Marcus J. Swann

Optical Anisotropy of Supported Lipid Structures Probed by Waveguide Spectroscopy and Its Application to Study of Supported Lipid Bilayer Formation Kinetics

Supramolecular conformation and molecular orientation was monitored during supported lipid bilayer (SLB) formation using dual polarization interferometry (DPI). DPI was shown to enable real time sensitive determination of birefringence of the lipid bilayer together with thickness or refractive index (with the other a fixed value). This approach removes differences in mass loading due to anisotropy, so the mass becomes solely a function of the lipid d n/d c value. DPI measurements show highly reproducible qualitative and quantitative results for adsorption of liposomes of different lipid compositions and in buffers with or without CaCl 2. The packing of solvent-free self-assembled SLBs is shown to differ from other preparation methods. Birefringence analysis accompanied by mass and thickness measurements shows characteristic features of vesicle adsorption and SLB formation kinetics previously not demonstrated by evanescent optical techniques, including indications of percolation-type rupture of clusters of liposomes on the surface and correlated adsorption kinetics induced by liposome charge repulsion. Our study demonstrates that understanding of mechanistic details for an adsorption process for which conformational changes and ordering occur can be elucidated using DPI and greatly enhanced by modeling of optical birefringence. The data is in some respects more detailed than what can be obtained with conventional biosensing techniques like surface plasmon resonance and complementary to methods such as the quartz crystal microbalance.

The metrics of surface adsorbed small molecules on the Young's fringe dual-slab waveguide interferometer

A method for analysing thin films using a dual-waveguide interferometric technique is described. Alternate dual polarization addressing of the interferometer sensor using a ferroelectric liquid crystal polarization switch allowed the opto-geometrical properties (density and thickness) of adsorbed layers at a solid?liquid interface to be determined. Differences in the waveguide mode dispersion between the transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes allowed unique combinations of layer thickness and refractive index to be determined at all stages of the layer formation process. The technique has been verified by comparing the analysis of the surface adsorption of surfactants with data obtained using neutron scattering techniques, observing their behaviour on trimethylsilane coated silicon oxynitride surfaces. The data obtained were found to be in excellent agreement with analogous neutron scattering experiments and the precision of the measurements taken to be of the order of 40?pm with respect to adsorbed layer thicknesses. The study was extended to a series of surfactants whose layer morphology could be correlated with their hydrophilicity/lipophilicity balance. Those in the series with longer alkyl chains were observed to form thinner, denser layers at the hydrophobic solid/aqueous liquid interface and the degree of order attained at sub-critical micelle concentrations to be correlated with molecular fluidity.The technique is expected to find utility with those interested in thin film analysis. An important and growing area of application is within the life sciences, especially in the field of protein structure and function.

Ion and solvent transfer accompanying polybithiophene doping and undoping

Abstract The electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) has been used to monitor mass changes accompanying polybithiophene (PBT) doping and undoping in acetonitrile solutions containing tetraalkylammonium salts. The observed mass changes are close, but not identical to those anticipated if counter ion (anion) were the only transferred species. More detailed consideration shows that the data can be rationalised if there is also salt and solvent transfer. The motions of these two species are in opposite directions, resulting in nearly compensatory mass changes. Comparison of the mass and charge fluxes show that the two are correlated during PBT oxidation, but not during reduction. Reduction of doped PBT occurs in two stages. In the first stage, at more positive potentials, the mass change per unit charge is less than the average value for the overall redox process. In the second stage, at more negative potentials, it is larger. This could not be accommodated within a model involving a single mobile species. Interpretation of the overall mass change must be consistent with mass and charge fluxes observed throughout the redox switching process.

Real-time quantitative analysis of lipid disordering by aurein 1.2 during membrane adsorption, destabilisation and lysis.

