Abstract
The phase properties of lipids have far-reaching consequences in membrane biology. Their influence ranges from domain formation in intact biomembranes to membrane protein reconstitution and crystallization. To exploit phase behavior in the spirit of rational design, it is imperative that the rules relating lipid molecular structure and liquid crystal or mesophase behavior be established. Phase behavior is quantitatively and concisely represented in the form of temperature-composition phase diagrams. A somewhat limited number of phase diagrams exists for the monoacylglycerols. The objective of the current study was to determine the quality of phase behavior prediction for a specific monoacylglycerol based on an analysis of the existing phase diagrams for related chain homologs. To this end, a phase diagram for the monononadecenoin (19:1c10)/water system was predicted in the temperature range from -15 degrees C to 120 degrees C and from 0% to 80% (w/w) water. The prediction was tested by constructing the corresponding phase diagram using low- and wide-angle x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and polarized light microscopy. The results show that the predicted and experimental phase diagrams agree remarkably well. They also highlight the need for additional phase studies of the type described to enlarge the data bank of phase diagrams and to strengthen the foundations of the rational design approach.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (443.0 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Briggs J., Caffrey M. The temperature-composition phase diagram and mesophase structure characterization of monopentadecenoin in water. Biophys J. 1994 Oct;67(4):1594–1602. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(94)80632-0. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Briggs J., Caffrey M. The temperature-composition phase diagram of monomyristolein in water: equilibrium and metastability aspects. Biophys J. 1994 Mar;66(3 Pt 1):573–587. doi: 10.1016/s0006-3495(94)80847-1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Brown D. A., London E. Functions of lipid rafts in biological membranes. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol. 1998;14:111–136. doi: 10.1146/annurev.cellbio.14.1.111. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Brown D. A., London E. Structure and function of sphingolipid- and cholesterol-rich membrane rafts. J Biol Chem. 2000 Jun 9;275(23):17221–17224. doi: 10.1074/jbc.R000005200. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Caffrey M. A lipid's eye view of membrane protein crystallization in mesophases. Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2000 Aug;10(4):486–497. doi: 10.1016/s0959-440x(00)00119-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Caffrey M. A lyotrope gradient method for liquid crystal temperature-composition-mesomorph diagram construction using time-resolved x-ray diffraction. Biophys J. 1989 Jan;55(1):47–52. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(89)82779-1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Cheng A., Hummel B., Qiu H., Caffrey M. A simple mechanical mixer for small viscous lipid-containing samples. Chem Phys Lipids. 1998 Sep;95(1):11–21. doi: 10.1016/s0009-3084(98)00060-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Chung H., Caffrey M. Polymorphism, mesomorphism, and metastability of monoelaidin in excess water. Biophys J. 1995 Nov;69(5):1951–1963. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(95)80065-2. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Luecke H., Richter H. T., Lanyi J. K. Proton transfer pathways in bacteriorhodopsin at 2.3 angstrom resolution. Science. 1998 Jun 19;280(5371):1934–1937. doi: 10.1126/science.280.5371.1934. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Qiu H., Caffrey M. Phase behavior of the monoerucin/water system. Chem Phys Lipids. 1999 Jul;100(1-2):55–79. doi: 10.1016/s0009-3084(99)00040-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Qiu H., Caffrey M. The phase diagram of the monoolein/water system: metastability and equilibrium aspects. Biomaterials. 2000 Feb;21(3):223–234. doi: 10.1016/s0142-9612(99)00126-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Simons K., Ikonen E. How cells handle cholesterol. Science. 2000 Dec 1;290(5497):1721–1726. doi: 10.1126/science.290.5497.1721. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]