Biophys J, June 2002, p. 3089-3095, Vol. 82, No. 6

The Effect of Ceramide on Phosphatidylcholine Membranes: A Deuterium NMR Study

Ya-Wei Hsueh,^* Ralph Giles,^* Neil Kitson, and Jenifer Thewalt^*

Departments of  ^*Physics and  Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6; and  Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 4E8, Canada

Biological membranes contain domains having distinct physical properties. We study defined mixtures of phosphoglycerolipids and sphingolipids to ascertain the fundamental interactions governing these lipids in the absence of other cell membrane components. By using ²H-NMR we have determined the temperature and composition dependencies of membrane structure and phase behavior for aqueous dispersions of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and the ceramide (Cer) N-palmitoyl-sphingosine. It is found that gel and liquid-crystalline phases coexist over a wide range of temperature and composition. Domains of different composition and phase state are present in POPC/Cer membranes at physiological temperature for Cer concentrations exceeding 15 mol %. The acyl chains of liquid crystalline phase POPC are ordered by the presence of Cer. Moreover, Cer's chain ordering is greater than that of POPC in the liquid crystalline phase. However, there is no evidence of liquid-liquid phase separation in the liquid crystalline region of the POPC/Cer phase diagram.

Biophys J, June 2002, p. 3089-3095, Vol. 82, No. 6
© 2002 by the Biophysical Society   0006-3495/02/06/3089/07  $2.00

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