Effective antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) distinguish between the host and microbial cells, show selective antimicrobial activity and exhibit a fast killing mechanism. Although understanding the structure-function characteristics of AMPs is important, the impact of the peptides on the architecture of membranes with different lipid compositions is also critical in understanding the molecular mechanism and specificity of membrane destabilisation. In this study, the destabilisation of supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) by the AMP aurein 1.2 was quantitatively analysed by dual polarisation interferometry. The lipid bilayers were formed on a planar silicon oxynitride chip, and composed of mixed synthetic lipids, or Escherichiacoli lipid extract. The molecular events leading sequentially from peptide adsorption to membrane lysis were examined in real time by changes in bilayer birefringence (lipid molecular ordering) as a function of membrane-bound peptide mass. Aurein 1.2 bound weakly without any change in membrane ordering at low peptide concentration (5muM), indicating a surface-associated state without significant perturbation in membrane structure. At 10muM peptide, marked reversible changes in molecular ordering were observed for all membranes except DMPE/DMPG. However, at 20muM aurein 1.2, removal of lipid molecules, as determined by mass loss with a concomitant decrease in birefringence during the association phase, was observed for DMPC and DMPC/DMPG SLBs, which indicates membrane lysis by aurein. The membrane destabilisation induced by aurein 1.2 showed cooperativity at a particular peptide/lipid ratio with a critical mass/molecular ordering value. Furthermore, the extent of membrane lysis for DMPC/DMPG was nearly double that for DMPC. However, no lysis was observed for DMPC/DMPG/cholesterol, DMPE/DMPG and E. coli SLBs. The extent of birefringence changes with peptide mass suggested that aurein 1.2 binds to the membrane without inserting through the bilayer and membrane lysis occurs through detergent-like micellisation above a critical P/L ratio. Real-time quantitative analysis of the structural properties of membrane organisation has allowed the membrane destabilisation process to be resolved into multiple steps and provides comprehensive information to determine the molecular mechanism of aurein 1.2 action.

Interaction of an artificial antimicrobial peptide with lipid membranes.

Antimicrobial peptides constitute an important part of the innate immune defense and are promising new candidates for antibiotics. Naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides often possess hemolytic activity and are not suitable as drugs. Therefore, a range of new synthetic antimicrobial peptides have been developed in recent years with promising properties. But their mechanism of action is in most cases not fully understood. One of these peptides, called V4, is a cyclized 19 amino acid peptide whose amino acid sequence has been modeled upon the hydrophobic/cationic binding pattern found in Factor C of the horseshoe crab (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda). In this work we used a combination of biophysical techniques to elucidate the mechanism of action of V4. Langmuir-Blodgett trough, atomic force microscopy, Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy, Dual Polarization Interference, and confocal microscopy experiments show how the hydrophobic and cationic properties of V4 lead to a) selective binding of the peptide to anionic lipids (POPG) versus zwitterionic lipids (POPC), b) aggregation of vesicles, and above a certain concentration threshold to c) integration of the peptide into the bilayer and finally d) to the disruption of the bilayer structure. The understanding of the mechanism of action of this peptide in relation to the properties of its constituent amino acids is a first step in designing better peptides in the future.

Real time, high resolution studies of protein adsorption and structure at the solid?liquid interface using dual polarization interferometry

A novel method for the analysis of thin biological films, called dual polarization interferometry?(DPI), is described. This high resolution (<1??), laboratory-based technique allows the thickness and refractive index (density) of biological molecules adsorbing or reacting at the solid?liquid interface to be measured in real time (up to 10 measurements per second). Results from the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on to a silicon oxynitride chip surface are presented to demonstrate how time dependent molecular behaviour can be examined using DPI. Mechanistic and structural information relating to the adsorption process is obtained as a function of the solution pH.

Spectroscopic studies of the growth and potential cycling of polybithiophene films

Abstract Electropolymerization of bithiophene at potentials in the range 1.2–1.45 V has been studied using time-resolved absorbance spectroscopy. At low potentials, the process is kinetically controlled at a rate exponentially dependent on potential. At high potentials diffusion control prevails. In the initial stages of growth there is evidence for low levels of an intermediate. Correlation of absorbance and charge transients implies uniform deposition and shows that bulk optical properties are established at an early stage. Voltammetric characterization in monomer-free solution shows a once-only effect on the first anodic scan: subsequent cycles exhibit reproducible coulometric and optical changes.

