Antigen mobility in membranes and complement-medical immune attack.

The complement fixing activity of liposomes containing cholesterol, dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine), and 3 mol % of cardiolipin has been studied as a function of cholesterol concentration by use of human syphilitic serum containing cardiolipin-specific (Wasserman) antibodies. It is found that complement fixation increases rapidly for cholesterol concentrations above 35 mol %. Spin label studies have been used to study the incorporation of cardiolipin in the relatively rigid phase of binary mixtures of cholesterol and dimyristolphosphatidycholine (or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine). It is concluded that cardiolipin is included in such a phase of these lipids for cholesterol concentrations above 35 mol %. These results indicate that a relatively rigid lateral distribution of this monovalent antigen in the plane of the membrane facilitates complement fixation and concomitant complement-mediated membrane damage.