Lipid and salt effects on carbocyanine dye-induced photo-voltages in bilayer membranes.

Voltage transients induced by flash illumination of bilayer membranes with sorbed dye, 3,3' -dimethyl-2,2' -oxacarbocyanine chloride (diO-C1-3-CI), vary with membrane lipid composition and aqueous solution salt concentration. The voltage transients are probably induced by physical movements of sorbed dye molecules following photo-isomerization. Increased salt (NaCl and NaBr) concentrations in the aqueous solutions reduced the photo-voltage amplitudes by reducing the amount of dye sorbed to the membranes, and by decreasing the effective membrane thickness. The photo-voltage risetimes and falltimes varied systematically with salt concentration and membrane lipid composition, reflecting structural changes in the membrane's surface layer.

Voltage transients from photo-isomerizing azo dye in bilayer membranes.

Voltage transients are induced by brief light flashed on bilayer membranes with absorbed 3,3'-bis(alpha-(trimethylammonium)methyl)azobenzene (Bis-Q). The voltages are positive for trans-to-cis photo-isomerization, and negative for cis-to-trans photo-isomerization. The risetimes in phosphatidylethanolamine-decane bilayer membranes indicate that absorbed trans-Bis-Q is photo-isomerized to cis within 2 microseconds, and that cis is photo-isomerized to trans within 15 microseconds.

Erythrosin and pH gradient induced photo-voltages in bilayer membranes.

Erythrosin and light flashes induce voltage transients across bilayer membranes in the presence of transmembrane pH gradients. Fast voltage transients, which rise in less than 50 nsec and fall in approximately 500 nsec, are attributed to photo-deprotonation of dye sorbed in the glycerol region of phospholipid membranes. Six other halogenated xanthene dyes induce similar effects, which apparently resulted from triplet states of monoanionic dye. No photo-effects were observed with fluorescein.