Comparison of fluorescence energy transfer and quenching methods to establish the position and orientation of components within the transverse plane of the lipid bilayer. Application to the gramicidin A--bilayer interaction.

Fluorescence quenching and resonance energy transfer methods have been used to investigate the position of fluorophores in the lateral and transverse planes of the lipid bilayer. A series of n-(9-anthroyloxy) fatty acids (n = 2, 6, 9, and 12) have been used as energy-transfer acceptors so that apparent transfer distances from a membrane-bound donor (N-stearoyltryptophan) have a transverse as well as a lateral component. Both theory and experiment show that the energy-transfer method is not precise enough to discriminate between the positions of the fluorophores in the transverse plane of the bilayer. The n-(9-anthroyloxy) fatty acids are also susceptible to quenching by the indole moiety of tryptophan. The relative quenching efficiency can provide a semiquantitative measure of the position of quenching molecules in the lipid bilayer. The quenching techniques are applied to the determination of the orientation of gramicidin A in lipid bilayers. The tryptophan residues of gramicidin appear to be located near the membrane surface in agreement with the head-to-head dimeric structure proposed by D. W. Urry et al. [(1971) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 68, 672--676].     

Chlorinated hydrocarbon-cell membrane interactions studied by the fluorescence quenching of carbazole-labeled phospholipids: Probe synthesis and characterization of the quenching methodology

In recognition of the need to understand better the interactions of the chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides with cell membranes we investigated the use of fluorescence quenching of membrane-bound fluorophores by these chlorinated hydrocarbons. An extensive survey of potential fluorophores identified the N-alkyl derivatives of carbazole as being especially suitable fluorophores. The fluorescence emission of these derivatives is quenched by a wide variety of commonly-used chlorinated hydrocarbons. This quenching is collisional and does not result in significant photodecomposition.Four structurally distinct carbazole-labeled phospholipids were synthesized, and their structures were confirmed by 270 MHz proton NMR and by chromatographic and chemical means. The carbazole moiety of each labeled phospholipid should be localized at a different depth in lipid bilayer. However, water soluble quenchers indicate that the fluorophores are inaccessible to the aqueous phase, irrespective of their point of attachment to the phospholipids.When incorporated into lipid bilayers, the fluorescence lifetime of these carbazole-labeled phospholipids reveals the collisional frequency between the fluorophore and the chlorinated hydrocarbon. As a result quenching of membrane-bound fluorophores may be used to measure: (1) the diffusional rate of the chlorinated hydrocarbon in the bilayer; (2) the lipid-water partition coefficient; (3) the maximum binding capacity of the membrane for the chlorinated hydrocarbon. Examples of all these measurements are given, and the fluorometric results are confirmed by direct chemical analysis.     

Structural study of melanocortin peptides by fluorescence spectroscopy: identification of beta-(2-naphthyl)-D-alanine as a fluorescent probe

Several cyclic disulfide alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) analogues containing the aromatic fluorescent amino acid beta-(2-naphthyl)-D-alanine (D-Nal) have high affinity and selectivity for the melanocortin (MC)-4 receptor. Considering the possible relevant role played by the lipid phase in the peptide-receptor interaction, the structures of two cyclic alpha-MSH analogues, containing both Trp and D-Nal fluorophores, were investigated by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, in aqueous solution and in the presence of dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol (DMPG) vesicles, and compared with that of the natural peptide. The amino acid D-Nal gives a unique de-excitation fluorescence profile, with an excited state lifetime much longer than those of Trp, allowing good distinction between the two fluorophores. The cyclic analogues' aqueous structures seem to be adequate for membrane penetration, as Trp fluorescence indicates that, in both aqueous and lipid media, the Trp environment in the cyclic peptides is similar to that of alpha-MSH when incorporated in lipid bilayers. Trp, in the cyclic analogues, seems to penetrate deeper in the bilayer than in the native peptide. The amino acid D-Nal was also found to penetrate deep into the lipid bilayer, having its excited-state lifetime drastically changed from aqueous solution to lipid medium. The present work shows that D-Nal may serve as a fluorescent probe for studies of MC peptides and suggests that the high affinity and selectivity of the cyclic peptides to the MC4 membrane receptor could be related to their deeper penetration into the bilayer core.     

