Minimal effect of lipid charge on membrane miscibility phase behavior in three ternary systems.

ABSTRACT: Giant unilamellar vesicles composed of a ternary mixture of phospholipids and cholesterol exhibit coexisting liquid phases over a range of temperatures and compositions. A significant fraction of lipids in biological membranes are charged. Here, we present phase diagrams of vesicles composed of phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipids, which are zwitterionic; phosphatidylglycerol (PG) lipids, which are anionic; and cholesterol (Chol). Specifically, we use DiPhyPG-DPPC-Chol and DiPhyPC-DPPG-Chol. We show that miscibility in membranes containing charged PG lipids occurs over similarly high temperatures and broad lipid compositions as in corresponding membranes containing only uncharged lipids, and that the presence of salt has a minimal effect. We verified our results in two ways. First, we used mass

SUBMITTER: Blosser MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3686330 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature