Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Biophysical Journal logoLink to Biophysical Journal
. 1980 Feb;29(2):237–245. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(80)85128-9

Differences in hydrocarbon chain tilt between hydrated phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine bilayers. A molecular packing model.

T J McIntosh
PMCID: PMC1328693  PMID: 6894871

Abstract

Both wide-angle and lamellar x-ray diffraction data are interpreted in terms of a difference in hydrocarbon chain tilt between fully hydrated dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dipalmitoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE). Although the hydrocarbon chains of multilayers of DPPC tilt ty approximately 30 degrees relative to the normal to the plane of the bilayer, as previously reported by others, the hydrocarbon chains of DPPE appear to be oriented approximately normal to the plane of the bilayer. It is found that the chain tilt in DPPC bilayers can be reduced by either: (a) adding an n-alkane to the bilayer interiors or (b) adding lanthanum ions to the fluid layers between bilayers. A molecular packing model is presented which accounts for these data. According to this model, DPPC chains tilt because of the size and conformation of the PC polar head group.

Full text

PDF
237

Images in this article

239FIGURE 1
on p.239

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Birrell G. B., Griffith O. H. Angle of tilt and domain structure in dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine multilayers. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1976 Feb;172(2):455–462. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(76)90098-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Brady G. W., Fein D. B. An analysis of the X-ray interchain peak profile in dipalmitoylglycerophosphocholine. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1977 Jan 21;464(2):249–259. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(77)90001-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Büldt G., Gally H. U., Seelig A., Seelig J., Zaccai G. Neutron diffraction studies on selectively deuterated phospholipid bilayers. Nature. 1978 Jan 12;271(5641):182–184. doi: 10.1038/271182a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chapman D., Urbina J. Biomembrane phase transitions. Studies of lipid-water systems using differential scanning calorimetry. J Biol Chem. 1974 Apr 25;249(8):2512–2521. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ebihara L., Hall J. E., MacDonald R. C., McIntosh T. J., Simon S. A. Effect of benzyl alcohol on lipid bilayers. A comparisons of bilayer systems. Biophys J. 1979 Nov;28(2):185–196. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(79)85170-X. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gaber B. P., Yager P., Peticolas W. L. Interpretation of biomembrane structure by Raman difference spectroscopy. Nature of the endothermic transitions in phosphatidylcholines. Biophys J. 1978 Feb;21(2):161–176. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(78)85516-7. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hauser H., Phillips M. C. Conformation of the lecithin polar group in charged vesicles. Nature. 1976 Jun 3;261(5559):390–394. doi: 10.1038/261390a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hitchcock P. B., Mason R., Shipley G. G. Phospholipid arrangements in multilayers and artificial membranes: quantitative analysis of the X-ray diffraction data from a multilayer of 1,2-dimyristoyl-DL-phosphatidylethanolamine. J Mol Biol. 1975 May 15;94(2):297–299. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(75)90084-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hitchcock P. B., Mason R., Thomas K. M., Shipley G. G. Structural chemistry of 1,2 dilauroyl-DL-phosphatidylethanolamine: molecular conformation and intermolecular packing of phospholipids. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1974 Aug;71(8):3036–3040. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.8.3036. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Huxley H. E., Brown W. The low-angle x-ray diagram of vertebrate striated muscle and its behaviour during contraction and rigor. J Mol Biol. 1967 Dec 14;30(2):383–434. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(67)80046-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Inoko Y., Yamaguchi T., Furuya K., Mitsui T. Effects of cations on dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol/water systems. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1975 Nov 17;413(1):24–32. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(75)90055-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Janiak M. J., Small D. M., Shipley G. G. Nature of the Thermal pretransition of synthetic phospholipids: dimyristolyl- and dipalmitoyllecithin. Biochemistry. 1976 Oct 19;15(21):4575–4580. doi: 10.1021/bi00666a005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Jähnig F., Harlos K., Vogel H., Eibl H. Electrostatic interactions at charged lipid membranes. Electrostatically induced tilt. Biochemistry. 1979 Apr 17;18(8):1459–1468. doi: 10.1021/bi00575a012. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lesslauer W., Cain J. E., Blasie J. K. X-ray diffraction studies of lecithin bimolecular leaflets with incorporated fluorescent probes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Jun;69(6):1499–1503. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.6.1499. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Nagle J. F. Theory of lipid monolayer and bilayer phase transitions: effect of headgroup interactions. J Membr Biol. 1976;27(3):233–250. doi: 10.1007/BF01869138. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Phillips M. C., Chapman D. Monolayer characteristics of saturated 1,2,-diacyl phosphatidylcholines (lecithins) and phosphatidylethanolamines at the air-water interface. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1968 Nov 5;163(3):301–313. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(68)90115-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Ranck J. L., Mateu L., Sadler D. M., Tardieu A., Gulik-Krzywicki T., Luzzati V. Order-disorder conformational transitions of the hydrocarbon chains of lipids. J Mol Biol. 1974 May 15;85(2):249–277. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(74)90363-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Rand R. P., Chapman D., Larsson K. Tilted hydrocarbon chains of dipalmitoyl lecithin become perpendicular to the bilayer before melting. Biophys J. 1975 Nov;15(11):1117–1124. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(75)85888-7. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Stamatoff J. B., Graddick W. F., Powers L., Moncton D. E. Direct observation of the hydrocarbon chain tilt angle in phospholipid bilayers. Biophys J. 1979 Feb;25(2 Pt 1):253–261. doi: 10.1016/s0006-3495(79)85289-3. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Tardieu A., Luzzati V., Reman F. C. Structure and polymorphism of the hydrocarbon chains of lipids: a study of lecithin-water phases. J Mol Biol. 1973 Apr 25;75(4):711–733. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(73)90303-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Torbet J., Wilkins M. H. X-ray diffraction studies of lecithin bilayers. J Theor Biol. 1976 Oct 21;62(2):447–458. doi: 10.1016/0022-5193(76)90129-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Worcester D. L., Franks N. P. Structural analysis of hydrated egg lecithin and cholesterol bilayers. II. Neutrol diffraction. J Mol Biol. 1976 Jan 25;100(3):359–378. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(76)80068-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Biophysical Journal are provided here courtesy of The Biophysical Society

RESOURCES