The Properties of Bilayers Containing Glycosphingolipids

Thompson, Thomas

Abstract

The research outlined in this proposal centers on the investigation of the biologically relevant system properties of lipid bilayers formed from well characterized phospholipids and cholesterol which contain variable amounts of glycosphin-golipids of the types found in mammalian cell plasma membranes. Emphasis is placed on the examination of bilayers in the form of single lamellar vesicles which have glycosphingolipid incorporated only on the outer surface; a system which is the analog of the plasma membrane bilayer. Multilamellar liposomes as well as large and small unilamellar vesicles will be utilized in this work which will depend upon a variety of physical techniques including fluorescent probes, NMR spectroscopy (1H, 2H, 13C and 31P) scanning calorimetry, partial molal volume measurement, autocorrelation light scattering as well as hydrodynamic methods to characterize vesicle dispersions.

Funding Agency

• Agency: National Institute of Health (NIH)
• Institute: National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
• Type: Research Project (R01)
• Project #: 5R01GM023573-08
• Application #: 3271750
• Study Section: Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry B Study Section (BBCB)
• Project Start: 1977-09-09
• Project End: 1988-12-31
• Budget Start: 1985-01-01
• Budget End: 1985-12-31
• Support Year: 8
• Fiscal Year: 1985

Institution

• Name: University of Virginia
• Type: Schools of Medicine
• DUNS #: 001910777
• City: Charlottesville
• State: VA
• Country: United States
• Zip Code: 22904

Publications

Pool, C T; Thompson, T E (1999) Methods for dual, site-specific derivatization of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor: trypsin protection of lysine-15 and attachment of fatty acids or hydrophobic peptides at the N-terminus. Bioconjug Chem 10:221-30

Sugar, I P; Thompson, T E; Biltonen, R L (1999) Monte Carlo simulation of two-component bilayers: DMPC/DSPC mixtures. Biophys J 76:2099-110

Pool, C T; Thompson, T E (1998) Chain length and temperature dependence of the reversible association of model acylated proteins with lipid bilayers. Biochemistry 37:10246-55

Piknova, B; Marsh, D; Thompson, T E (1997) Fluorescence quenching and electron spin resonance study of percolation in a two-phase lipid bilayer containing bacteriorhodopsin. Biophys J 72:2660-8

Bar, L K; Barenholz, Y; Thompson, T E (1997) Effect of sphingomyelin composition on the phase structure of phosphatidylcholine-sphingomyelin bilayers. Biochemistry 36:2507-16

Schram, V; Thompson, T E (1997) Influence of the intrinsic membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin on gel-phase domain topology in two-component phase-separated bilayers. Biophys J 72:2217-25

Palestini, P; Allietta, M; Sonnino, S et al. (1995) Gel phase preference of ganglioside GM1 at low concentration in two-component, two-phase phosphatidylcholine bilayers depends upon the ceramide moiety. Biochim Biophys Acta 1235:221-30

Sankaram, M B; Marsh, D; Gierasch, L M et al. (1994) Reorganization of lipid domain structure in membranes by a transmembrane peptide: an ESR spin label study on the effect of the Escherichia coli outer membrane protein A signal peptide on the fluid lipid domain connectivity in binary mixtures of dimyristoy Biophys J 66:1959-68

Almeida, P F; Vaz, W L; Thompson, T E (1993) Percolation and diffusion in three-component lipid bilayers: effect of cholesterol on an equimolar mixture of two phosphatidylcholines. Biophys J 64:399-412

Almeida, P F; Vaz, W L; Thompson, T E (1992) Lateral diffusion and percolation in two-phase, two-component lipid bilayers. Topology of the solid-phase domains in-plane and across the lipid bilayer. Biochemistry 31:7198-210