31P nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the association of basic proteins with multilayers of diacyl phosphatidylserine.

Lysozyme, cytochrome c, poly(L-lysine), myelin basic protein and ribonuclease were used to form multilayer dispersions containing about 50% protein (by weight) with bovine brain diacyl phosphatidylserine (PS). 31P nuclear magnetic resonance shift anisotropies, spin-spin (T2) and spin-lattice (T1) relaxation times for the lipid headgroup phosphorus were measured at 36.44 MHz. At pH 7.5, lysozyme, cytochrome c, poly(L-lysine) and ribonuclease were shown to increase the chemical shift anisotropy of PS by between 12-20%. Myelin basic protein altered the shape of the phosphate resonance, suggesting the presence of two lipid components, one of which had a modified headgroup conformation. The presence of cytochrome c led to the formation of a narrow spike at the isotropic shift position of the spectrum. Of the various proteins or peptides we have studied, only poly(L-lysine) and cytochrome c had any effect on the T1 of PS (1050 ms). Both caused a 20-30% decrease in T1 of the lamellar-phase phosphate peak. The narrow peak in the presence of cytochrome c had a very short T1 of 156 ms. The possibility is considered that the cytochrome Fe3+ contributes to the phosphate relaxation in this case. The effect of all proteins on the T2 of the phosphorus resonance was to cause an increase from the value for pure PS (1.6 ms) to between 2 and 5 ms. The results obtained with proteins are compared with the effects of small ions and intrinsic membrane proteins on the order and motion of the headgroups of lipids in bilayers.