To measure comparable energy parameters directly in the system and to elucidate the mechanism at an atomistic level we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the ion channel forming peptide–lipid complexes. MD simulations indicate that peptides and lipids experience electrostatic and van der Waals interactions for short period of time when found within each other’s proximity. The energies from these two interactions are found to be similar to the energies derived theoretically using the screened Coulomb and the van der Waals interactions between peptides (in ion channel) and lipids (in lipid bilayer) due to mainly their charge properties. The results of in silico MD studies taken together with experimental observable parameters and theoretical energetic predictions suggest that the peptides induce ion channels inside lipid membranes due to peptide–lipid physical interactions. This study provides a new insight helping better understand of the underlying mechanisms of membrane protein functions in cell membrane leading to important biological implications.     

A crumpled surface having transverse attractive interactions as a simplified model with biological significance

Using extensive analogical simulations with square sheets of paper we investigate the influence of short-range transverse attractive interactions on the packing properties of a crumpled surface. These interactions are due to transverse connections or local bridges associated with a given number of binding sites localized on the two-dimensional surface and distributed in several patterns in the three-dimensional physical space. Geometrical relations and critical exponents describing the statistical properties of the crumpled surface are obtained as a function of the strength of the attractive interactions. Our model suggests how the presence of short-range interactions as, e.g. van der Waals forces can be important for the geometric plasticity of biological molecules, which in turn is important for biological function. The relevance of our results to the study of molecular conformation of proteins and membranes is discussed, and a comparison is also made between the behavior of the crumpled surface studied here and other important non-equilibrium fractal structures.     

Van der Waals locks: loop-n-lock structure of globular proteins

In a globular protein the polypeptide chain returns to itself many times, making numerous chain-to-chain contacts. The stability of these contacts is maintained primarily by van der Waals interactions. In this work we isolated and analysed van der Waals contacts that stabilise spatial structures of nine major folds. We suggest a specific way to identify the tightest contacts of prime importance for the stability of a given crystallized protein and introduce the notion of the van der Waals lock. The loops closed by the van der Waals interactions provide a basically novel view of protein globule organization: the loop-n-lock structure. This opens a new perspective in understanding protein folding as well: the consecutive looping of the polypeptide chain and the locking of the loop ends by tight van der Waals interactions.     

Non-covalent binding of membrane lipids to membrane proteins

Polar lipids and membrane proteins are major components of biological membranes, both cell membranes and membranes of enveloped viruses. How these two classes of membrane components interact with each other to influence the function of biological membranes is a fundamental question that has attracted intense interest since the origins of the field of membrane studies. One of the most powerful ideas that driven the field is the likelihood that lipids bind to membrane proteins at specific sites, modulating protein structure and function. However only relatively recently has high resolution structure determination of membrane proteins progressed to the point of providing atomic level structure of lipid binding sites on membrane proteins. Analysis of X-ray diffraction, electron crystallography and NMR data over 100 specific lipid binding sites on membrane proteins. These data demonstrate tight lipid binding of both phospholipids and cholesterol to membrane proteins. Membrane lipids bind to membrane proteins by their headgroups, or by their acyl chains, or binding is mediated by the entire lipid molecule. When headgroups bind, binding is stabilized by polar interactions between lipid headgroups and the protein. When acyl chains bind, van der Waals effects dominate as the acyl chains adopt conformations that complement particular sites on the rough protein surface. No generally applicable motifs for binding have yet emerged. Previously published biochemical and biophysical data link this binding with function. This Article is Part of a Special Issue Entitled: Membrane Structure and Function: Relevance in the Cell's Physiology, Pathology and Therapy.     

Membrane-Mediated Interactions Measured Using Membrane Domains

Cell membrane organization is the result of the collective effect of many driving forces. Several of these, such as electrostatic and van der Waals forces, have been identified and studied in detail. In this article, we investigate and quantify another force, the interaction between inclusions via deformations of the membrane shape. For electrically neutral systems, this interaction is the dominant organizing force. As a model system to study membrane-mediated interactions, we use phase-separated biomimetic vesicles that exhibit coexistence of liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered lipid domains. The membrane-mediated interactions between these domains lead to a rich variety of effects, including the creation of long-range order and the setting of a preferred domain size. Our findings also apply to the interaction of membrane protein patches, which induce similar membrane shape deformations and hence experience similar interactions.     