Ethanol causes decreased partitioning into biological membranes without changes in lipid order

One of the adaptive responses of cell membranes to chronic ethanol consumption is the acquisition of a resistance to fluidization or disordering of the lipids by ethanol in vitro and a reduced partitioning of ethanol into the membrane (membrane tolerance). The degree to which the effects on partitioning and lipid disordering share common features has not previously been explored and in addition the relevance of the value of lipid order in the absence of added ethanol (baseline lipid order) to membrane tolerance has not been established. The location in the bilayer and the nature of the modification underlying these effects is also unknown. The effect of chronic ethanol treatment was examined using 5-doxyl decane as a model hydrophobic compound. Its partitioning into the membranes was determined by utilizing its ability to quench fluorophores (1,6-diphenyl-2,3,5-hexatriene and 3- and 12-anthroyl stearates) by collisional quenching. The partition coefficient of 5-doxyl decane into the bilayer central region was reduced as a result of the chronic ethanol treatment. The effect could also be demonstrated in vesicles of phospholipids and was lost 4 days after withdrawal of the ethanol from the diet. These results closely parallel those relating to resistance to lipid disordering and suggest that both techniques detect a common modification. Lipid order was assessed using fluorescence anisotropy measurements of a range of fluorophores, including those used to determine the partitioning properties of the membrane. No effect of chronic ethanol treatment on lipid order was found, either in the intact membranes or in vesicles of extracted phospholipids. This suggests that changes in baseline order are not critical features of membrane tolerance in liver microsomes. In addition it appears that the altered partitioning of the 5-doxyl decane into the central region of the membrane is not related to lipid order changes in this region. The reduced partitioning of 5-doxyl decane may be a reflection of a redistribution in the lipid bilayer, perhaps due to modifications in other locations in the membrane, such as the lipid head group region.     

Effects of the components of Newcastle disease virus on the structural order of lipid assemblies

The membrane M-protein of Newcastle disease virus is localized directly beneath the lipid bilayer. Although this protein is the major constituent of the virus, its structural relationship to the lipid or to the other viral component hemagglutininneuraminidase, the so called HN-glycoprotein, is still unknown. The effects of either M-protein alone or both M-protein and HN-glycoprotein on the lipid assemblies in reconstituted liposomes were determined by differential polarized phase fluorometry, steady-state fluorescence anisotropy and emission lifetime measurements.It is demonstrated that the degree of rotation of fluorophores in reconstituted liposomes is restricted by the molecular packing of lipids in the bilayer and this in turn can be correlated with the structural order of the lipids in the membrane. The experimental results show that the structural order parameters calculated from the fluorescence measurements are strongly influenced by the presence of both M-protein and HN-glycoprotein in the lipid assemblies.     

Effect of hydrostatic pressure on water penetration and rotational dynamics in phospholipid-cholesterol bilayers.

The effect of high hydrostatic pressure on the lipid bilayer hydration, the mean order parameter, and rotational dynamics of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) cholesterol vesicles has been studied by time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy up to 1500 bar. Whereas the degree of hydration in the lipid headgroup and interfacial region was assessed from fluorescence lifetime data using the probe 1-(4-trimethylammonium-phenyl)-6-phenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (TMA-DPH), the corresponding information in the upper acyl chain region was estimated from its effect on the fluorescence lifetime of and 3-(diphenylhexatrienyl)propyl-trimethylammonium (TMAP-DPH). The lifetime data indicate a greater level of interfacial hydration for DPPC bilayers than for POPC bilayers, but there is no marked difference in interchain hydration of the two bilayer systems. The addition of cholesterol at levels from 30 to 50 mol% to DPPC has a greater effect on the increase of hydrophobicity in the interfacial region of the bilayer than the application of hydrostatic pressure of several hundred to 1000 bar. Although the same trend is observed in the corresponding system, POPC/30 mol% cholesterol, the observed effects are markedly less pronounced. Whereas the rotational correlation times of the fluorophores decrease in passing the pressure-induced liquid-crystalline to gel phase transition of DPPC, the wobbling diffusion coefficient remains essentially unchanged. The wobbling diffusion constant of the two fluorophores changes markedly upon incorporation of 30 mol% cholesterol, and increases at higher pressures, also in the case of POPC/30 mol% cholesterol. The observed effects are discussed in terms of changes in the rotational characteristics of the fluorophores and the phase-state of the lipid mixture. The results demonstrate the ability of cholesterol to adjust the structural and dynamic properties of membranes composed of different phospholipid components, and to efficiently regulate the motional freedom and hydrophobicity of membranes, so that they can withstand even drastic changes in environmental conditions, such as high external hydrostatic pressure.     

