By means of differential scanning calorimetry and from a review of published data we demonstrate in this work that low-molecular weight kosmotropic substances (water-structure makers) of different chemical structure such as disaccharides, proline, and glycerol have identical effects on the phase behavior of several kinds of phospholipids and glycolipids. These substances favor formation of the high-temperature inverted hexagonal phase (H(II)) and the low-temperature lamellar crystalline (L(c)) and gel (L( β )) phases at the expense of the intermediate lamellar liquid-crystalline phase (L( α )). The latter phase may completely disappear from the phase diagram at high enough solute concentration. By contrast, chaotropic substances (water-structure breakers) such as sodium thiocyanate and guanidine hydrochloride expand the existence range of L( α ) at the expense of the adjacent L( β ) and H(II) phases. Moreover, chaotropes are able to induce the appearance of missing intermediate liquid-crystalline phases in lipids displaying direct L( β )→H(II) transitions in pure water. In previous publications we have considered the influence of chaotropic and kosmotropic substances on the lipid phase behavior as a manifestation of their indirect (Hofmeister) interactions with the lipid aggregates. For a quantitative characterization of this effect, here we derive a general thermodynamic equation between lipid phase transition temperature and solute concentration, analogous to the Clapeyron-Clausius equation between transition temperature and pressure. It provides a clear description in physical quantities of the disparate effects of kosmotropic and chaotropic substances on the relative stability of the lipid-water phases. According to this equation, the magnitude of the solute effect is proportional to the hydration difference of the adjacent lipid phases and inversely proportional to the transition latent heat. The sign and magnitude of the transition shifts depend also on the degree of solute depletion (for kosmotropes) or enrichment (for chaotropes) at the interfaces, in comparison to the solute concentration in bulk water.

The role carbohydrate moieties play in determining the structure and energetics of glycolipid model membranes has been investigated by small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering, differential scanning densitometry (DSD), and differential scanning microcalorimetry (DSC). The dependence of a variety of thermodynamic and structural parameters on the stereochemistry of the OH groups in the pyranose ring and on the size of the sugar head group has been studied by using an homologous series of synthetic stereochemically uniform glyceroglycolipids having glucose, galactose, mannose, maltose, or trimaltose head groups and saturated ether-linked alkyl chains with 10, 12, 14, 16, or 18 carbon atoms per chain. The combined structural and thermodynamic data indicate that stereochemical changes of a single OH group in the pyranose ring can cause dramatic alterations in the stability and in the nature of the phase transitions of the membranes. The second equally important determinant of lipid interactions in the membrane is the size of the head group. A comparison of lipids with glucose, maltose, or trimaltose head groups and identical hydrophobic moieties has shown that increasing the size of the neutral carbohydrate head group strongly favors the bilayer-forming tendency of the glycolipids. These experimental results provide a verification of the geometric model advanced by Israelachvili et al. (1980) [Israelachvili, J. N., Marcelja, S., & Horn, R. G. (1980) Q. Rev. Biophys. 13, 121-200] to explain the preferences lipids exhibit for certain structures. Generally galactose head groups confer highest stability on the multilamellar model membranes as judged on the basis of the chain-melting transition. This is an interesting aspect in view of the fact that galactose moieties are frequently observed in membranes of thermophilic organisms. Glucose head groups provide lower stability but increase the number of stable intermediate structures that the corresponding lipids can adopt. Galactolipids do not even assume a stable intermediate L alpha phase for lipids with short chain length but perform only Lc----HII transitions in the first heating. The C2 isomer, mannose, modifies the phase preference in such a manner that only L beta----HII changes can occur. Maltose and trimaltose head groups prevent the adoption of the HII phase and permit only L beta----L alpha phase changes. The DSD studies resulted in a quantitative estimate for the volume change associated with the L alpha----HII transition of 14-Glc. The value of delta v = 0.005 mL/g supports the view that the volume difference between L alpha and HII is minute.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Formation of low-temperature ordered gel phases in several fully hydrated phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs) and phosphatidylcholines (PCs) with saturated chains as well as in dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol (DPPG) was observed by synchrotron x-ray diffraction, microcalorimetry, and densitometry. The diffraction patterns recorded during slow cooling show that the gel-phase chain reflection cooperatively splits into two reflections, signaling a transformation of the usual gel phase into a more ordered phase, with an orthorhombic chain packing (the Y-transition). This transition is associated with a small decrease (2-4 microl/g) or inflection of the partial specific volume. It is fully reversible with the temperature and displays in heating direction as a small (0.1-0.7 kcal/mol) endothermic event. We recorded a Y-transition in distearoyl PE, dipalmitoyl PE (DPPE), mono and dimethylated DPPE, distearoyl PC, dipalmitoyl PC, diC(15)PC, and DPPG. No such transition exists in dimyristoyl PE and dilauroyl PE where the gel L(beta) phase transforms directly into subgel L(c) phase, as well as in the unsaturated dielaidoyl PE. The PE and PC low-temperature phases denoted L(R1) and SGII, respectively, have different hydrocarbon chain packing. The SGII phase is with tilted chains, arranged in an orthorhombic lattice of two-nearest-neighbor type. Except for the PCs, it was also registered in ionized DPPG. In the L(R1) phase, the chains are perpendicular to the bilayer plane and arranged in an orthorhombic lattice of four-nearest-neighbor type. It was observed in PEs and in protonated DPPG. The L(R1) and SGII phases are metastable phases, which may only be formed by cooling the respective gel L(beta) and L(beta') phases, and not by heating the subgel L(c) phase. Whenever present, they appear to represent an indispensable intermediate step in the formation of the latter phase.

