Gel-phase microdomains and lipid rafts in monolayers affect the redox properties of ubiquinone-10.

The redox properties of ubiquinone-10 (UQ) were examined in monolayers of mixtures of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine, palmitoylsphingomyelin, and cholesterol of different compositions, self-assembled on a mercury electrode, over the pH range from 7.5 to 9.5. A detailed analysis of the cyclic voltammograms of UQ in the above lipid environments points to a mechanism consisting of an elementary electron transfer step followed by two protonation (or deprotonation) steps in quasiequilibrium and by a further electron transfer step. In a lipid environment of solid-ordered (s(o)) microdomains in a liquid-disordered (l(d)) matrix, electron transport across the lipid monolayer takes place in the l(d) phase. In a pure s(o) phase, UQ tends to segregate into UQ-rich pools, exhibiting reversible electron transfer steps. In a lipid environment consisting of liquid-ordered (l(o)) microdomains (lipid rafts) in an l(d) matrix, UQ molecules tend to localize along the edge of the lipid rafts. However, in a lipid environment consisting exclusively of l(o) and s(o) microdomains, UQ molecules tend to segregate into UQ-rich pools. In all lipid environments, electron transport by UQ occurs with the quinone moiety localized on the solution side with respect to the ester linkages of the dioleoylphosphatidylcholine molecules.