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Spontaneous transfer of stearic acids between human serum albumin and PEG:2000-grafted DPPC membranes

European Biophysics Journal volume 39, pages 921–927 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy is used to study the transfer of stearic acids between human serum albumin (HSA) and sterically stabilized liposomes (SSL) composed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and of submicellar content of poly(ethylene glycol:2000)-dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (PEG:2000-DPPE). Protein/lipid dispersions are considered in which spin-labelled stearic acids at the 16th carbon atom along the acyl chain (16-SASL) are inserted either in the protein or in the SSL. Two component ESR spectra with different rotational mobility are obtained over a broad range of temperature and membrane composition. Indeed, superimposed to an anisotropic protein-signal, appears a more isotropic lipid-signal. Since in the samples only one matrix (protein or membranes) is spin-labelled, the other component accounts for the transfer of 16-SASL between albumin and membranes. The two components have been resolved and quantified by spectral subtractions, and the fraction, f p (16-SASL), of spin labels bound non-covalently to the protein has been used to monitor the transfer. It is found that it depends on the type of donor and acceptor matrix, on the physical state of the membranes and on the grafting density of the polymer-lipids. Indeed, it is favoured from SSL to HSA and the fraction of stearic acids transferred increases with temperature in both directions of transfer. Moreover, in the presence of polymer-lipids, the transfer from HSA to SSL is slightly attenuated, especially in the brush regime of the polymer-chains. Instead, the transfer from SSL to HSA is favoured by the polymer-lipids much more in the mushroom than in the brush regime.

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Abbreviations

HSA:

Human serum albumin

16-SASL:

Stearic acid spin label 2-(14-carboxytetradecyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-ethyl-3-oxazolidinyloxy

DPPC:

1,2-Dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine

PEG:2000-DPPE:

1,2-Dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-poly(ethylene glycol):2000

SSL:

Sterically stabilized liposomes

FA:

Fatty acids

FABP:

Fatty acid binding proteins

PBS:

Phosphate buffer solution

ESR:

Electron spin resonance

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Acknowledgment

MP thanks the University of Calabria for a research grant.

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Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio di Biofisica Molecolare and UdR CNISM, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università della Calabria, 87036, Rende (CS), Italy

    Manuela Pantusa, Andrea Stirpe, Luigi Sportelli & Rosa Bartucci

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  1. Manuela Pantusa
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  2. Andrea Stirpe
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  3. Luigi Sportelli
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  4. Rosa Bartucci
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Correspondence to Rosa Bartucci.

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Proceedings of the XIX Congress of the Italian Society of Pure and Applied Biophysics (SIBPA), Rome, September 2008.

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Pantusa, M., Stirpe, A., Sportelli, L. et al. Spontaneous transfer of stearic acids between human serum albumin and PEG:2000-grafted DPPC membranes. Eur Biophys J 39, 921–927 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00249-009-0442-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00249-009-0442-0

Keywords

  • Human serum albumin
  • DPPC
  • PEG:2000-DPPE
  • Spin-label
  • Electron spin resonance
  • Lipid transfer