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X-ray diffraction reveals that mixtures of some unsaturated phosphatidylcholines (PCs) with cholesterol (Chol) readily form inverted bicontinuous cubic phases that are stable under physiological conditions. This effect was studied in most detail for dioleoyl PC/Chol mixtures with molar ratios of 1:1 and 3:7. Facile formation of Im3m and Pn3m phases with lattice constants of 30-50 nm and 25-30 nm, respectively, took place in phosphate-buffered saline, in sucrose solution, and in water near the temperature of the Lalpha-HII transition of the mixtures, as well as during cooling of the HII phase. Once formed, the cubic phases displayed an ability to supercool and replace the initial Lalpha phase over a broad range of physiological temperatures. Conversion into stable cubic phases was also observed for mixtures of Chol with dilinoleoyl PC but not for mixtures with palmitoyl-linoleoyl PC or palmitoyl-oleoyl PC, for which only transient cubic traces were recorded at elevated temperatures. A saturated, branched-chain PC, diphytanoyl PC, also displayed a cubic phase in mixture with Chol. Unlike the PEs, the membrane PCs are intrinsically nonfusogenic lipids: in excess water they only form lamellar phases and not any of the inverted phases on their own. Thus, the finding that Chol induces cubic phases in mixtures with unsaturated PCs may have important implications for its role in fusion. In ternary mixtures, saturated PCs and sphingomyelin are known to separate into liquid-ordered domains along with Chol. Our results thus suggest that unsaturated PCs, which are excluded from these domains, could form fusogenic domains with Chol. Such a dual role of Chol may explain the seemingly paradoxical ability of cell membranes to simultaneously form rigid, low-curvature raft-like patches while still being able to undergo facile membrane fusion.

Synthetic cationic lipids are presently the most widely used non-viral gene carriers. Examined here is a particularly attractive cationic lipid class, triester phosphatidylcholines (PCs) exhibiting low toxicities and good transfection efficiency. Similarly to other cationic lipids, they form stable complexes (lipoplexes) with the polyanionic nucleic acids. A summary of studies on a set of $30 cationic PCs reveals the existence of a strong, systematic dependence of their transfection efficiency on the lipid hydrocarbon chain structure: transfection activity increases with increase of chain unsaturation from 0 to 2 double bonds per lipid and decreases with increase of chain length in the range $30-50 total number of chain carbon atoms. Maximum transfection was observed for ethyl phosphate PCs (EPCs) with monounsaturated 14:1 chains (total of 2 double bonds and 30 chain carbon atoms). Lipid phase behavior is known to depend strongly on the chain molecular structure and the above relationships thus substantiate a view that cationic PC phase propensities are an important determinant of their activity. Indeed, X-ray structural studies show that the rate of DNA release from lipoplexes as well as transfection activity well correlate with non-lamellar phase progressions observed in cationic PC mixtures with membrane lipids. These findings appear to be of considerable interest because, according to current views, key processes in lipid-mediated transfection such as lipoplex disassembly and DNA release within the cells are believed to take place upon cationic lipid mixing with cellular lipids. fibrosis, hemophilia, immune deficiency, autosomal dominant disorders, many forms of cancer, HIV and other infectious diseases, inflammatory conditions and intractable pain. 2 Therapeutic procedures involving gene transfection and gene silencing require efficient delivery of genetic material to cells. Two principal delivery vehicles include viral and non-viral vectors. Viral vectors are most effective, 3,4 but their application is limited by their immunogenicity and oncogenicity. Synthetic cationic lipids, which form complexes (lipoplexes) with polyanionic DNA, are presently the most widely used non-viral gene carriers. 5-7 A common problem for the clinical application of cationic lipids is