Hydration at the membrane protein-lipid interface.

Evidence has been found for the existence water at the protein-lipid hydrophobic interface of the membrane proteins, gramicidin and apocytochrome C, using two related fluorescence spectroscopic approaches. The first approach exploited the fact that the presence of water in the excited state solvent cage of a fluorophore increases the rate of decay. For 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) and 1-palmitoyl-2-[[2-[4-(6-phenyl-trans-1,3,5- hexatrienyl)phenyl]ethyl]carbonyl]-3-sn-PC (DPH-PC), where the fluorophores are located in the hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer, the introduction of gramicidin reduced the fluorescence lifetime, indicative of an increased presence of water in the bilayer. Since a high protein:lipid ratio was used, the fluorophores were forced to be adjacent to the protein hydrophobic surface, hence the presence of water in this region could be inferred. Cholesterol is known to reduce the water content of lipid bilayers and this effect was maintained at the protein-lipid interface with both gramicidin and apocytochrome C, again suggesting hydration in this region. The second approach was to use the fluorescence enhancement induced by exchanging deuterium oxide (D2O) for H2O. Both the fluorescence intensities of trimethylammonium-DPH, located in the lipid head group region, and of the gramicidin intrinsic tryptophans were greater in a D2O buffer compared with H2O, showing that the fluorophores were exposed to water in the bilayer at the protein-lipid interface. In the presence of cholesterol the fluorescence intensity ratio of D2O to H2O decreased, indicating a removal of water by the cholesterol, in keeping with the lifetime data.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The transmembrane protein bacterioopsin affects the polarity of the hydrophobic core of the host lipid bilayer.

Influence of the transmembrane protein bacterioopsin (the retinal-free form of bacteriorhodopsin) on the polarity of egg-phosphatidylcholine bilayers was studied by means of a steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence approach exploiting the solvatochromic properties of the 2-anthroyl fluorophore. Introduced in phosphatidylcholine molecules in the form of 8-(2-anthroyl)octanoic acid, this fluorophore probed the hydrocarbon core of the lipid bilayer. As previously shown (E. Pérochon et al., Biochemistry 31 (1992) 7672-7682), water molecules were detected in this region of the terminal part of the lipid acyl chains. Their number was considerably reduced upon addition of bacterioopsin to the lipids. This was assessed by a blue shift in the fluorescence emission spectra of the probe and a marked decrease in the fractional population of fluorophores interacting with water, to the benefit of those experiencing a hydrophobic environment. In agreement with current theories, this decrease in the hydration of the bilayer may be linked to an increase in the acyl chain order and a decrease in the lateral diffusion coefficient of lipids near the protein. The data obtained at high protein concentration accounts for a protein/lipid interface which is much less hydrated than the hydrophobic core of a protein-free lipid bilayer.     

Interaction of trans-parinaric acid with phosphatidylcholine bilayers: comparison with the effect of other fluorophores

The effect of the fluorophore trans-parinaric acid on the structure of lipid bilayer was studied and compared with the effect of other 'perturbants'. These include commonly used fluorophores (diphenylhexatriene, heptadecylhydroxycoumarin, cis-parinaric acid and two fatty acids, palmitic and oleic acids). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance techniques were used to evaluate structural changes in the lipid bilayers. The thermodynamic parameters of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine multilamellar vesicles obtained from the DSC thermograms suggest that trans-parinaric acid differs from the other 'perturbants'. trans-Parinaric acid has the most pronounced impact on the Tm, the width (delta T1/2) and the index of asymmetry of the main gel to liquid crystalline phase transition without any effect on its transition, delta H. The presence of trans-parinaric acid in the lipid bilayer of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine small unilamellar vesicles influences the chemical shift difference between the choline protons of phosphatidylcholine molecules present in the two leaflets of the vesicle bilayer (delta delta H). This suggests that trans-parinaric acid affects the head group packing in the bilayer. Its main effect is abolishing the major alterations in head group packing that occur through the phase transition. The above data indicate that trans-parinaric acid is concentrated in the gel phase domains, whereby it stabilizes the phase separation between the gel and liquid crystalline phases, probably by affecting lipid molecules present in the boundary regions between these two domain types.     

