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Biomedical subjects

R J Cherry

Publications and source records attributed to R J Cherry.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

The capacity of basic peptides to trigger exocytosis from mast cells correlates with their capacity to immobilize band 3 proteins in erythrocyte membranes.

The effect of mast-cell-triggering peptides on the rotational properties of band 3, a protein component of the human erythrocyte membrane, was measured by observing flash-induced transient dichroism of the triplet probe eosin maleimide. In the presence of melittin, polylysine and five synthetic peptides, varying degrees of retardation in the rotational motion of band 3 were produced. When placed in order of band 3 immobilizing activity, the peptides formed a series identical with their order of efficacy in releasing 5-hydroxytryptamine from rat peritoneal mast cells. The correspondence in the abilities to immobilize band 3 in the erythrocyte and trigger mast cells is significant because structure-activity analyses of the peptides show both processes to have the same cationic, hydrophobic and stereochemical requirements. Probably, the immobilization of band 3 proteins reflects an ability of the basic peptides to aggregate anionic surface moieties, and therefore a similar mechanism is implied in mast-cell triggering.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Rotational diffusion of the ADP/ATP translocator in the inner membrane of mitochondria and in proteoliposomes.

The ADP/ATP translocator was selectively labeled with the triplet probe eosin-5-maleimide (EMA) after pretreatment with N-ethylmaleimide in beef heart mitochondria, as reported previously for submitochondrial particles (Müller, M., Krebs, J. J. R., Cherry, R. J., and Kawato, S. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 1117-1120). The EMA binding was completely inhibited by carboxyatractylate. 0.7-1.1 molecules of EMA conjugated with 1 molecule of the dimeric translocator with Mr approximately 65,000. The EMA binding decreased [14C]ADP uptake by about approximately 25%. The EMA-labeled translocator bongkrekate complex was purified and reconstituted in liposomes by removing Triton X-100 with Amberlite XAD-2. The liposomes were composed of phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylethanolamine/cardiolipin and the lipid to protein ratio by weight was (L/P) = 60. Rotational diffusion of the ADP/ATP translocator around the membrane normal was measured in reconstituted proteoliposomes and in the mitochondrial inner membranes by observing the flash-induced absorption anisotropy, r(t), of EMA. In proteoliposomes with L/P = 60, the translocator was rotating with an approximate average rotational relaxation time of phi congruent to 246 microseconds and a normalized time-independent anisotrophy [r3/rr(0)]min congruent to 0.55. In intact mitochondria, values of phi congruent to 405 microseconds and r3/rr(0) congruent to 0.79 were obtained. The higher value of r3/rr(0) in mitochondria compared with proteoliposomes indicates the co-existence of rotating and immobile translocator (phi greater than 20 ms) in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Based on the assumption that all the translocator is rotating in the lipid-rich proteoliposomes, the population of the mobile translocator at 20 degrees C was calculated to be approximately 47%. By removing the outer membrane, the mobile population was increased to approximately 70% in mitoplasts, while approximately 53% of the translocator was rotating in submitochondrial particles. The above results indicate a significant difference in protein-protein interactions of the ADP/ATP translocator in the different types of inner membranes of mitochondria. The immobile population of the translocator could be due to nonspecific protein aggregates caused by the very high concentration of proteins in the inner membrane of mitochondria (L/P approximately 0.4).

Adenosine Diphosphate↗
PubMed1984

The influence of melittin on the rotation of band 3 protein in the human erythrocyte membrane.

The rotational mobility of band 3, a protein constituent of the human erythrocyte membrane, was measured by observing the flash-induced transient dichroism of the triplet probe eosin maleimide. In the presence of melittin, a pharmacologically active polypeptide from honey bee (Apis mellifera) venom, a dose-dependent loss of rotational mobility was detected. With acetylated melittin, the ability to immobilize is reduced. Succinylated melittin, however, is devoid of immobilizing activity. The possible relevance of these findings to the normal mode of action of melittin was examined by comparing the relative abilities of the native, acetylated and succinylated melittins to lyse erythrocytes and synergize with phospholipase A2, another constituent of bee venom. For both these properties, the order of effectiveness is native melittin greater than acetyl melittin greater than succinyl melittin = 0, the same as their order of effectiveness in immobilizing band 3. A mechanism is proposed in which melittin is anchored in the membrane by its hydrophobic N-terminus, while its cationic C-terminal moiety binds to negatively charged residues on membrane proteins. This leads either directly or indirectly to protein aggregation and hence loss of mobility. From a detailed comparison of the different effects of the melittin derivatives, it is concluded that melittin may function in vivo by aggregating membrane proteins in order to allow phospholipase A2 to gain access to the membrane bilayer and commence catalysis.

