Biomaterial Database

Molecular dynamics simulation of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine modified with a MTSL nitroxide spin label in a lipid membrane. 2013

Sabrina Kemmerer, and John C Voss, and Roland Faller

Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, UC Davis, Davis, CA, USA; Eduard-Zintl-Institute, Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany.

We investigate the interaction between dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and a nitroxide spin label in order to understand its influences on lipid structure and dynamics using molecular dynamics simulations. The system was modified by covalently attaching nitroxide spin labels to the headgroups of two DPPC molecules. (S-(2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-2,5-dihydro-1H-pyrrol-3-yl)methyl methanesulfonothioate) (MTSL) was used as the spin label. The label position and dynamics were analyzed as was the impact of the modified DPPC on the structure of the surrounding lipids. The modified DPPC molecules locate closer to the center of the membrane than unmodified DPPC molecules. The rotation of the spin label is unrestricted, but there are favored orientations. MTSL depresses the deuterium order parameters of the carbon atoms close to the headgroup in surrounding DPPC molecules. The spin label has no impact on order parameters of carbon atoms at the end of the lipid tails. The lateral diffusion constant of the modified DPPC is indistinguishable from unmodified DPPC molecules. These novel computational results suggest an experimental validation.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008051	Lipid Bilayers	Layers of lipid molecules which are two molecules thick. Bilayer systems are frequently studied as models of biological membranes.	Bilayers, Lipid,Bilayer, Lipid,Lipid Bilayer
D008563	Membrane Lipids	Lipids, predominantly phospholipids, cholesterol and small amounts of glycolipids found in membranes including cellular and intracellular membranes. These lipids may be arranged in bilayers in the membranes with integral proteins between the layers and peripheral proteins attached to the outside. Membrane lipids are required for active transport, several enzymatic activities and membrane formation.	Cell Membrane Lipid,Cell Membrane Lipids,Membrane Lipid,Lipid, Cell Membrane,Lipid, Membrane,Lipids, Cell Membrane,Lipids, Membrane,Membrane Lipid, Cell,Membrane Lipids, Cell
D009589	Nitrogen Oxides	Inorganic oxides that contain nitrogen.	Nitrogen Oxide,Oxide, Nitrogen,Oxides, Nitrogen
D013113	Spin Labels	Molecules which contain an atom or a group of atoms exhibiting an unpaired electron spin that can be detected by electron spin resonance spectroscopy and can be bonded to another molecule. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Chemical and Technical Terms, 4th ed)	Spin Label,Label, Spin,Labels, Spin
D015060	1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine	Synthetic phospholipid used in liposomes and lipid bilayers to study biological membranes. It is also a major constituent of PULMONARY SURFACTANTS.	Dipalmitoyllecithin,1,2-Dihexadecyl-sn-Glycerophosphocholine,1,2-Dipalmitoyl-Glycerophosphocholine,Dipalmitoyl Phosphatidylcholine,Dipalmitoylglycerophosphocholine,Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine,1,2 Dihexadecyl sn Glycerophosphocholine,1,2 Dipalmitoyl Glycerophosphocholine,1,2 Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine,Phosphatidylcholine, Dipalmitoyl
D056004	Molecular Dynamics Simulation	A computer simulation developed to study the motion of molecules over a period of time.	Molecular Dynamics Simulations,Molecular Dynamics,Dynamic, Molecular,Dynamics Simulation, Molecular,Dynamics Simulations, Molecular,Dynamics, Molecular,Molecular Dynamic,Simulation, Molecular Dynamics,Simulations, Molecular Dynamics