Van der Waals forces. Special characteristics in lipid-water systems and a general method of calculation based on the Lifshitz theory

A practical method for examining and calculating van der Waals forces is derived from Lifshitz'' theory. Rather than treat the total van der Waals energy as a sum of pairwise interactions between atoms, the Lifshitz theory treats component materials as continua in which there are electromagnetic fluctuations at all frequencies over the entire body. It is necessary in principle to use total macroscopic dielectric data from component substances to analyze the permitted fluctuations; in practice it is possible to use only partial information to perform satisfactory calculations. The biologically interesting case of lipid-water systems is considered in detail for illustration. The method gives good agreement with measured van der Waals energy of interaction across a lipid film. It appears that fluctuations at infrared frequencies and microwave frequencies are very important although these are usually ignored in preference to UV contributions. “Retardation effects” are such as to damp out high frequency fluctuation contributions; if interaction specificity is due to UV spectra, this will be revealed only at interactions across <200 angstrom (A). Dependence of van der Waals forces on material electric properties is discussed in terms of illustrative numerical calculations.     

Long range intermolecular forces between macroscopic bodies: macroscopic and microscopic approaches.

Van der Waals energies of interaction are calculated by two methods, the macroscopic method of Lifshitz and the microscopic method of London-Casimir and Polder-Hamaker for the case of two semi-infinite slabs separated by a thin film. When retardation effects may be neglected, the London-Hamaker approach yields values of dispersion interactions which almost coincide with those of the Lifshitz approach, the magnitude of the former values being larger by approximately 10–25%, which is attributed to the effect of the molecular environment in condensed media. At 50–100 Å film thicknesses where retardation effects are small, dispersion terms are generally the major part of van der Waals forces in the Lifshitz formulation. Hence, for 50–100 Å film thicknesses the Hamaker approach, which only includes dispersion interactions is generally adequate. By accounting for retardation effects, which significantly reduce the magnitude of dispersion interactions at several hundred Å, there is a reasonable agreement between the values obtained by the macroscopic and microscopic approaches. When polar substances are present and for film thicknesses of several hundred Å, where dispersion interactions are significantly reduced, the major contribution to van der Waals forces may arise from orientation and induction terms. For such cases the Hamaker approach may lead to critical underestimates of the calculated magnitude of van der Waals forces. An ad hoc way to overcome this difficulty which is applicable to any geometry is proposed. This study presents a simple procedure for the determination of free energies of interaction between macroscopic bodies of various shapes. The procedure, which is applicable when the molecules of bodies and surrounding medium are isotropic, yields results which closely approximate those obtained with the Lifshitz theory.     

Direct measurements of forces between phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine bilayers in aqueous electrolyte solutions

We report direct measurements of the full interbilayer force laws (force vs. distance) between bilayers of various phosphatidylcholines and phosphatidylethanolamine in aqueous solutions. Bilayers were first deposited on molecularly smooth (mica) surfaces and the interbilayer forces then measured at a resolution of 1 A. Three types of forces were identified: attractive van der Waals forces, repulsive electrostatic (double-layer) forces, and (at short range) repulsive steric hydration forces. Double-layer forces, which arise from ion binding, were insignificant in monovalent salt solutions, e.g., NaCl up to 1 M, but were already present in solutions containing millimolar levels of CaCl2 and MgCl2, giving rise to forces in excellent agreement with theory. Ca2+ binds more strongly than Mg2+, and both bind less to lecithin bilayers in the fluid state (T greater than Tc). The plane of charge coincides with the location of the negative phosphate groups, while the effective plane of origin of the van der Waals force is 4-5 A farther out. In water, the adhesion energies are in the range 0.10-0.15 erg/cm2 for lecithins and approximately 0.8 erg/cm2 for phosphatidylethanolamine. The adhesion energies vary on addition of salt due to changes in the repulsive double-layer and hydration forces rather than to a change in the attractive van der Waals force. The short-range repulsive forces which balance the van der Waals force at separations of 10-30 A are due to a combination of hydration and steric repulsions, the latter arising from thermal motions of head groups and thickness fluctuations of fluid bilayers (above Tc). It is also concluded that bilayer fusion is not simply related to the interbilayer force law.     

Phospholipase A2 as a mechanosensor.

