High-Resolution 13C NMR Study of Pressure Effects on the Main Phase Transition in L-α -dipalmitoyl Phosphatidylcholine Vesicles

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 85; no. 12; pp. 4115 - 4117
• Main Authors: Jonas, J., C.-L. Xie, Jonas, A., Grandinetti, P. J., Campbell, D., Driscoll, D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 01.06.1988; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: 1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine; Artificial membranes and reconstituted systems; Biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon; Carbon Isotopes; Dynamic modeling; Fluorescence; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gels; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy - methods; Membrane physicochemistry; Models, Biological; Molecular biophysics; Molecular Conformation; Phosphatidylcholines; Pressure; Pressure dependence; Pressure sensors; Resonance; Spectroscopy; Vesicle; Artificial membrane; NMR spectrometry; Pressure; Phase transitions
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.85.12.4115

The effects of pressure on the liquid-crystalline to gel transition in vesicles of L-α -dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine were investigated by high-resolution proton-decoupled natural-abundance 13C NMR spectroscopy. The linewidths of several 13C resonances, including the choline methyl groups, carbonyl carbons, and choline methylene groups and the palmitoyl methyl groups are reported as a function of pressure at 52.7 degrees C. These preliminary NMR experiments clearly demonstrate that high-pressure, high-resolution proton-decoupled natural-abundance 13C NMR spectra are a promising tool to study the phase-transition behavior and the dynamics of model membrane systems.