Acyl-chain methyl distributions of liquid-ordered and -disordered membranes.

ABSTRACT: A central feature of the lipid raft concept is the formation of cholesterol-rich lipid domains. The introduction of relatively rigid cholesterol molecules into fluid liquid-disordered (L(d)) phospholipid bilayers can produce liquid-ordered (L(o)) mixtures in which the rigidity of cholesterol causes partial ordering of the flexible hydrocarbon acyl chains of the phospholipids. Several lines of evidence support this concept, but direct structural information about L(o) membranes is lacking. Here we present the structure of L(o) membranes formed from cholesterol and dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC). Specific deuteration of the DOPC acyl-chain methyl groups and neutron diffraction measurements reveal an extraordinary disorder of the acyl chains of neat L(d) DOPC bilayers. The disorder is so

SUBMITTER: Mihailescu M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3059564 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature