DOPC,DOPE和神经酰胺对鞘磷脂/胆固醇双层膜结构的影响

用LB技术和原子力显微镜(AFM)研究了1,2-二油酸甘油-3-磷脂酰胆碱(DOPC)、1,2-二油酸甘油-3-磷脂酰乙醇胺(DOPE)和神经酰胺(Ceramide)对鞘磷脂(SM)/胆固醇(Chol)结构的影响. 实验结果表明, 在表面压力较低时, 每种混合脂双层膜都呈现均匀分布的脂双层结构. 随着表面压力的增加, 形态发生了明显的变化: (1) SM/Chol二元组分双层膜形成均一的液态有序相微区结构, 衬底覆盖率达到80%; (2) DOPC的加入促使SM/Chol双层膜出现相分离现象, SM/Chol形成的液态有序相 “岛状” 微区结构漂浮在液态无序相的DOPC上部, 约占总面积的30%; (3) DOPE与SM/Chol形成的双层膜明显不同于DOPC/SM/Chol, 呈现出液态无序相、液态有序相及凝胶相3相共存的结构; (4) Ceramide诱导了SM/Chol双层膜结构发生重排, 两层脂分子间发生翻转形成囊泡结构, 部分神经酰胺从液态有序相中分离形成小颗粒结构. 在较高膜压下, 各系统都呈现出具有特定形态的双层膜结构. 分子官能团的成键能力决定了双层膜形态结构.     

DOPC/DPPC单层膜中分子间的相互作用及形态特征

利用Langmuir-Blodgett(LB)技术制备了不同表面压力下的1,2-二油酸-甘油-3-磷脂酰胆碱(DOPC)/1,2-二棕榈酸甘油-3-磷脂酰胆碱(DPPC)(摩尔比为1:1)和DOPC/DPPC/Chol(摩尔比为2:2:1)单层膜, 对单层膜内分子间的相互作用进行了热力学分析, 并用荧光显微镜和原子力显微镜对其形态进行了观测.热力学分析表明, DOPC与DPPC分子在单层膜结构中相互作用为排斥力, 诱导单层膜出现相变; DOPC, DPPC与胆固醇(Chol)间的相互作用均为吸引力, 当表面压力(π)大于18 mN/m时, DPPC与胆固醇的作用力大于DOPC.荧光显微镜观测表明, DOPC/DPPC单层膜出现明显相分离现象, 富含DPPC微区成“花形”结构, 且随着表面压力的升高微区逐渐增大, “花瓣”增多; 当胆固醇加入到DOPC/DPPC体系时, 单层膜相态由液相与凝胶相共存转变为液态无序相与液态有序相共存结构, 富含DPPC的微区形状从“花形”转变成“圆形”.原子力显微镜对单层膜的表征验证了荧光显微镜的观测结果, 表明胆固醇加入到DOPC/DPPC体系中对单层膜排列具有明显的影响, 压力和溶液状态等是影响脂膜结构的重要因素.     

脂筏微区超分子聚集体结构的稳定性

生物膜中脂筏微区结构的动态特征与稳定性决定着生物膜的功能。通过从动物细胞提取脂筏,实验不但观测到质膜微囊烧瓶状凹陷结构,而且还观测到大量的球状和椭球状结构.通过模拟脂筏微区结构,重点对二元体系和三元体系的超分子聚集体结构的多形性进行了研究和探索。研究发现随着表面压力的增加,鞘磷脂和胆固醇双层膜出现了紧密聚集不规则的微区结构,在 SM/Chol/DOPC双层膜中,SM/Chol形成的微区结构漂浮在液态DOPC小颗粒上部。当 DOPE加入到SM/Chol中,三种成份形成不稳定的双层膜结构.Ceramide促进了SM/Chol结构发生重排,微区形状从原来的不规则向着紧密聚集的圆形结构演变;混合单层膜的分子面积与表面吉布斯自由能决定了分子间的相互作用, 当过量分子面积与过量吉布斯自由能为负值时,分子间相互作用表现为吸引力, 出现凝聚现象; 为正值时,分子间相互作用表现为排斥力, 促使单层膜出现相分离现象. 过量吉布斯自由能值越小, 单层膜的热稳定性越高.通过动物细胞提取脂筏与体外模拟脂筏相结合的方法,从超分子水平阐述了脂筏微区结构与功能的生物学意义,为生物膜的研究提供了理论依据和实验支持。     