Anion Exchange Protein 1, Erythrocyte↗
PubMed1983

Rotation of cytochrome P-450. Complex formation of cytochrome P-450 with NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase in liposomes demonstrated by combining protein rotation with antibody-induced cross-linking.

Purified rat liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase were co-reconstituted in phosphatidylcholine-phosphatidylethanolamine-phosphatidylserine vesicles by a cholate dialysis technique. Rotational diffusion of cytochrome P-450 was measured by detecting the decay of absorption anisotropy r(t), after photolysis of the heme X CO complex by a vertically polarized laser flash. All cytochrome P-450 was found to be rotationally mobile when co-reconstituted with equimolar amounts of NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase in lipid to cytochrome P-450 ((L/P450)) = 1 (w/w] vesicles. Antibodies against NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase were raised. Their specificity was demonstrated by Ouchterlony double diffusion analysis. Antireductase Fab fragments were prepared from antireductase IgG by papain digestion. The N-demethylation of benzphetamine, catalyzed by the proteoliposomes, was significantly inhibited by antireductase IgG and by antireductase Fab fragments. Cross-linking of NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase by antireductase IgG resulted in complete immobilization of cytochrome P-450 in L/P450 = 1 vesicles. Antireductase IgG also immobilized cytochrome P-450 in L/P450 = 5 vesicles, although the degree of immobilization was slightly smaller. No immobilization of cytochrome P-450 in L/P450 = 1 vesicles was detected in the presence of antireductase Fab fragments or preimmune IgG. These results further support the proposal of the formation of monomolecular complexes between cytochrome P-450 and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase in liposomal membranes (Gut, J., Richter, C., Cherry, R.J., Winterhalter, K.H., and Kawato, S. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 7030-7036).

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Correlation of rotational mobility and flexibility of Sendai virus spike glycoproteins with fusion activity.

The rotational mobility of Sendai virus glycoprotein spikes was measured by flash-induced transient dichroism of eosin triplet probes. The possible importance of this molecular motion for function was investigated by parallel assays of hemagglutination and fusion with erythrocytes. For mobility measurements, the glycoproteins were labeled on amino groups with eosin-5-isothiocyanate and on the galactose residues of the oligosaccharide chains with eosin-5-thiosemicarbazide. The decay of the absorption anisotropy of both probes, which has a time constant of about 100-200 musec at 37 degrees is attributed to the rotation of the proteins about an axis normal to the plane of the membrane. This motion was inhibited by crosslinking of the spike proteins with glutaraldehyde or by the specific binding of human erythrocyte glycophorin (a virus receptor) to the HN glycoprotein. Low values of the initial anisotropy for both probes indicate the existence of a second, faster motion. This is attributed to segmental motion of the glycoproteins. Segmental motion is inhibited by crosslinking with glutaraldehyde but appears to be little affected by interaction with glycophorin. The temperature dependence of the segmental and rotational motion of the proteins revealed a pronounced increase in mobility in the range of 30-35 degrees which was not paralleled by the lipid motion of the Sendai virus envelope membrane. Since the temperature dependence of virus-induced hemolysis has a similar characteristic, the mobility of glycoproteins appears to be correlated with the fusion activity. The hemagglutination activity, however, is not dependent on the mobility of the glycoprotein spikes.

Chemical Phenomena↗
PubMed1982

Influence of cholesterol on the rotation and self-association of band 3 in the human erythrocyte membrane.

