Spin-labeled lipid A.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a major component of the outer membranes of gram-negative bacteria, is composed of a polysaccharide chain attached to a lipid A base that contains a disaccharide headgroup with two negative phosphate groups and at least four acyl chains. Lipid A is an essential component of the membranes of a large number of bacteria and is also a substrate for a wide variety of proteins. Here we report the synthesis of a nitroxide spin-labeled lipid A, characterize its localization at the membrane bilayer surface, and demonstrate that it remains a viable substrate for the Escherichia coli lipid flippase MsbA.