巨型囊泡的侧向相分离与出芽

用电形成法制备含三组分二油酰磷脂酰胆碱(DOPC)/二棕榈酰磷脂酰胆碱(DPPC)/胆固醇(Chol)的巨型囊泡, 以TR-DPPE为荧光染色剂, 在荧光显微镜下直接观察膜的侧向相分离与微区相凸起出芽的耦合. 发现囊泡膜内的相分离具有诱导期, 相分离速度很快, 形成的微相区在整个囊泡球面上均衡分布. 各微相区的出芽不是同时进行, 为逐个随机发生. 每次出芽的时间小于0.5 s. 分相与出芽的耦合使球面上的不同微区之间不会相互融合成更大的微区.     

衍生于咔唑的双氰基二苯代乙烯型双光子荧光脂筏探针

制备了一个衍生于咔唑的双氰基二苯代乙烯型双光子荧光脂筏探针——(E)-2-甲基-5-{2-[9-正辛基(3-咔唑基)]乙烯基}对苯二甲腈(DLR), 并对其结构进行了表征. 结果表明, DLR属于推-拉电子结构(供体-桥-受体, D-π-A), 其最大发射波长随介质极性递增, 而其荧光强度却随极性递减. DLR在二棕榈酰磷脂酰胆碱 (DPPC)中的发射强度是在二油酰磷脂酰胆碱(DOPC)中的20倍, 其对DPPC, 模拟脂筏[n(DOPC)∶n(鞘磷脂)∶n(胆固醇)=1∶1∶1]和DOPC的荧光强度比为20∶12.8∶1, 在DPPC中的荧光寿命是在DOPC中的2.2倍以上, 表明DLR能很好地区分DPPC与DOPC. DLR在DPPC和DOPC中的双光子发射截面(Φδ)分别为1350和67 GM, 表明DLR能够很好地识别脂筏, 成像脂筏在细胞与组织中的分布动态.     

胆固醇与磷脂酰乙醇胺/磷脂酰胆碱混合膜的热力学特性及其单层膜形态的AFM观察

研究了不同比例下胆固醇(Chol)对磷脂酰乙醇胺/磷脂酰胆碱(PE/PC,1∶1物质的量比)混合膜的影响,并在表面压力-平均分子面积(π-A曲线)等温线基础上,通过对过量平均分子面积(ΔAex)和过量吉布斯自由能(ΔGex)的计算分析,研究了不同比例Chol与PE/PC(1∶1物质的量比)三元混合膜的热力学特性.实验结果表明:Chol在一定程度上加速了混合膜的相变,增强了膜的凝聚性;当XChol=0.2,0.6,0.8时,过量平均分子面积和过量吉布斯自由能在所研究的表面压力下都为负值,分子之间相互作用力表现为引力,促使混合膜的凝聚,而在XChol=0.4时,过量平均分子面积和过量吉布斯自由能在15,20,25,30 mN/m下为正值,分子之间相互作用力表现为斥力,促使熵的增加,并且在20 mN/m压力下出现极值.实验中利用LB膜技术制备了不同比例Chol与PE/PC(1∶1物质的量比)混合膜,并在原子力显微镜下对其结构形态进行了观测.     

基因载体材料聚乙烯亚胺与磷脂酰胆碱脂质体的相互作用对膜结构的影响

采用动态光散射、荧光光谱、zeta电位测定和等温滴定量热技术分析了分子量分别为25000,10000和1800的聚乙烯亚胺(PEI)与二油酰磷脂酰胆碱(DOPC)脂质体的相互作用及其对脂质体膜内环境极性和膜通透性的影响.结果表明,PEI通过氨基与DOPC的磷脂基团和胆碱基团产生氢键或范德华作用,从而与脂质体结合形成复合物;低浓度PEI(0.075 mg/mL)导致DOPC脂质体的聚集和表面电位的增加,但未引起脂质体膜融合和表面电位反转;进一步增加PEI的浓度对脂质体表面电位的影响很小,而结合在表面的PEI分子链之间的排斥作用阻碍了脂质体聚集.PEI分子与DOPC脂质体的结合降低了脂质分子碳氢链的堆积密度和脂质体膜内环境的疏水性,从而增强了钙黄绿素和槲皮素在脂质体膜中的通透性.PEI与DOPC脂质体的相互作用具有明显的分子尺寸效应,增大PEI的分子量可以增强与脂质体的相互作用及对脂质体膜结构的影响.     

