title: Effects of the 'fusion peptide' from measles virus on the structure of N-methyl dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine membranes and their fusion with Sendai virus.
abstract: 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-NMR) was used to study phospholipid organization in hydrated preparations of N-methyl dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine and a 'fusion peptide' with the sequence: FAGV-VLAGAALGVAAAAQI, which corresponds to the amino terminus of the F1 subunit of the membrane fusion protein of measles virus. These amino acids are believed to mediate syncytia formation, host-cell penetration and hemolysis by infectious virus. The presence of the peptide at 0.5 mole percent significantly facilitated the formation of isotropic 31P resonances. The effects at 1 mole percent peptide were substantially enhanced over the effects observed at 0.5 mole percent, leading to a decrease in the onset temperature of the formation of the isotropic 31P-NMR resonances by about 30 degrees C. The formation of such isotropic 31P-NMR resonances has been previously associated with an increased rate of fusion of large unilamellar vesicles composed of N-methyl dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine. Enhanced fusion of octadecyl rhodamine-labelled Sendai virus with N-methyl dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine large unilamellar vesicles was observed when the 'fusion peptide' was incorporated into the large unilamellar vesicles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University at Buffalo, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, NY 14214.
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Yeagle
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Epand
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Flanagan
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002642:Chick Embryo; D008081:Liposomes; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods; D008459:Measles virus / Q000502:physiology*; D008561:Membrane Fusion / Q000187:drug effects*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010222:Parainfluenza Virus 1, Human / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines / Q000737:chemistry*; D013816:Thermodynamics; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D008081:Liposomes; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins; C065399:N-methyl-1,2-dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine