Solubility versus electrostatics: what determines lipid/protein interaction in lung surfactant

Biophys J. 2007 Aug 15;93(4):1192-203. doi: 10.1529/biophysj.107.106765. Epub 2007 May 18.

Abstract

Mammalian lung surfactant is a complex lipid/protein mixture covering the alveolar interface and has the crucial function of reducing the surface tension at this boundary to minimal values. Surfactant protein SP-B plays an important role for this purpose and was the focus of many recent studies. However, the specificity of lipid/SP-B interactions is controversial. Since these investigations were accomplished at varying pH conditions (pH 5.5 and 7.0), we studied the specificity of these interactions in a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)/dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol (DPPG)/SP-B (4:1:0.2 mol %) model system at either pH. Mainly fluorescence microscopy and laterally resolved time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry were used to reveal information about the phase behavior of the lipids and the molecular distribution of SP-B in the lipid mixture. DPPG forms separated condensed domains due to a strong hydrogen-bond network, from which the protein is mainly excluded. Considering the protein as an impurity of the lipid mixture leads to the principle of the zone melting process: an impurity is highly more soluble in a liquid phase than in a solid phase. The phase behavior effect of the lipids mainly outperforms the electrostatic interactions between DPPG and SP-B, leading to a more passively achieved colocalization of DPPC and SP-B.

MeSH terms

  • Androstanes / chemistry*
  • Fluorescence
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Phase Transition
  • Phosphatidylglycerols / chemistry*
  • Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein B / chemistry*
  • Pulmonary Surfactants / chemistry*
  • Solubility
  • Static Electricity
  • Surface Tension

Substances

  • 3-oxo-androstan-17-yl-(2'',2'',6'',6''-tetramethyl-N-oxyl)piperidyl butan-1',4'-dioate
  • Androstanes
  • Phosphatidylglycerols
  • Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein B
  • Pulmonary Surfactants
  • 1,2-dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol