Miscibility of acyl-chain defined phosphatidylcholines with N-palmitoyl sphingomyelin in bilayer membranes

Biochim Biophys Acta. 2004 Dec 15;1667(2):182-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2004.10.003.

Abstract

In this study we have used differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to study the miscibility of different saturated phosphatidylcholines (PCs) with D-erythro-N-palmitoyl-sphingomyelin (16:0-SM). Information about the miscibility was obtained by observing the thermotropic phase behavior of binary mixtures of saturated PCs and 16:0-SM. The results obtained showed that PC miscibility in 16:0-SM was markedly affected by the PC acyl-chain composition. According to phase diagrams prepared from DSC data and the mid-transition temperatures of the main phase transition, the PC which formed the most ideal mixture with 16:0-SM was di-14:0-PC. However, the cooperativity of the main transition in PC/16:0-SM bilayers increased until the average acyl-chain length in the PC reached 15 carbons. Based on the criteria of the most ideal miscibility or the highest cooperativity of the main transition, we conclude that di-14:0-PC, 15:0/15:0-PC, and 14:0/16:0-PC interacted most favorably with 16:0-SM in bilayer membranes. Di-16:0-PC, to which 16:0-SM is often compared in biophysical studies, showed much less ideal miscibility.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acylation
  • Biophysical Phenomena
  • Biophysics
  • Calorimetry, Differential Scanning
  • Lipid Bilayers*
  • Membranes / chemistry*
  • Models, Chemical
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Phosphatidylcholines / chemistry*
  • Sphingomyelins / chemistry*
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Lipid Bilayers
  • Phosphatidylcholines
  • Sphingomyelins