Specific Lipid Studies in Complex Membranes by Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

Abstract

Specific interactions with phospholipids are often critical for the function of proteins or drugs, but studying these interactions at high resolution remains difficult, especially in complex membranes that mimic biological conditions. In principle, molecular interactions with phospholipids could be directly probed by solid-state NMR (ssNMR). However, due to the challenge to detect specific lipids in mixed liposomes and limited spectral sensitivity, ssNMR studies of specific lipids in complex membranes are scarce. Here, by using purified biological ¹³ C,¹⁵ N-labeled phospholipids, we show that we can selectively detect traces of specific lipids in complex membranes. In combination with ¹ H-detected ssNMR, we show that our approach provides unprecedented high-resolution insights into the mechanisms of drugs that target specific lipids. This broadly applicable approach opens new opportunities for the molecular characterization of specific lipid interactions with proteins or drugs in complex fluid membranes.

Keywords: antibiotics; cinnamycin; lipids; membranes; solid state NMR.