Deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance investigation of the effects of proteins and polypeptides on hydrocarbon chain order in model membrane systems.

Deuterium Fourier-transform nuclear magnetic resonance spectra have been obtained of 1-myristoyl 2-(14,14,14-trideutero)myristoyl phosphatidylcholine bilayers at 34.1 MHz by using the quadrupole echo pulse technique. Thereby, we have investigated the effects upon the deuterated dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine bilayers of the following proteins and polypeptides: gramicidin A, bacteriophage f1 coat protein, beef brain myelin proteolipid apoprotein, cytochrome b(5), and cytochrome c oxidase (ferrocytochrome c:oxygen oxidoreductase, EC 1.9.3.1). Above T(c), the transition temperature between the gel and liquid crystal phases, the quadrupole splitting of the deuterium-labeled methyl group is reduced or collapsed in the presence of protein or polypeptide. No evidence has been found for ordered "boundary lipid." Below T(c), the spectra show that the hydrocarbon chains are prevented from crystallizing by the protein (or polypeptide) incorporated in the membrane. Similar disordering effects above T(c) are also seen when an unsaturated lipid, 1-(16,16,16-trideutero)palmitoyl 2-palmitoleyl phosphatidylcholine is complexed with cytochrome oxidase.