The cholesterol/phospholipid mole ratio (C/P) in the human erythrocyte membrane was varied by incubating cells with liposomes. The rotational mobility of band 3 proteins was measured in these membranes by observing flash-induced transient dichroism of the triplet probe eosin maleimide. Measurements were performed with membranes in which associations of band 3 with cytoskeletal proteins were removed by mild proteolysis with trypsin. It was found that decreasing C/P resulted in a more rapid decay of the flash-induced anisotropy. The anisotropy decay curves were analyzed by curve-fitting procedures, which indicated the existence of different sized small aggregates of band 3. The changes in the decay curves with varying C/P can be explained by an effect of cholesterol on the size distribution of these aggregates. The experiments suggest a possible role of cholesterol in regulating associations between integral membrane proteins.

Anion Exchange Protein 1, Erythrocyte↗
PubMed1982

Rotation of cytochrome P-450. II. Specific interactions of cytochrome P-450 with NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase in phospholipid vesicles.

Purified rat liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase were co-reconstituted in phosphatidylcholine-phosphatidylethanolamine-phosphatidylserine vesicles using a cholate dialysis technique. The co-reconstitution of the enzymes was demonstrated in proteoliposomes fractionated by centrifugation in a glycerol gradient. The proteoliposomes catalyzed the N-demethylation of a variety of substrates. Rotational diffusion of cytochrome P-450 was measured by detecting the decay of absorption anisotropy r(t), after photolysis of the heme.CO complex by a vertically polarized laser flash. The rotational mobility of cytochrome P-450, when reconstituted alone, was found to be dependent on the lipid to protein ratio by weight (L/P450) (Kawato, S., Gut, J., Cherry, R. J., Winterhalter, K. H., and Richter, C. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 7023-7029). About 35% of cytochrome P-450 was immobilized and the rest was rotating with a mean rotational relaxation time phi 1 of about 95 mus in L/P450 = 1 vesicle. In L/P450 = 10 vesicles, about 10% of P-450 was immobile and the rest was rotating with phi 1 congruent to 55 mus. Co-reconstitution of equimolar amounts of NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase into the above vesicles results in completely mobile cytochrome P-450 with a phi 1 congruent to 40 mus. Only a small decrease in the immobile fraction of cytochrome P-450 is observed when the molar ratio of cytochrome P-450 to the reductase is 5. The results suggest the formation of a monomolecular 1:1 complex between cytochrome P-450 and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase in the liposomes.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Rotation of cytochrome P-450. I. Investigations of protein-protein interactions of cytochrome P-450 in phospholipid vesicles and liver microsomes.

Rotation of cytochrome P-450 was examined in both liver microsomes and reconstituted and phospholipid vesicles. Purified cytochrome P-450 was incorporated into lipid vesicles composed of phosphatidylcholine-phosphatidylethanolamine-Phosphatidylserne. Rotational diffusion was measured by detecting the decay of absorption anisotropy, r(t), after photolysis of the heme. CO complex by a vertically polarized laser flash. No contribution of vesicle tumbling to r(t) was observed over the experimental time range of 0-500 mus for samples in 60% sucrose. Analysis of r(t) was based on a "rotation-about-membrane normal" model. The measurements were used to investigate intermolecular interactions of cytochrome P-450. In vesicles of a high lipid to protein ratio (=30 by weight), the residual time-independent normalized anisotropy, r (infinity)/r (0), reached a limiting low value, implying that all cytochrome P-450 was rotating. The mean rotational relaxation time, phi 1, was about 95 mus. In contrast, about 35% of cytochrome P-450 was immobilized in vesicles of a low lipid to protein ratio (=1), with phi 1 of about 95 mus for the mobile fraction. The immobile fraction is presumably due to self-aggregation of cytochrome P-450. In rat liver microsomes, 0-50% of cytochrome P-450 was mobile with phi 1 of about 120 mus at 20 degrees C, and the rest was immobile. A significant temperature dependence of r(t) was observed in microsomes. All cytochrome P-450 was immobile below 7 degrees C, and about 50% of the enzyme was mobile at 37 degrees C with phi 1 approximately 60 mus. From the limiting value of r(infinity)/r(0) congruent to 0.12, the tilt angle of the heme plane of cytochrome p-450 from the membrane plane was calculated to be about 40 degrees.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Protein-protein interactions of cytochrome oxidase in inner mitochondrial membranes. The effect of liposome fusion on protein rotational mobility.

