Open AccessUsing O 2 to probe membrane immersion depth by 19 F NMR
Author(s) -
R. Scott Prosser,
Paul Luchette,
P. W. Westerman
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.170295297
Subject(s) - membrane , chemistry , lipid bilayer , bilayer , oxygen , rotational correlation time , solvent , paramagnetism , relaxation (psychology) , crystallography , analytical chemistry (journal) , molecule , chromatography , organic chemistry , psychology , social psychology , biochemistry , physics , quantum mechanics
A fluorinated detergent, CF3 (CF2 )5 C2 H4 -O-maltose, was reconstituted into a lipid bilayer model membrane system to demonstrate the feasibility of determining solvent accessibility and membrane immersion depth of each fluorinated group by19 F NMR. Apolar oxygen, which is known to partition with an increasing concentration gradient toward the hydrophobic membrane interior, exhibits a range of paramagnetic relaxation effects on19 F nuclei, depending on its depth in the membrane. This effect, which is predominately associated with spin-lattice relaxation rates (R 1 ) and chemical shifts, can be amplified greatly with minimal line broadening by increasing the partial pressure of O2 at least 100-fold (i.e., PO2 greater than 20 bar). The differences of longitudinal relaxation rates at 20 bar of oxygen pressure to those under ambient pressure (R 1 20bar −R 1 0 ) are largest for those fluorine groups expected to be most deeply buried in the membrane bilayer. This result contrasts with the reverse trend, which is observed on addition of a membrane surface-associated paramagnetic species, 4-(N ,N -dimethyl-N -hexadecyl) ammonium-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl iodide (CAT-16) at ambient pressures. Thus, differential relaxation rates may be observed in19 F-labeled membrane-associated molecules resulting from the addition of apolar oxygen under high pressure. The results demonstrate that the degree of solvent accessibility and membrane immersion depth of specific fluorinated species in membrane-associated macromolecules can be probed by19 F NMR.