RESUMO
We report investigations, using time-resolved and polarised evanescent wave-induced fluorescence methods, into the location, orientation and mobility of a fluorescently labelled form of the antimicrobial peptide, melittin, when it interacts with vesicles and supported lipid bilayers (SLBs). This melittin analogue, termed MK14-A430, was found to penetrate the lipid headgroup structure in pure, ordered-phase DPPC membranes but was located near the headgroup-water region when cholesterol was included. MK14-A430 formed lytic pores in SLBs, and an increase in pore formation with incubation time was observed through an increase in polarity and mobility of the probe. When associated with the Cholesterol-containing SLB, the probe displayed polarity and mobility that indicated a population distributed near the lipid headgroup-water interface with MK14-A430 arranged predominantly in a surface-aligned state. This study indicates that the lytic activity of MK14-A430 occurred through a pore-forming mechanism. The lipid headgroup environment experienced by the fluorescent label, where MK14-A430 displayed pore information, indicated that pore formation was best described by the toroidal pore model.
RESUMO
The interaction of a melittin mutant with a 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC)-supported lipid bilayer was studied with the use of time-resolved evanescent wave-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TREWIFS) and evanescent wave-induced time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy measurements (EW-TRAMs). The mutant peptide was labeled at position K14 with AlexaFluor 430 and retained the lytic activity characteristic of native melittin. The fluorescence decay kinetics of the conjugate was found to be biexponential with a short-lived component, τ(1), due to photoinduced electron transfer between AlexaFluor 430 and proximal side chains within or between the peptides. The longer-lived component, τ(2), was sensitive to the polarity of the microenvironment at or near the K14 position of the peptide. Upon interaction with a DPPC-supported bilayer, the proportional contribution of τ(1) increased, indicating a conformational change of the peptide. The values of τ(1) and τ(2) indicate that the AlexaFluor 430 probe experienced an environment with an equivalent polarity no less than that of methanol. EW-TRAMs data from the melittin mutant revealed hindered rotational motions of the AlexaFluor 430 probe both in the plane and perpendicular to the plane of the supported lipid bilayer. The data indicate a highly ordered and polar environment near the center of the melittin helix consistent with the formation of a toroidal pore.