Rotational diffusion of cytochrome oxidase in the inner membrane of rat liver mitochondria was measured by detecting the decay of absorption anisotropy after photolysis of the heme a3.CO complex by a vertically polarized laser flash. As in previous experiments with beef heart mitochondria (Kawato, S., Sigel, E., Carafoli, E., and Cherry, R. J. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 5508-5510), co-existence of rotating cytochrome oxidase (mean rotational relaxation time, phi, of 700 to 1400 microseconds) and immobilized cytochrome oxidase (phi greater than 20 ms) was observed in mitochondria and mitoplasts. The effect of lipid/protein ratio by weight (L/P) on the relative proportions of mobile and immobile cytochrome oxidase was investigated following the fusion of soybean phospholipid vesicles with mitoplasts. The fusion procedure yielded four separate fractions upon sucrose density gradient centrifugation with L/P as follows: 0.3 in Pellet, 0.7 in Band 3, 1.5 in Band 2, and 3.0 in Band 1. The percentage of rotationally mobile cytochrome oxidase (phi = 700 to 1000 microseconds) in each of the different bands was found to be 16% in Pellet, 25% in Band 3, 47% in Band 2, and 76% in Band 1 at 37 degrees C. The dependence of the amount of mobile cytochrome oxidase on L/P indicates that the fraction of aggregated protein progressively decreases with decreasing concentration of proteins in the membrane. Thus, the large immobile fraction of cytochrome oxidase in mitochondrial inner membranes can be explained by nonspecific protein aggregation which is a consequence of the low L/P. The decrease in the mobile fraction in Pellet compared with mitoplasts was shown to be due to the pH 6.5 incubation used for fusion.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Selective labeling and rotational diffusion of the ADP/ATP translocator in the inner mitochondrial membrane.

Submitochondrial particles were labeled with the triplet probe eosin-5-maleimide (EMA) after pretreatment with N-ethylmaleimide. On sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, eosin fluorescence occurred in a single band of Mr approximately 30,000. The labeled band was identified as the ADP/ATP translocator, since EMA binding was completely inhibited by carboxyatractylate. Furthermore, the EMA-labeled polypeptide had the same molecular weight as the purified carboxyatractylate-bound translocator and the purified EMA-labeled translocator. Rotational diffusion of the translocator around the membrane normal in submitochondrial particles was measured by observing flash-induced absorption anisotropy of EMA. The translocator rotates with a time constant which varied from approximately 240 microseconds at 5 degrees C to approximately 100 microseconds at 37 degrees C. However, it is likely that only a fraction of the translocator rotates, the remainder being immobile over the measurement time of 500 microseconds. The mobile fraction of the translocator decreased with decrease in temperature. The observed fluorescence anisotropy of 0.24 indicates that EMA undergoes subnanosecond rapid wobbling in the binding site of the ADP/ATP translocator.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Lateral and rotational diffusion of bacteriorhodopsin in lipid bilayers: experimental test of the Saffman-Delbrück equations.

Lateral diffusion of bacteriorhodopsin and a lipid analogue has been measured in dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers as a function of temperature, phospholipid/protein (mol/mol; L/P) ratio, and aqueous phase viscosity. The protein lateral diffusion coefficients measured above the temperature at which the lipid gel-liquid/crystalline phase transition occurs (Tc) are combined with previously determined rotational diffusion coefficients to provide a test of the Saffman-Delbrück equations [Saffman, P. G. & Delbrück, M. (1975) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 72, 3111-3113]. Insertion of the diffusion coefficients into these equations enables the protein diameter to be calculated. The value of 4.3 +/- 0.5 nm so obtained is in reasonable agreement with the known structure of bacteriorhodopsin. A 12-fold increase in the viscosity of the aqueous phase reduces protein lateral diffusion coefficients by 50%, which is also consistent with the Saffman-Delbrück equations. Both protein and lipid lateral diffusion coefficients decrease with decreasing L/P ratio above the Tc. It is argued that, at a high L/P ratio, this effect is probably due to changes in membrane viscosity while, at a low L/P ratio, "crowding" effects (steric restrictions) and protein aggregation become important. When comparing diffusion measurements made in different systems, it is important to take the effect of the L/P ratio into account. When this is done, other published measurements of freely diffusing membrane proteins are in good agreement with the present results and the predictions of the Saffman-Delbrück equations. Below the Tc, the presence of protein enhances diffusion rates. The overall effect is to smooth out the large change in diffusion coefficient that occurs at the Tc.