Synthetic cationic lipids are widely used component of non-viral gene carriers and the factors regulating their transfection efficiency are subject of considerable interest. In view of the important role that electrostatic interactions with the polyanionic nucleic acids play in formation of lipoplexes, a common empirical approach to improving transfection has been the synthesis and testing of amphiphiles with new versions of positively charged polar groups, while much less attention has been given to the role of the hydrophobic lipid moieties. On basis of data for ~20 cationic phosphatidylcholine (PC) derivatives, here we demonstrate that hydrocarbon chain variations of these lipids modulate by over two orders of magnitude their transfection efficiency. The observed molecular structure-activity relationship manifests in well expressed dependences of activity on two important molecular characteristics -chain unsaturation and total number of carbon atoms in the lipid chains, which is representative of the lipid hydrophobic volume and hydrophilic-lipophilic ratio. Transfection increases with decrease of chain length and increase of chain unsaturation. Maximum transfection was found for cationic PCs with monounsaturated 14:1 chains. It is of particular importance that the high-transfection lipids strongly promote cubic phase formation in zwitterionic membrane phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). These remarkable correlations point to an alternative, chain-dependent process in transfection, not related to the electrostatic cationic-anionic lipid interactions.

By means of x-ray diffraction we show that several sodium salts and the disaccharides sucrose and trehalose strongly accelerate the formation of cubic phases in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) dispersions upon temperature cycling through the lamellar liquid crystalline-inverted hexagonal (Lalpha-HII) phase transition. Ethylene glycol does not have such an effect. The degree of acceleration increases with the solute concentration. Such an acceleration has been observed for dielaidoyl PE (DEPE), dihexadecyl PE, and dipalmitoyl PE. It was investigated in detail for DEPE dispersions. For DEPE (10 wt% of lipid) aqueous dispersions at 1 M solute concentration, 10-50 temperature cycles typically result in complete conversion of the Lalpha phase into cubic phase. Most efficient is temperature cycling executed by laser flash T-jumps. In that case the conversion completes within 10-15 cycles. However, the cubic phases produced by laser T-jumps are less ordered in comparison to the rather regular cubic structures produced by linear, uniform temperature cycling at 10 degrees C/min. Temperature cycles at scan rates of 1-3 degrees C/min also induce the rapid formation of cubic phases. All solutes used induce the formation of Im3m (Q229) cubic phase in 10 wt% DEPE dispersions. The initial Im3m phases appearing during the first temperature cycles have larger lattice parameters that relax to smaller values with continuation of the cycling after the disappearance of the Lalpha phase. A cooperative Im3m --> Pn3m transition takes place at approximately 85 degrees C and transforms the Im3m phase into a mixture of coexisting Pn3m (Q224) and Im3m phases. The Im3m/Pn3m lattice parameter ratio is 1. 28, as could be expected from a representation of the Im3m and Pn3m phases with the primitive and diamond infinite periodic minimal surfaces, respectively. At higher DEPE contents ( approximately 30 wt%), cubic phase formation is hindered after 20-30 temperature cycles. The conversion does not go through, but reaches a stage with coexisting Ia3d (Q230) and Lalpha phases. Upon heating, the Ia3d phase cooperatively transforms into a mixture of, presumably, Im3m and Pn3m phases at about the temperature of the Lalpha-HII transition. This transformation is readily reversible with the temperature. The lattice parameters of the DEPE cubic phases are temperature-insensitive in the Lalpha temperature range and decrease with the temperature in the range of the HII phase.