Quantitative fluorescence microscopy using supported lipid bilayer standards

Routine quantitative analysis of biomolecule surface density by fluorescence microscopy has been limited by the difficulty of preparing appropriate calibration standards that relate measured fluorescence intensity to actual surface concentration. Supported lipid bilayers are planar fluid films of uniform density and composition which can incorporate a variety of lipidated fluorophores and work well as fluorescence standards. Here, we outline a straightforward strategy to calibrate digital micrographs of fluorescent surfaces such as planar cellular junctions for comparison to supported bilayer standards. It can be implemented with standard microscopy equipment. To illustrate the advantages of this approach, we quantify cell- and bilayer-side protein density patterns in a hybrid immunological synapse between a T-cell and a supported bilayer.     

Investigating the interactions of the 18 kDa translocator protein and its ligand PK11195 in planar lipid bilayers

The functional effects of a drug ligand may be due not only to an interaction with its membrane protein target, but also with the surrounding lipid membrane. We have investigated the interaction of a drug ligand, PK11195, with its primary protein target, the integral membrane 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO), and model membranes using Langmuir monolayers, quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) and neutron reflectometry (NR). We found that PK11195 is incorporated into lipid monolayers and lipid bilayers, causing a decrease in lipid area/molecule and an increase in lipid bilayer rigidity. NR revealed that PK11195 is incorporated into the lipid chain region at a volume fraction of ~ 10%. We reconstituted isolated mouse TSPO into a lipid bilayer and studied its interaction with PK11195 using QCM-D, which revealed a larger than expected frequency response and indicated a possible conformational change of the protein. NR measurements revealed a TSPO surface coverage of 23% when immobilised to a modified surface via its polyhistidine tag, and a thickness of 51 Å for the TSPO layer. These techniques allowed us to probe both the interaction of TSPO with PK11195, and PK11195 with model membranes. It is possible that previously reported TSPO-independent effects of PK11195 are due to incorporation into the lipid bilayer and alteration of its physical properties. There are also implications for the variable binding profiles observed for TSPO ligands, as drug–membrane interactions may contribute to the apparent affinity of TSPO ligands.     

Numerical studies of the membrane fluorescent dyes dynamics in ground and excited states

Fluorescence methods are widely used in studies of biological and model membranes. The dynamics of membrane fluorescent markers in their ground and excited electronic states and correlations with their molecular surrounding within the fully hydrated phospholipid bilayer are still not well understood. In the present work, Quantum Mechanical (QM) calculations and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations are used to characterize location and interactions of two membrane polarity probes (Prodan; 6-propionyl-2-dimethylaminonaphthalene and its derivative Laurdan; 2-dimethylamino-6-lauroylnaphthalene) with the dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) lipid bilayer model. MD simulations with fluorophores in ground and excited states are found to be a useful tool to analyze the fluorescent dye dynamics and their immediate vicinity. The results of QM calculations and MD simulations are in excellent agreement with available experimental data. The calculation shows that the two amphiphilic dyes initially placed in bulk water diffuse within 10 ns towards their final location in the lipid bilayer. Analysis of solvent relaxation process in the aqueous phase occurs on the picoseconds timescale whereas it takes nanoseconds at the lipid/water interface. Four different relaxation time constants, corresponding to different relaxation processes, where observed when the dyes were embedded into the membrane.     

Organization and dynamics of NBD-labeled lipids in lipid bilayer analyzed by FRET using the small membrane fluorescent probe AHBA as donor

Fluorescent probes are employed to investigate natural and model membranes. It is important to know probe location and extent of perturbations they cause into the lipid bilayer. Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) is a useful tool to investigate phenomena involving plasma membranes, and reports in literature used relatively large fluorophores like 1,6-diphenylhexatriene, located at the center of the hydrophobic region, 4-aminophthalimide-based molecules located at lipid/water interfaces and BODIPY-labeled phosphatidylcholine. In this work we explored FRET process in 1,2-dimyristoyl-L-α-GPC large unilamellar vesicles, in gel and fluid phase, using as donor the very small group o-Abz bound to hexadecyl chain (2-amino-N-hexadecyl-benzamide - AHBA) and 7-nitro-2-1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl (NBD) labeled lipids as acceptor. From the intensity decay of donor in presence of acceptors, the FRET efficiency was calculated, and used to fit the model proposed by Fung and Stryer to that efficiency. Using lipid bilayer structural data, the procedure allowed the determination of Förster distance for each donor-acceptor pair in vesicles, without imposing any value for the orientational factor κ². From distance distributions between o-Abz in AHBA and NBD in lipid bilayer obtained using the program CONTIN, we obtained donor-acceptor populations having different separation distances. The populations reflect the occurrence of FRET involving probes in the same or in opposite leaflet. A dynamic picture emerged showing how relative position of the probes is dependent on the structural thermal phase of the DMPC bilayer. The results emphasize the need of careful analysis in order to understand processes involving fluorescent probes in model membranes.     