Identification of a Region That Assists Membrane Insertion and Translocation of the Catalytic Domain of Bordetella pertussis CyaA Toxin

Background: Translocation of the CyaA toxin across plasma membrane is still poorly understood. Results: The region 375–485 is involved in membrane destabilization in vitro and required for cell intoxication. Conclusion: The region 375–485 is crucial for membrane insertion and translocation of the catalytic domain of CyaA. Significance: These results provide new insights on the early stages of the cell intoxication process. The adenylate cyclase (CyaA) toxin, one of the virulence factors secreted by Bordetella pertussis, the pathogenic bacteria responsible for whooping cough, plays a critical role in the early stages of respiratory tract colonization by this bacterium. The CyaA toxin is able to invade eukaryotic cells by translocating its N-terminal catalytic domain directly across the plasma membrane of the target cells, where, activated by endogenous calmodulin, it produces supraphysiological levels of cAMP. How the catalytic domain is transferred from the hydrophilic extracellular medium into the hydrophobic environment of the membrane and then to the cell cytoplasm remains an unsolved question. In this report, we have characterized the membrane-interacting properties of the CyaA catalytic domain. We showed that a protein covering the catalytic domain (AC384, encompassing residues 1–384 of CyaA) displayed no membrane association propensity. However, a longer polypeptide (AC489), encompassing residues 1–489 of CyaA, exhibited the intrinsic property to bind to membranes and to induce lipid bilayer destabilization. We further showed that deletion of residues 375–485 within CyaA totally abrogated the toxins ability to increase intracellular cAMP in target cells. These results indicate that, whereas the calmodulin dependent enzymatic domain is restricted to the amino-terminal residues 1–384 of CyaA, the membrane-interacting, translocation-competent domain extends up to residue 489. This thus suggests an important role of the region adjacent to the catalytic domain of CyaA in promoting its interaction with and its translocation across the plasma membrane of target cells.

The membrane insertion of helical antimicrobial peptides from the N-terminus of Helicobacter pylori ribosomal protein L1.

The interaction of two helical antimicrobial peptides, HPA3 and HPA3P with planar supported lipid membranes was quantitatively analysed using two complementary optical biosensors. The peptides are analogues of Hp(2-20) derived from the N-terminus of Helicobacter pylori ribosomal protein L1 (RpL1). The binding of these two peptide analogues to zwitterionic dimyristoyl-phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and negatively charged membranes composed of DMPC/dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol (DMPG) (4:1) was determined using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and dual polarisation interferometry (DPI). Using SPR analysis, it was shown that the proline substitution in HPA3P resulted in much lower binding for both zwitterionic and anionic membranes than HPA3. Structural changes in the planar DMPC and DMPC/DMPG (4:1) bilayers induced by the binding of both Hp(2-20) analogues were then resolved in real-time with DPI. The overall process of peptide-induced changes in membrane structure was analysed by the real-time changes in bound peptide mass as a function of bilayer birefringence. The insertion of both HPA3 and HPA3P into the supported lipid bilayers resulted in a decrease in birefringence with increasing amounts of bound peptide which reflects a decrease in the order of the bilayer. The binding of HPA3 to each membrane was associated with a higher level of bound peptide and greater membrane lipid disordering and a faster and higher degree of insertion into the membrane than HPA3P. Furthermore, the binding of both HPA3 and HPA3P to negatively charged DMPC/DMPG bilayers also leads to a greater disruption of the lipid ordering. These results demonstrate the geometrical changes in the membrane upon peptide insertion and the extent of membrane structural changes can be obtained quantitatively. Moreover, monitoring the effect of peptides on a structurally characterised bilayer has provided further insight into the role of membrane structure changes in the molecular basis of peptide selectivity and activity and may assist in defining the mode of antimicrobial action.

Transport of neutral species in electroactive polymer films

A new procedure has been applied to the analysis of electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance data for transfer of mobile species in electroactive polymer films. The procedure enables the distinction between global equilibrium and rate-limiting transfer of electrons, ions and neutral species during film redox conversion. For polyvinylferrocene, polythionine and polybithiophene films (under the experimental conditions employed), transfer of a neutral species was found to be rate limiting. In the first two cases, solvent (water) was unequivocally identified as the slow species. In the third case, solvent (CH3CN) transfer was tentatively identified as the rate-limiting step. Slow transfer of neutral species is due to the absence of migration effects, which can aid ion transfer. Transfer rates depend on direction of transfer in all three systems.