Premium
Membrane Properties of Archæal Macrocyclic Diether Phospholipids
Author(s) -
Dannenmuller Olivier,
Arakawa Kenji,
Eguchi Tadashi,
Kakinuma Katsumi,
Blanc Sylvie,
Albrecht AnneMarie,
Schmutz Marc,
Nakatani Yoichi,
Ourisson Guy
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1521-3765(20000218)6:4<645::aid-chem645>3.0.co;2-a
Subject(s) - membrane , vesicle , phospholipid , chemistry , differential scanning calorimetry , amphiphile , crystallography , organic chemistry , copolymer , polymer , biochemistry , thermodynamics , physics
Several biophysical properties of four synthetic archæal phospholipids [one polyprenyl macrocyclic lipid A and three polyprenyl double‐chain lipids ( B , C , D ) bearing zero, one or four double bonds in each chain] were studied using differential scanning calorimetry, electron and optical microscopies, stopped‐flow/flow scattering and solid‐state 2 H‐NMR techniques. These phospholipids gave a variety of self‐organized structures in water, in particular vesicles and tubules. These assemblies change in response to simple thermal convection. Some specific membrane properties of these archæal phospholipids were observed: They are in a liquid‐crystalline state over a wide temperature range; the dynamics of their polyprenyl chains is higher than that of n ‐acyl chains; the water permeability of the membranes is lower than that of n ‐acyl phospholipid membranes. It was also found that macrocyclization remarkably improves the barrier properties to water and the membrane stability. This may be related to the adaptation of Methanococcus jannaschii to the extreme conditions of the deep‐sea hydrothermal vents.