Calcium alters the acyl chain composition and lipid fluidity of rat hepatocyte plasma membranes in vitro

Calcium ion decreases the lipid fluidity of isolated rat hepatocyte plasma membranes by modulating the activity of membrane enzymes which alter the lipid composition. To explore the mechanism of the effect of the cation, eight fluorophores were used to assess lipid fluidity via estimations of either steady-state fluorescence polarization or excimer fluorescence intensity. The results demonstrate that the reduction in fluidity occurs in the hydrophobic interior of the bilayer and that both the dynamic and static (lipid order) components of fluidity are affected by treatment with calcium. Analysis of the membrane lipids demonstrates that calcium treatment decreases the arachidonic acid content of the polar lipid fraction and, thereby, reduces the double-bond index of the fatty acids. This change in composition, which is expected to reduce the lipid fluidity, may result from activation by calcium of the endogenous hepatocyte plasma membrane phospholipase A2.     

Mobility of fluorescent probe molecules in lipid bilayer vesicles as studied by steady-state and time-dependent nuclear Overhauser effect measurements in 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

In order to elucidate the mobilities of the fluorophores of fluorescent 2- and 16-(9-anthroyloxy)palmitic acids (16-AP and 2-AP, respectively) in lipid bilayer vesicles, the steady-state and time-dependent nuclear Overhauser effects in ¹H-NMR spectroscopy, but not the fluorescence depolarization in fluorescence spectroscopy, have been measured. The steady-state nuclear Overhauser effect measurements showed an appreciable magnitude of negative nuclear Overhauser effects between the resonances due to the fluorophores of the two fluorescent probes and lipids. These results definitely mean that in lipid bilayers, the fluorophores (anthroyloxy ring) of the fluorescent probes experience other types of motions with much longer correlation times than those detected by the fluorescence depolarization measurements, since at the correlation time showed by the fluorescent method (1–2 · 10⁻⁹ s or less), no such transfer of the negative nuclear Overhauser effects is expected to occur. The correlation times of the fluorophores, as calculated from the cross-relaxation rates of the anthroyl ring protons of 16-AP and 2-AP, were 3.8 · 10⁻⁸ and 1.1 · 10⁻⁷ s, respectively. These values, respectively, compare favorably with those of the terminal methyl of acyl chains and the choline methyl carbons which were estimated by ¹³C T₂ relaxation times. Thus, it is concluded that the fluorophores of both 16-AP and 2-AP have a slow form of motion which moves with a similar time scale to those of lipids in addition to the faster one that causes fluorescence depolarization.     

Fluorescence coupling across lipid bilayer membranes

Summary An energy transfer between donor and acceptor fluorophores across single lipid bilayer membranes is demonstrated. Anilino-naphthalene sulfonate is used as the donor chromophore: its fluorescence is enhanced by the presence of lipid and thus indicates association with the purely lipid membranes of our preparation of vesicles in suspension. Light emit ted by the donor molecules excites fluorescence of acriflavine, a suitable acceptor enclosed inside the vesicles. Absorption and fluorescence spectra of this system, in its components and as a whole, are presented in evidence for an energy transfer.Supported by a grant from the Medical Research Council of Canada. The results of this work were presented, in part, at the 17th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society, February 27–March 2, 1973, Columbus, Ohio.Scholar of the Medical Research Council of Canada.     