鞘磷脂和神经节苷脂对磷脂酰乙醇胺混合脂超分子体系液晶态立方相Im3m和Pn3m结构影响的研究

用磷脂酰乙醇胺(DEPE)、鞘磷脂(Sphingomyeline, Sph)、神经节苷脂(Gm1)和胆固醇(Chol)模拟了生物膜超分子体系液晶态结构, 通过用小角X射线衍射(SAXD)对混合脂体系液晶态结构进行了研究, 鉴定出了两种立方相: 即Im3m(Q²²⁹)和Pn3m(Q²²⁴)结构. 实验发现, 鞘磷脂的含量对DEPE膜的结构有一定的影响, 随着鞘磷脂浓度的增加, 混合脂体系的液晶态结构发生了由Im3m(Q²²⁹)到Pn3m(Q²²⁴)的变化. 神经节苷脂(Gm1)的含量对混合脂体系的液晶态结构也有一定的影响, 当神经节苷脂(Gm1)含量达到某一临界值时, 混合脂体系的液晶态结构发生了从Im3m(Q²²⁹)到Pn3m(Q²²⁴) 的变化. 当DEPE-Shp-Gm1超分子聚集体中含有胆固醇时, 胆固醇的极性头部(—OH)与磷脂酰乙醇胺(DEPE)、鞘磷脂(Shp)、神经节苷脂(Gm1)的极性头部通过氢键相互作用形成液晶态立方相Im3m(Q²²⁹)结构, 再通过疏水/亲水相互作用形成稳定的Pn3m (Q²²⁴)结构.     

糖和盐类物质对生物膜超分子结构稳定性影响的研究

用原子力显微镜(AFM)和小角X射线(SAXS)技术, 研究了NaCl、KCl、胆固醇、葡萄糖和蔗糖等与膜脂的相互作用. 研究发现它们能引起脂质膜超分子体系液晶态结构的变化. 葡萄糖和蔗糖对脂双层膜结构有稳定作用. 在NaCl溶液中制成的脂质膜, 随着NaCl浓度的增加, 它们的双层膜更稳定. 在KCl溶液中结果恰好相反. AFM研究发现液晶态脂双层膜结构与双亲性分子的结构、浓度以及介质的组分和pH等因素有关. 在1,2-反十八碳-3-磷脂酰乙醇胺(DEPE)液晶态中, 钠盐诱导形成Q²²⁹(Im3m)立方相. 油酸的含量对DEPE-PVP(聚乙烯吡咯烷酮)超分子结构也有一定的影响, 当油酸含量达到某一临界值时, 则发生从Im3m(Q²²⁹)到Pn3m(Q²²⁴)的转变. 胆固醇能促使形成Pn3m(Q²²⁴)和六角相H_II共存相. 研究结果表明, 生物膜超分子聚集体的氢键、分子van der Waals力、离子的静电力等这些弱相互作用的协同性、方向性和选择性, 可能决定着生物膜的结构和功能.     

髓鞘碱性蛋白对细胞膜脂质分子DPPC、DPPE单层膜影响机理研究

本文通过Langmuir单层膜的表面压力-平均分子面积(π-A)曲线的测定与分析,分别对髓鞘碱性蛋白(MBP)与细胞膜中不同头部基团脂质分子二棕榈酰基磷脂胆碱(DPPC)和二棕榈酰基磷脂酰乙醇胺(DPPE)在空气/液体界面上的相互作用过程进行了系统研究.实验结果表明:(1)当界面上脂质含量一定时,亚相中随着MBP浓度的增大,DPPC、DPPE单层膜的等温线向平均分子面积较大的方向移动;(2)在单层膜表面压力为10 mN/m时,一个MBP分子分别结合140±3个DPPC分子和100±3个DPPE分子,随着表面压力增大,当MBP分子分别与两种磷脂分子相互作用时,MBP插入到磷脂单层界面的个数逐渐减少;(3)随着蛋白质浓度的增加,脂分子形成的单层膜变得较为疏松,且MBP分子易于插入到分子头部较小的DPPE单层膜中;(4)蛋白质的存在使DPPC单层膜的表面压力逐渐减小,且蛋白质浓度越大表面压力降低越多,DPPC被MBP带入到亚相中越多;(5)对于DPPE单层膜,蛋白质通过与DPPE相互作用插入到界面膜中,引起表面压力增大,且蛋白质浓度越高,压力变化量越大.     

