Structure and motion of phospholipids in human plasma lipoproteins. A 31P NMR study.

The structure and motion of phospholipids in human plasma lipoproteins have been studied by using 31P NMR. Lateral diffusion coefficients, DT, obtained from the viscosity dependence of the 31P NMR line widths, were obtained for very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoproteins (HDL2, HDL3), and egg PC/TO microemulsions at 25 degrees C, for VLDL at 40 degrees C, and for LDL at 45 degrees C. At 25 degrees C, the rate of lateral diffusion in LDL (DT = 1.4 x 10(-9) cm2/s) is an order of magnitude slower than in the HDLs (DT = 2 x 10(-8) cm2/s). At 45 degrees C, DT for LDL increases to 1.1 x 10(-8) cm2/s. In contrast, DT for VLDL increases only slightly going from 25 to 40 degrees C. The large increase in diffusion rate observed in LDL occurs over the same temperature range as the smectic to disordered phase transition of the core cholesteryl esters, and provides evidence for direct interactions between the monolayer and core. In order to prove the orientation and/or order of the phospholipid head-group, estimates of the residual chemical shift anistropy, delta sigma, have been obtained for all the lipoproteins and the microemulsions from the viscosity and field dependence of the 31P NMR line widths. For VLDL and LDL, the anisotropy is 47-50 ppm at 25 degrees C, in agreement with data from phospholipid bilayers. For the HDLs, however, significantly larger values of 69-75 ppm (HDL2) and greater than 120 ppm (HDL3) were obtained.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Dynamic structure of the lower density lipoproteins. II. Deuterium NMR studies of the monolayer of very low and low density lipoproteins.

The order of phosphatidylcholine (PC) acyl chains in the surface monolayer of very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and low density lipoproteins (LDL) has been determined from 2H nuclear magnetic resonance order parameters, SCD, using selectively deuterated PC or palmitic acids. From the computer simulated line shapes, we find two distinct phospholipid domains within the amphiphilic monolayer of both VLDL and LDL. In the more ordered domain of LDL, SCD was approximately 0.3 for the "plateau" chain region. The SCD values of VLDL particles are similar to those of LDL for the 5,6- and 11,12-positions, hence we suggest the organization of the more ordered region of VLDL and LDL are similar. The domain of low order in LDL comprises less than 10% of the phospholipid molecules (we do not distinguish between PC and sphingomyelin), having approximately the same order (SCD less than 0.1) as egg PC - sphingomyelin unilamellar vesicles. In VLDL, the domain of low order comprises between approximately 10 and approximately 20% of the phospholipid molecules and the entire acyl chain is in an essentially isotropic environment (SCD less than 0.02). We prepared VLDL-sized microemulsions composed of egg PC, deuterated PC, and triolein to test whether the apoproteins were responsible for creating the two differently organized domains in VLDL and LDL. Surprisingly, these protein-free particles also showed two domains of different order at two temperatures. The high order region, however, is less ordered than in VLDL and LDL. We explain two surface domains of PC in terms of lipid organization and the unique interactions of lipids in the various lipoprotein particles.

Detection of vesicular lipoproteins in lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase-deficient plasma by 1H-NMR spectroscopy.

The proton NMR spectra of the N-methyl choline region of normal and lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT)-deficient lipoproteins and of egg yolk phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol 55:45 (mol %) vesicle mixtures have been examined in the presence and absence of manganous sulfate as a line-broadening reagent. Manganous ions quenched all of the signal arising from normal lipoproteins and only part of the vesicle signal corresponding to the outer monolayer. There was no net loss of vesicular phospholipid when vesicles were added to normal lipoproteins and as little as 5% (or 100 micrograms) of the vesicular phospholipid could be detected and quantitated in the mixture of lipoproteins. Similar experiments performed on plasma lipoproteins from an LCAT-deficient patient indicated that 42% of the phospholipid was associated with vesicular lipoproteins. These experiments demonstrate that this technique can be used to detect and quantify small amounts of vesicular structures directly in a mixture of micellar lipoproteins.

Lipid-lipid interactions in reconstituted high-density lipoproteins by deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance.

Lipid-lipid interactions between the core and monolayer have been studied by using reconstituted high-density lipoproteins (rHDLs) composed of apoHDL3 with either dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) or egg phosphatidylcholine (egg PC) as the monolayer and either cholesteryl oleate (CO) or triolein (TO) as the core. The effect of the monolayer on the core was observed by deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance (2H NMR) studies of rHDLs containing the core component cholesteryl [18, 18, 18-2H3] oleate [( 2H3]CO) or tri[16,16-2H2]oleoylglycerol [( 2H6]TO) surrounded by a monolayer of either DPPC or egg PC as a function of temperature. The reverse effect, that of the core on the monolayer, was examined by both 2H and 31P NMR studies of rHDLs containing [5,5-2H2]PC in the presence of CO or TO as a function of temperature. The 2H NMR line widths of [2H3]CO and [2H6]TO were considerably broader and showed a greater temperature dependence in rHDLs containing DPPC than in those containing egg PC. Similarly, the C-2H order parameters of [2H2]PC were higher and showed a greater temperature dependence in rHDLs containing CO than in those containing TO. In contrast, the 31P NMR line widths were identical for both [2H2]-PC/CO/apoHDL3 and [2H2]PC/TO/apoHDL3 at 25 and 6 degrees C, showing only a slight temperature dependence. Thus, acyl chains of both the monolayer and core components show increased order when in contact with neighboring lipids of higher order. The data demonstrate a direct effect of core cholesteryl esters and triglycerides with the phospholipid monolayer of HDL.