Osmotic swelling of large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) causes membrane stretching and thus reduces the lateral packing of lipids. This is demonstrated to modulate strongly the catalytic activity of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) toward a fluorescent phospholipid, 1-palmitoyl-2-[(6-pyren-1-yl)]decanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PPDPC) residing in LUVs composed of different unsaturated and saturated phosphatidylcholines. The magnitude of the osmotic pressure gradient delta omega required for maximal PLA2 activity as well as the extent of activation depend on the degree of saturation of the membrane phospholipid acyl chains. More specifically, delta omega needed for maximal hydrolytic activity increases in the sequence DOPC < SOPC < DMPC in accordance with the increment in the intensity of chain-chain van der Waals interactions. Previous studies on the hydrolysis of substrate monolayers by C. adamanteus and N. naja PLA2 revealed maximal hydrolytic rates for these two enzymes to be achieved at lipid packing densities corresponding to surface pressures of 12 and 18 mN m-1, respectively. In keeping with the above the magnitudes of delta omega producing maximal activity of Crotalus adamanteus and Naja naja toward PPDPC/DMPC LUVs were 40 and 20 mOsm/kg, respectively. Our findings suggest a novel possibility of regulating the activity of PLA2 and perhaps also other lipid packing density-dependent enzymes in vivo by osmotic forces applied on cellular membranes. Importantly, our results reveal serendipitously that the responsiveness of membranes to osmotic stress is modulated by the acyl chain composition of the lipids.     

The stacking of chloroplast thylakoids: Quantitative analysis of the balance of forces between thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts,and the role of divalent cations

An analysis is made of the van der Waals dispersion attractive forces and electrostatic repulsive forces between the grana thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts. These forces are determined for negatively charged surfaces with a pK_a value of 4.7 for a bulk pH of 7.0 with a range of mono- and divalent cation concentrations and intermembrane spacing in the range 10 to 80 Å. For equilibrium under dark conditions, it is concluded that either there is extensive electrostatic binding of divalent cations (Mg²⁺) to the negatively charged membrane groups (phospholipid, sulfolipid, and protein carboxyl), or a redistribution of these groups between stacked and unstacked regions must be invoked.     

Computational studies of the binding mechanisms of fullerenes to human serum albumin

Fullerene and its derivatives show promising prospects for applications in a vast array of biological systems. A key aspect concerning their biomedical applications is how they interact with proteins from molecular levels, which is still poorly understood. In the current study, we investigated the structural and thermodynamic basis of the interactions between two pharmacologically relevant fullerene derivatives and human serum albumin (HSA) using molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and binding free energy calculations. Our results demonstrate that fullerenes steadily bind with HSA at the interfacial cavity formed by subdomains IIA and IIIA. In agreement with available experimental data, our simulations show that the global structure of HSA becomes more compact in the presence of fullerene, while local structural dynamics of the binding cavity behaves diversely depending on the chemical properties of bound fullerenes. Binding free energy calculations confirmed that the interactions between fullerenes and HSA are dominantly stabilized by van der Waals forces and they further allowed the identification of key residues involved in fullerene binding. The structural and energetic insights obtained from this work may help for the development of fullerene-based drug delivery devices and therapeutic agents with improved biological profile.     

Many-atom van der Waals interactions lead to direction-sensitive interactions of covalent bonds

Strict physical theory and numerical calculations show that a specific coupling of many-atom van der Waals interactions with covalent bonding can significantly (half as much) increase the strength of attractive dispersion interactions when the direction of interaction coincides with the direction of the covalent bond, and decrease this strength when the direction of interaction is perpendicular to the direction of the covalent bond. The energy effect is comparable to that caused by the replacement of atoms (e.g. N by C or O) in conventional pairwise van der Waals interactions. Analysis of protein structures shows that they bear an imprint of this effect. This means that many-atom van der Waals interactions cannot be ignored in refinement of protein structures, in simulations of their folding, and in prediction of their binding affinities.     

Statistical thermodynamics of membrane bending-mediated protein-protein attractions

Highly wedge-shaped integral membrane proteins, or membrane-adsorbed proteins can induce long-ranged deformations. The strain in the surrounding bilayer creates relatively long-ranged forces that contribute to interactions with nearby proteins. In contrast, to direct short-ranged interactions such as van der Waal's, hydrophobic, or electrostatic interactions, both local membrane Gaussian curvature and protein ellipticity can induce forces acting at distances of up to a few times their typical radii. These forces can be attractive or repulsive, depending on the proteins' shape, height, contact angle with the bilayer, and a pre-existing local membrane curvature. Although interaction energies are not pairwise additive, for sufficiently low protein density, thermodynamic properties depend only upon pair interactions. Here, we compute pair interaction potentials and entropic contributions to the two-dimensional osmotic pressure of a collection of noncircular proteins. For flat membranes, bending rigidities of approximately 100k(B)T, moderate ellipticities, and large contact angle proteins, we find thermally averaged attractive interactions of order k(B)T. These interactions may play an important role in the intermediate stages of protein aggregation. Numerous biological processes where membrane bending-mediated interactions may be relevant are cited, and possible experiments are discussed.