The magnitude of condensation induced by cholesterol on the mixtures of sphingomyelin with phosphatidylcholines-Study on ternary and quaternary systems

The studies on the condensing and ordering effect of cholesterol by application of the Langmuir monolayer technique are usually performed on binary lipid/cholesterol systems. The results concerning a quantitative analysis of these effects in multicomponent monolayers are very limited. In this work the condensing and ordering effect of cholesterol in ternary (SM/DSPC/Chol and SM/DOPC/Chol) and quaternary (SM/DSPC/DOPC/Chol) films was investigated. It was evidenced that the systems containing saturated PC (both SM/DSPC and SM/DSPC/Chol) are always more condensed and chain-ordered than the systems containing unsaturated PC (SM/DOPC and SM/DSPC/DOPC and their mixtures with cholesterol). However, the magnitude of condensation provoked by cholesterol at higher surface pressures is stronger on the monolayers containing unsaturated PC. The addition of cholesterol into SM/PC films induces the increase of chain-ordering however, the effectiveness of cholesterol as an ordering agent is determined by the presence/absence of unsaturated phospholipid. The magnitude of the effect of cholesterol on the investigated mixed monolayer was analyzed in the context of the influence of sterol on lipid chains (ordering, straightening and reorientation of chains) as well as the reorientation of polar heads.     

Design and synthesis of sphingomyelin-cholesterol conjugates and their formation of ordered membranes

A lipid raft is a cholesterol (Chol)-rich microdomain floating in a sea of lipid bilayers. Although Chol is thought to interact preferentially with sphingolipids such as sphingomyelin (SM), rather than with glycerophospholipids, the origin of the specific interaction has remained unresolved, primarily because of the high mobility of lipid molecules and weak intermolecular interactions. In this study, we synthesized SM-Chol conjugates with functionally designed linker portions to restrain Chol mobility and examined their formation of ordered membranes by a detergent insolubility assay, fluorescence anisotropy experiments, and fluorescence-quenching assay. In all of the tests, membranes prepared from the conjugates showed properties of ordered domains comparable to a SM-Chol (1:1) membrane. To gain insight into the structure of bilayers composed from the conjugates, we performed molecular dynamics simulations with 64 molecules of the conjugates, which suggested that the conjugates form a stable bilayer structure by bending at the linker portion and, mostly, reproduce the hydrogen bonds between the SM and Chol portions. These results imply that the molecular recognition between SM and Chol in an ordered domain is essentially reproduced by the conjugated molecules and, thus, demonstrates that these conjugate molecules could potentially serve as molecular probes for understanding molecular recognition in lipid rafts.     

Remodeling of ordered membrane domains by GPI-anchored intestinal alkaline phosphatase

Glycosylphosphatidyl-inositol (GPI)-anchored proteins preferentially localize in the most ordered regions of the cell plasma membrane. Acyl and alkyl chain composition of GPI anchors influence the association with the ordered domains. This suggests that, conversely, changes in the fluid and in the ordered domains lipid composition affect the interaction of GPI-anchored proteins with membrane microdomains. Validity of this hypothesis was examined by investigating the spontaneous insertion of the GPI-anchored intestinal alkaline phophatase (BIAP) into the solid (gel) phase domains of preformed supported membranes made of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine/dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC/DPPC), DOPC/sphingomyelin (DOPC/SM), and palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine/SM (POPC/SM). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed that BIAP inserted in the gel phases of the three mixtures. However, changes in the lipid composition of membranes had a marked effect on the protein containing bilayer topography. Moreover, BIAP insertion was associated with a net transfer of phospholipids from the fluid to the gel (DOPC/DPPC) or from the gel to the fluid (POPC/SM) phases. For DOPC/SM bilayers, transfer of lipids was dependent on the homogeneity of the gel SM phase. The data strongly suggest that BIAP interacts with the most ordered lipid species present in the gel phases of phase-separated membranes. They also suggest that GPI-anchored proteins might contribute to the selection of their own microdomain environment.     