Detection of protein-free lipoprotein analogues with an apolar lipid core by freeze-etch electron microscopy.

Freeze-fracture electron microscopy of protein-free lipoprotein analogues consisting of polar phospholipids with neutral lipid cores shows that these systems can exhibit novel, smooth crossfracture faces. Resolution of these features can be enhanced by etching techniques. This novel particle morphology provides a new procedure to characterize microemulsions composed of polar and neutral lipids.

Surface diffusion in human serum lipoproteins.

From the viscosity dependence of the 31P NMR signals, the diffusion coefficients DT of phospholipid molecules in the surface monolayer of HDL, LDL and VLDL have been determined. DT for HDL3 and HDL2 are found to be 2.3 X 10(-8) cm2/s and 1.8 X 10(-8) cm2/s, respectively. These values are similar to values reported for diffusion of phospholipid molecules in phospholipid bilayers above the gel to liquid crystalline phase transition temperature. Viscosity dependence of [16,16,16-2H3]phosphatidylcholine incorporated into HDL2 yielded a value similar to that determined by 31P (DT = 1.9 X 10(-8) cm2/s). Slower diffusion coefficients were measured for LDL2 and VLDL. VLDL had a value DT = 9.1 X 10(-9) cm2/s. The diffusion coefficient for LDL2 was 1.4 X 10(-9) cm2/s. Thus, diffusion of phospholipids in LDL2 is a full order of magnitude slower at 25 degrees C than diffusion of phospholipids in the HDLs.

Orientational order of cholesteryl oleate in low-density lipoprotein observed by 2H-NMR.

Cholesteryl oleate, selectively deuterated at various positions along the acyl chain, has been incorporated into fresh human serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL2). Temperature-dependent 2H-NMR spectra were recorded between 15 and 45 degrees C. For deuterons at C-2' and C-5' of the acyl chain, two 2H-NMR spectral components, a broad and a narrow signal, are observed. This is interpreted as reflecting the coexistence of two cholesteryl ester regions in the LDL2 core which possess different degrees of order. The C-2H bond order parameters, SCD, are approx. 0.12-0.20 for the more ordered region and approx. 0.04-0.06 for the less ordered region. Longitudinal relaxation times, T1, of deuterated cholesteryl oleate are found to increase between C-8' and the terminal -C2H3 group, which is consistent with an increased rate of chain motion toward the free ends of the ester acyl chains.

Chain dynamics of selectively deuterated fatty acids in high-density lipoproteins studied by deuterium NMR.

Deuterium order parameters have been determined for approximately 5 mol% selectively deuterated palmitic acid incorporated into the outer monolayer of high-density lipoproteins (HDL3). The values are SCD = 0.38 for [2,2-2H2]palmitic acid, 0.38 for [4,4-2H2]palmitic acid, 0.37 for [5,5,6,6-2H4]palmitic acid, 0.23 for [11,11,12,12-2H4]palmitic acid, and 0.05 for [16,16,16-2H3]palmitic acid. Comparison of the acyl chain order parameters in HDL3 with acyl chain order parameters determined recently [Parmar, Y.I., Wassall, S.R., & Cushley, R.J. (1984) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 106, 2434-2435] for approximately 5 mol% deuterated palmitic acid in sonicated unilamellar vesicles, composed of the same ratio of phosphatidylcholine/sphingomyelin (85/15 w/w) found in HDL3, shows that acyl chain order in the HDL3 monolayer is approximately 3-5 times higher than in the vesicle bilayer. The acyl chain order in the lipoprotein monolayer is approximately 1.5-2 times higher than in the bilayer of phosphatidylcholine multilamellar dispersions. Deuterium longitudinal relaxation times have been measured for deuterated palmitic acid in HDL3, and the values T1 approximately 16 ms for C2H2 and 170 ms for C2H3 groups are a factor of more than 2 times smaller than found in phospholipid bilayers.

Molecular motion and conformation of cholesteryl esters in reconstituted high density lipoprotein by deuterium magnetic resonance.

Reconstituted high density lipoprotein has been prepared by sonication and preparative ultracentrifugation of mixtures containing the apoprotein of high density lipoprotein, egg phosphatidylcholine, cholesteryl oleate, and acyl chain deuterated cholesteryl palmitate in aqueous buffer. The resulting structures have a size and chemical composition very similar to native high density lipoprotein. Deuterium NMR spectra and longitudinal relaxation times were obtained at approximately 25 degrees C. The variation of the 2H NMR line width with chain position is consistent with an average conformation such that the ester acyl chain is extended. In addition, 2H NMR line widths and longitudinal relaxation times indicate that the ester acyl chains possess significant mobility.