Bacteriorhodopsins↗
PubMed1981

Rotation of cytochrome oxidase in phospholipid vesicles. Investigations of interactions between cytochrome oxidases and between cytochrome oxidase and cytochrome bc1 complex.

Cytochrome oxidase was incorporated into lipid vesicles composed of phosphatidylethanolamine-phosphatidylcholine-cardiolipin. Large proteoliposomes of 1,000-15,000 A diameter were prepared by calcium-induced fusion of small vesicles. Rotational diffusion of cytochrome oxidase was measured by detecting the decay of the absorption anisotropy, r(t), after photolysis of the heme a3.CO complex by a vertically polarized laser flash. Because of the large size of the proteoliposomes, there was no contribution of vesicle-tumbling to r(t) over the experimental time range of 5 ms for samples in 60% sucrose. Analysis of r(t) curves was based on a "rotation-about-membrane normal" model. The measurements were used to investigate intermolecular interactions between cytochrome oxidases and between cytochrome oxidase and cytochrome bc1 complex co-reconstituted in the above lipid vesicles. In vesicles of a high lipid to protein ratio (congruent to 27), nearly all cytochrome oxidase molecules are rotating with an approximate rotational relaxation time, phi 1, on the order of 500 microseconds. In contrast, about 20% of cytochrome oxidase is immobile in vesicles with a relatively low lipid to protein ratio (congruent to 5), although phi 1 of the mobile population remains about 500 microseconds. In contrast, about 20% of cytochrome oxidase is immobile in vesicles with a relatively low lipid to protein ratio (congruent to 5), although phi 1 of the mobile population remains about 500 microseconds. The immobilized fraction is presumably due to nonspecific self-aggregation of cytochrome oxidase. The presence of cytochrome bc1 complex does not change r(t) curves significantly, either in the presence or absence of cytochrome c. Previously, we have observed the co-existence of mobile and immobile populations of cytochrome oxidase in bovine heart and rat heart mitochondria (Kawato, S., Sigel, E., Carafoli, E., and Cherry, R. J. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 5508-5510). The present results suggest that the immobile population of about one-half of cytochrome oxidase could be simply due to nonspecific protein aggregation resulting from the high concentration of enzymes in the inner mitochondrial membrane (lipid to protein ratio, less than or equal to 0.5). We also conclude that there is no specific interaction between cytochrome oxidase and cytochrome bc1 complex in the above large lipid vesicles. A lateral collision-controlled model for electron transfer from cytochrome bc1 complex to cytochrome oxidase through cytochrome c is discussed based on the above results.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Lipid--protein interactions in bacteriorhodopsin--dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles.

Bacteriorhodopsin (BR) was incorporated into large unilamellar dimyristoyl- and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles (100--300-nm radius). The effect of this intrinsic membrane protein on the order and dynamics of the lipid and on the cooperativity and transition temperature (Tc) of the gel to liquid-crystalline phase transition was investigated as a function of the lipid:protein ratio (L/BR). The lipid phase transition induces protein segregation. Above Tc, bacteriorhodopsin is in the monomeric state. Below Tc, BR is aggregated in the same hexagonal lattice as in the purple membrane (PM). In this reconstituted system, BR has a photochemical cycle similar to that in the PM and is active as a light-driven proton pump. The lipid phase transition which was monitored by using the steady-state anisotropy of the fluorescent probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) broadens with decreasing L/BR but occurs at approximately the same Tc. Below Tc, the fluorescence anisotropy of DPH is quite high (0.35) and independent of the L/BR. Above Tc, however, the anisotrophy increases markedly with decreasing L/BR. It was recently pointed out that the fluorescence anisotropy of probes like DPH contains information not only on the dynamics (correlation times) but also on the order parameters of the lipids [Heyn, M. P. (1979) FEBS Lett. 108, 359--364]. The most likely explanation of the observed increase in anisotropy above Tc is that the perturbation of the lipid bilayer caused by the incorporation of BR leads both to an increase in order and to a slowing of the rotational diffusion of the lipids (increased viscosity). In agreement with this latter dynamical effect, the rotational diffusion constant of BR itself decreases above Tc with decreasing L/BR. Above Tc, the membrane viscosity as determined from the rotational diffusion constant of BR is at least 1.5 times larger than that obtained from the fluorescence depolarization of DPH. The formation of the BR lattice as a function of temperature was followed by using the circular dichroism (CD) exciton effect together with measurements of the rotational diffusion of BR. Both methods show similar transition curves for the protein crystallization whose midpoints, however, occur several degrees below Tc.