Influence of gel-phase microdomains and lipid rafts in lipid monolayers on the electron transfer of a lipophilic redox probe: dioctadecylviologen

Gel-phase microdomains and lipid rafts form spontaneously in monolayers of lipid mixtures of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC), palmitoylsphingomyelin (PSM) and cholesterol (Chol), self-assembled on mercury. The influence of microdomains on the electron transfer properties of 2 mol% dioctadecylviologen (DODV), incorporated in these lipid monolayers, was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. In pure DOPC, the DODV molecules tend to aggregate, giving rise to strong attractive lateral interactions. With an increase in the PSM mole fraction in DOPC/PSM binary mixtures, the edges of the resulting gel-phase microdomains act as docking sites for the DODV molecules, decreasing lateral interactions and modifying the DODV redox properties. A similar behavior is shown by lipid rafts formed by adding Chol to the above binary mixtures. By varying the DOPC/PSM molar ratio, the midpoint between the peak potentials of the DODV reduction and oxidation peaks shifts in parallel with the surface dipole potential of the lipid mixture. This behavior indicates that the formal (half-reduction) potential of a redox pair, as measured versus a given reference electrode, may include a surface dipole potential if one or both members of the redox pair are embedded in a medium different from the bulk phase containing the reference electrode.     

Designing a Useful Lipid Raft Model Membrane for Electrochemical and Surface Analytical Studies

A model biomimetic system for the study of protein reconstitution or drug interactions should include lipid rafts in the mixed lipid monolayer, since they are usually the domains embedding membrane proteins and peptides. Four model lipid films composed of three components: 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), cholesterol (Chol) and sphingomyelin (SM) mixed in different molar ratios were proposed and investigated using surface pressure measurements and thermodynamic analysis of the monolayers at the air–water interface and imaged by Brewster angle microscopy. The ternary monolayers were transferred from the air–water onto the gold electrodes to form bilayer films and were studied for the first time by electrochemical methods: alternative current voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and imaged by atomic force microscopy. In excess of DOPC, the ternary systems remained too liquid for the raft region to be stable, while in the excess of cholesterol the layers were too solid. The layers with SM in excess lead to the formation of Chol:SM complexes but the amount of the fluid matrix was very low. The equimolar content of the three components lead to the formation of a stable and well-organized assembly with well-developed raft microdomains of larger thickness, surrounded by the more fluid part of the bilayer. The latter is proposed as a convenient raft model membrane for further physicochemical studies of interactions with drugs or pollutants or incorporation of membrane proteins.     

Chemical mapping of ceramide distribution in sphingomyelin-rich domains in monolayers

The incorporation of ceramide in phase-separated monolayers of ternary lipid mixtures has been studied by a combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM), fluorescence, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Replacement of a fraction of the sphingomyelin by ceramide in DOPC/SM/cholesterol monolayers leads to changes in the SM-cholesterol-rich liquid-ordered domains. AFM shows the formation of heterogeneous domains with small raised islands that are assigned to a ceramide-rich gel phase. ToF-SIMS provides conclusive evidence for the localization of SM and ceramide in ordered domains and shows that ceramide is heterogeneously distributed in small islands throughout the domains. The results indicate the utility of combining AFM and ToF-SIMS for understanding compositions of phase-separated membranes.     

Atomistic simulation of cholesterol effects on miscibility of saturated and unsaturated phospholipids: implications for liquid-ordered/liquid-disordered phase coexistence

Mixed MD/MC simulation at fixed difference in chemical potential (Δμ) between two lipid types provides a computational indicator of the relative affinities of the two lipids for different environments. Applying this technique to ternary DPPC/DOPC/cholesterol bilayers yields a DPPC/DOPC ratio that increases with increasing cholesterol content at fixed Δμ, consistent with the known enrichment of DPPC and cholesterol-rich in liquid-ordered phase domains in the fluid-fluid coexistence region of the ternary phase diagram. Comparison of the cholesterol-dependence of PC compositions at constant Δμ with experimentally measured coexistence tie line end point compositions affords a direct test of the faithfulness of the atomistic model to experimental phase behavior. DPPC/DOPC ratios show little or no dependence on cholesterol content at or below 16% cholesterol in the DOPC-rich region of the composition diagram, indicating cooperativity in the favorable interaction between DPPC and cholesterol. The relative affinity of DPPC and DOPC for high cholesterol bilayer environments in simulations is explicitly shown to depend on the degree of cholesterol alignment with the bilayer normal, suggesting that a source of the cooperativity is the composition dependence of cholesterol tilt angle distributions.