Structure of molecular aggregates of 1-(3-sn-phosphatidyl)-L-myo-inositol 3,4-bis(phosphate) in water.

The molecular organization of 1-(3-sn-phosphatidyl)-L-myo-inositol 3,4-bis-(phosphate)/water systems is investigated over a wide range of lipid concentrations using X-ray diffraction, calorimetry, analytical ultracentrifugation, densitometry and viscometry. At high lipid concentrations, the lipid molecules are found to form a lamellar phase. The repeat distance increases from 60 to 120 A with increasing water content to 70 wt% and the surface area per lipid molecule increases from 41.7 A2 to a limiting value of 100 A2. On the other hand, at very low lipid concentrations the molecules are found to form not vesicles but micelles, the total molecular weight of which takes a value of 93,000. This finding revises the prevalent view that lipids containing two (or more) hydrocarbon chains form extended bilayers or vesicles, whereas single chained lipids form micelles.