Extended hydrogen-bonded structures of phosphatidylethanolamine.
The structure of phosphatidylethanolamine in pure dry hexane was studied. Viscosity measurements show that the hexane solution of PE has a very high viscosity, while freeze fracture electron microscopy revealed extensive fibre-like structures. These extended structures are disrupted by the addition of small amounts of water or organic solvents which are capable of hydrogen-bonding. The Fourier transform infrared spectra of the lipid solutions in dry and hydrated hexane show considerable differences in the phosphate and ethanolamine absorption bands, and demonstrate that the viscous fibre-like structures formed by phosphatidylethanolamine in dry hexane consist of extended intermolecular hydrogen-bonds, similar to those found in the solid lipid, with the ammonium group as the hydrogen-donor and the phosphate group as the hydrogen-acceptor. The high viscosity is not observed in hexane solution of phosphatidylcholine.
Sen
A
A
Department of Biophysics, Roswell Park Memorial Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263.
Yang
P W
PW
Mantsch
H H
HH
Hui
S W
SW
D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D005614:Freeze Fracturing; D006586:Hexanes; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared; D014783:Viscosity
D006586:Hexanes; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines