Intercalation of single-strand oligonucleotides between nucleolipid anionic membranes: a neutron diffraction study.

This contribution presents a neutron diffraction investigation of anionic lamellar phases composed of mixtures of 1-palmitoyl, 2-oleoyl phosphatidyl-nucleosides (POPN, where N is either adenosine or uridine), and POPC (1-palmitoyl,2-oleoyl-phosphatidyl-choline). Their behavior is studied for two different mole ratios and in the presence of nucleic acids. The samples are formed by the evaporation of liposomal dispersions prepared in water or in solutions containing single-strand oligonucleotides. Previous small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments on the system POPA/polyU (polyuridylic acid, high degree of polymerization, synthetic ribonucleic acid) proved that the insertion and ordering of the biopolymer in the phospholipid lamellae were driven by molecular recognition. In the present study, we extend the previous investigation to single-strand monodisperse oligonucleotides (50-mers). Structural details of the membranes were obtained from the analysis of the neutron diffraction scattering length density profiles. The evidence of direct and specific interactions, driven by molecular recognition between the nucleic polar heads of the nucleolipid and the single-strand nucleic acid, is strengthened by the comparison with identically charged bilayers formed by POPG/POPC. These results contribute to the understanding of the parameters governing the interactions between nucleolipid membranes and oligonucleotides, providing a novel strategy for the design of lipid-based vehicles for nucleic acids.