Effect of a single cis double bond on the structure of a phospholipid bilayer

Abstract

The ordering of the hydrocarbon chains and the rates of lipid motion are two independent parameters characterizing the structure and the dynamics, respectively, of a bilayer membrane. In this work, deuterium magnetic resonance has been used to elucidate the influence of a single cis double bond on the hydrocarbon chain ordering of a phospholipid bilayer. 1-Palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-3-sn-phosphatidylcholine was specifically deuterated at various segments of the palmitic acyl chain and at the 9, 10 position of the oleic acyl chain, and the segmental order parameters were deduced from the quadrupole splittings of the unsonicated bilayer phases. The shape of the order profile of the palmitic acyl chain is similar to that observed for the corresponding fully saturated membrane, but the magnitude of the order parameters is distinctly smaller in the unsaturated system. This demonstrates that the presence of a double bond in a membrane causes a more disordered conformation of the hydrocarbon chains. Considering the relative flexibility within the palmitic acyl chain, the deuterium resonance data indicate a local stiffening of those segments which are located in the vicinity of the double bond. The membrane fluidity was investigated using a nitroxide-labeled stearic acid spin probe. The smaller electron paramagnetic resonance line width in bilayers of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-3-sn-phosphatidylcholine demonstrates an increased fluidity compared to bilayers of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-3-sn-phosphatidylcholine.