Bacteriorhodopsins↗
PubMed1981

Rotational motion and flexibility of Ca2+,Mg2+-dependent adenosine 5'-triphosphatase in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes.

Ca2+,Mg2+-dependent adenosine 5'-triphosphatase (ATPase) in sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles is labeled with the triplet probe, 5-iodoacetamidoesin. Rotational mobility of the ATPase is investigated by measuring flash-induced transient dichroism of the eosin probe. The absorption anisotropy measured 20 mus after the exciting flash is found to be small at 37 degrees C but increases considerably with decreasing temperature and upon fixation with glutaraldehyde. A purified Ca2+,Mg2+-dependent ATPase preparation partially depleted of membrane lipids exhibits similar properties. The low value of the anisotropy at 37 degrees C is due to the existence of a fast motion which in part is assigned to independent segmental motion of the protein. This internal flexibility of the ATPase may have considerable significance for the functional properties of the enzyme. At times longer than 20 mus, the anisotropy decays with a time constant which varies from approximately 90 mus at 0 degrees C to approximately 40 mus at 37 degrees C. This decay is assigned to rotation of the ATPase about an axis normal to the plane of the membrane. There is some evidence for self-aggregation of the protein at lower temperatures.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Anisotropic rotation of bacteriorhodopsin in lipid membranes. Comparison of theory with experiment.

Rotational diffusion of bacteriorhodopsin in dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine vesicles has been measured at different temperatures and lipid; protein ratios by the technique of flash-induced transient linear dichroism. The data are used to evaluate critically the theory of anisotropy decay due to protein rotation in the lipid bilayer. The theoretical model assumes that rotation of the protein occurs only around the membrane normal. Under conditions favoring completely monomeric bacteriorhodopsin, namely at molar lipid; protein ratios greater than or approximately 100 and for temperatures sufficiently above the lipid phase transition, it is found that the theoretical model provides an excellent description of the experimental data. Curve-fitting analyses of the experimental decay curves show that the retinal is oriented at an angle of 78 +/- 2 degrees with respect to the membrane normal. Between 25 and 37 degrees C, the protein rotates with a relaxation time of 15 +/- 5 micros in the lipid liquid crystalline phase, corresponding to the membrane viscosity of 3.7 +/- 1.3 P. The curve analysis also provides a sensitive test for the presence of protein aggregates in the lipid bilayer.

Bacteriorhodopsins↗
PubMed1981

Behaviour of bacteriorhodopsin incorporated into lipid vesicles after solubilization with different detergents.

Incorporation of bacteriorhodopsin (BR), derived from the purple membrane by solubilization with detergents, into phosphatidylcholine-(PC-) vesicles resulted in a disperse distribution of the protein particles in the lipid bilayer as revealed by freeze-fracture electron microscopy. Rotational diffusion measurements showed a high rotational mobility when the system is kept above the lipid phase transition temperature (Tc). Below the Tc the particles are immobilized as observed by flash photolysis while in electron micrographs, segregation of the protein from the lipids and particle aggregation can be seen. In some cases a hexagonal lattice is observed. Solubilization of the purple membrane with LDAO (lauryl-dimethyl-amine oxide) followed by centrifugation through a sucrose density gradient resulted in BR depleted by 80% of bacterial lipids. Incorporation of this lipid-depleted BR into PC-vesicles did not reveal any significant differences in its mobility of its aggregation behaviour. Incorporation of cholesterol into the vesicle system resulted in a marked immobilization of BR. Freeze-fracture electron micrographs show typical segregation phenomena above the Tc of the pure lipid. In the sample with 30 mole% cholesterol, aggregation of the protein appears to be accompanied by lattice formation.

Bacteriorhodopsins↗