Interaction of membrane phospholipids with some DNA substructures studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry.

The interaction of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, dipalmitoylphosphatidic acid and dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine with some DNA substructures such as cytidine, uridine, adenosine 5'di- and triphosphate, guanosine 5'mono- and diphosphate, cytidine 5'mono- and triphosphate, uridine 5'mono- and triphosphate and inosine 5'monophosphate was studied with differential scanning calorimetry. The dependence of pretransition and main transition temperatures and the enthalpy of main transition on the molecular characteristics of the interacting molecular species was calculated by stepwise regression analysis. Nucleosides and nucleotides increased the main transition temperature and peak half width of phospholipids and they decreased the enthalpy of main transition proving the existence of interaction between phospholipids and DNA substructures. Calculation proved that the interaction is mainly of hydrophilic character but the involvement of hydrophobic forces or steric conditions cannot be ruled out.