Fluorescence probe partitioning between Lo/Ld phases in lipid membranes

Fluorescence microscopy imaging is an important technique for studying lipid membranes and is increasingly being used for examining lipid bilayer membranes, especially those showing macroscopic coexisting domains. Lipid phase coexistence is a phenomenon of potential biological significance. The identification of lipid membrane heterogeneity by fluorescence microscopy relies on membrane markers with well-defined partitioning behavior. While the partitioning of fluorophores between gel and liquid-disordered phases has been extensively characterized, the same is not true for coexisting liquid phases. We have used fluorescence microscopy imaging to examine a large variety of lipid membrane markers for their liquid phase partitioning in membranes with various lipid compositions. Most fluorescent lipid analogs are found to partition strongly into the liquid-disordered (L_d) phase. In contrast, some fluorescent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with a flat ring system were found to partition equally, but others partition preferentially into liquid-ordered (L_o) phases. We have found these fluorescent markers effective for identification of coexisting macroscopic membrane phases in ternary lipid systems composed of phospholipids and cholesterol.     

Fluorescence probe partitioning between Lo/Ld phases in lipid membranes

Fluorescence microscopy imaging is an important technique for studying lipid membranes and is increasingly being used for examining lipid bilayer membranes, especially those showing macroscopic coexisting domains. Lipid phase coexistence is a phenomenon of potential biological significance. The identification of lipid membrane heterogeneity by fluorescence microscopy relies on membrane markers with well-defined partitioning behavior. While the partitioning of fluorophores between gel and liquid-disordered phases has been extensively characterized, the same is not true for coexisting liquid phases. We have used fluorescence microscopy imaging to examine a large variety of lipid membrane markers for their liquid phase partitioning in membranes with various lipid compositions. Most fluorescent lipid analogs are found to partition strongly into the liquid-disordered (L(d)) phase. In contrast, some fluorescent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with a flat ring system were found to partition equally, but others partition preferentially into liquid-ordered (L(o)) phases. We have found these fluorescent markers effective for identification of coexisting macroscopic membrane phases in ternary lipid systems composed of phospholipids and cholesterol.     

Sphingomyelin composition and physical asymmetries in native acetylcholine receptor-rich membranes

Selective enzymatic hydrolysis, lipid compositional analyses, and fluorescence studies have been carried out on acetylcholine receptor (AChR)-rich membranes from Torpedinidae to investigate the topology of sphingomyelin (SM) in the native membrane and its relationship with the AChR protein. Controlled sphingomyelinase hydrolysis of native membranes showed that SM is predominantly (approximately 60%) localized in the outer half of the lipid bilayer. Differences were also observed in the distribution of SM fatty acid molecular species in the two bilayer leaflets. A fluorescent SM derivative ( N-[10-(1-pyrenyl)decanoyl]sphingomyelin; Py-SM) was used to study protein-lipid interactions in the AChR-rich membrane and in affinity-purified Torpedo AChR reconstituted in liposomes made from Torpedo electrocyte lipid extracts. The efficiency of F?rster resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the protein to the pyrenyl-labeled lipid as a function of acceptor surface density was used to estimate distances and topography of the SM derivative relative to the protein. The dynamics of the lipid acyl chains were explored by measuring the thermal dependence of Py-SM excimer formation, sensitive to the fluidity of the membrane. Differences were observed in the concentration dependence of excimer/monomer pyrenyl fluorescence when measured by direct excitation of the probe as against under FRET conditions, indicating differences in the intermolecular collisional frequency of the fluorophores between bulk and protein-vicinal lipid environments, respectively. Py-SM exhibited a moderate selectivity for the protein-vicinal lipid domain, with a calculated relative affinity K(r) approximately 0.55. Upon sphingomyelinase digestion of the membrane, FRET efficiency increased by about 50%, indicating that the resulting pyrenyl-ceramide species have higher affinity for the protein than the parental SM derivative.     

Characterization of a New Series of Fluorescent Probes for Imaging Membrane Order

Visualization and quantification of lipid order is an important tool in membrane biophysics and cell biology, but the availability of environmentally sensitive fluorescent membrane probes is limited. Here, we present the characterization of the novel fluorescent dyes PY3304, PY3174 and PY3184, whose fluorescence properties are sensitive to membrane lipid order. In artificial bilayers, the fluorescence emission spectra are red-shifted between the liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered phases. Using ratiometric imaging we demonstrate that the degree of membrane order can be quantitatively determined in artificial liposomes as well as live cells and intact, live zebrafish embryos. Finally, we show that the fluorescence lifetime of the dyes is also dependent on bilayer order. These probes expand the current palate of lipid order-sensing fluorophores affording greater flexibility in the excitation/emission wavelengths and possibly new opportunities in membrane biology.