Nanodiscs bounded by styrene-maleic acid allow trans-cis isomerization of enclosed photoswitches of azobenzene labeled lipids.

Styrene-and-maleic acid (SMA) copolymers behave as amphipathic belts encircling lipids in the form of nanodiscs. It is unclear to what extent the SMA belt affects the order and dynamics of the enclosed lipids. We aimed to obtain insight into this by making use of synthetic azobenzene-labeled phospholipids incorporated into di-16:0 PC nanodiscs. Azobenzene lipids undergo geometric isomerization upon exposure to light at 365 nm, resulting in the formation of cis-isomers that possess a larger cross-sectional area than the trans-isomers. The influence of the lipid properties on the kinetics and extent of isomerization of the azobenzene groups was first tested in large unilamellar vesicles constituted by lipid mixtures with different packing properties of the acyl chains. Fastest isomerization kinetics were found when azolipids were present in membranes supplemented with lysolipids and slowest in those supplemented with di-unsaturated lipids, suggesting that the isomerization rate is sensitive to the lateral pressure profile in the lipid bilayer and hence may be considered a convenient tool to monitor packing properties of lipids enclosed in nanodiscs. When azolipids were incorporated in SMA-bounded nanodiscs, azolipid isomerization was found to take place readily, indicating that SMA polymers behave as rather flexible belts and allow expansion of the enclosed lipid material.

Thermotropic properties of phosphatidylcholine nanodiscs bounded by styrene-maleic acid copolymers.

Styrene-maleic acid copolymers (SMA) have been gaining interest in the field of membrane research due to their ability to solubilize membranes into nanodics. The SMA molecules act as an amphipathic belt that surrounds the nanodiscs, whereby the hydrophobic styrene moieties can insert in between the lipid acyl chains. Here we used SMA variants with different styrene-to-maleic acid ratio (i.e. 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1) to investigate how lipid packing in the nanodiscs is affected by the presence of the polymers and how it depends on polymer composition. This was done by analyzing the thermotropic properties of a series of saturated phosphatidylcholines in nanodiscs using laurdan fluorescence and differential scanning calorimetry. In all cases it was found that the temperature of the main phase transition (Tm) of the lipids in the nanodiscs is downshifted and that its cooperativity is strongly reduced as compared to the situation in vesicles. These effects were least pronounced for lipids in nanodiscs bounded by SMA 2:1. Unexpected trends were observed for the calorimetric enthalpy of the transition, suggesting that the polymer itself contributes, possibly by rearranging around the nanodiscs when the lipids adopt the fluid phase. Finally, distinct differences in morphology were observed for nanodiscs at relatively high polymer concentrations, depending on the SMA variant used. Overall, the results suggest that the extent of preservation of native thermodynamic properties of the lipids as well as the stability of the nanodiscs at high polymer concentrations is better for SMA 2:1 than for the other SMA variants.