Phospholipase A2 activity towards vesicles of DPPC and DMPC-DSPC containing small amounts of SMPC

Pernille Hoyrup, Ole G. Mouritsen, Kent Jorgensen*

*Corresponding author for this work
    40 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is an interfacially active enzyme whose hydrolytic activity is known to be enhanced in one-component phospholipid bilayer substrates exhibiting dynamic micro-heterogeneity. In this study the activity of PLA2 towards large unilamellar vesicles composed of DPPC:SMPC and DMPC:DSPC:SMPC is investigated using fluorescence and HPLC techniques. Phase diagrams of the mixtures are established by differential scanning calorimetry and the PLA2 activity, monitored by the lag time, is correlated with the phase behavior of the mixtures. In addition, the degree of lipid hydrolysis in the DMPC:DSPC:SMPC lipid mixtures is detected by HPLC. The PLA2 activity is found to be significantly increased in the temperature range of the coexistence region where the lipid mixtures exhibit lateral gel-fluid phase separation. Furthermore, in the entire temperature range it is demonstrated that PLA2 preferentially hydrolyzes the short chain DMPC lipid. This discriminative effect becomes less pronounced when the asymmetric lipid SMPC is present in the lipid substrate. Inclusion of SMPC into either DPPC or DMPC:DSPC vesicles prolongs the lag time. The results clearly show that the PLA2 activity is significantly enhanced by lipid bilayer micro-heterogeneity in both one-component and multi-component lipid bilayer substrates. The PLA2 activity measurements are discussed in terms of dynamic gel-fluid lipid domain formation due to density fluctuations and static lipid domain formation due to gel-fluid phase separation.

    Original languageEnglish
    JournalBiochimica et Biophysica Acta - Biomembranes
    Volume1515
    Issue number2
    Pages (from-to)133-143
    Number of pages11
    ISSN0005-2736
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2001

    Keywords

    • Fluorescence
    • High performance liquid chromatography
    • Interfaces
    • Lipid bilayer
    • Micro-heterogeneity
    • Phase coexistence
    • Phase separation
    • Phospholipase A
    • Phospholipid

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