jp510322t_si_001.pdf (812.33 kB)
Investigating the Order Parameters of Saturated Lipid Molecules under Various Curvature Conditions on Spherical Supported Lipid Bilayers
journal contribution
posted on 2015-03-19, 00:00 authored by Lauren E. Marbella, Bocheng Yin, Megan M. SpenceThe conformations and motions of
lipid molecules under different
membrane curvatures have important implications for transmembrane
protein function, binding events, and overall membrane organization.
This work reports on the local order parameters of saturated lipid
molecules, as measured by 13C NMR relaxation, under several
curvature conditions to probe structural changes as a function of
lipid bilayer curvature. Different curvature conditions are created
by depositing phosphatidylcholine membranes on spherical beads of
various diameters. The findings reveal that the order parameters are
not a continuous function of the membrane curvature. While small (30
nm) and large (110 nm) diameter bilayers exhibit similar order parameters,
bilayers with curvatures of 60–80 nm diameter show a consistently
increased order parameter along the entire lipid molecule, indicating
a higher packing density and lateral tension. Order parameters for
curvatures between 60 and 80 nm also show molecular evidence for interdigitation.