Lateral and rotational diffusion of bacteriorhodopsin in lipid bilayers: experimental test of the Saffman-Delbrück equations.
Lateral diffusion of bacteriorhodopsin and a lipid analogue has been measured in dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers as a function of temperature, phospholipid/protein (mol/mol; L/P) ratio, and aqueous phase viscosity. The protein lateral diffusion coefficients measured above the temperature at which the lipid gel-liquid/crystalline phase transition occurs (Tc) are combined with previously determined rotational diffusion coefficients to provide a test of the Saffman-Delbrück equations [Saffman, P. G. & Delbrück, M. (1975) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 72, 3111-3113]. Insertion of the diffusion coefficients into these equations enables the protein diameter to be calculated. The value of 4.3 +/- 0.5 nm so obtained is in reasonable agreement with the known structure of bacteriorhodopsin. A 12-fold increase in the viscosity of the aqueous phase reduces protein lateral diffusion coefficients by 50%, which is also consistent with the Saffman-Delbrück equations. Both protein and lipid lateral diffusion coefficients decrease with decreasing L/P ratio above the Tc. It is argued that, at a high L/P ratio, this effect is probably due to changes in membrane viscosity while, at a low L/P ratio, "crowding" effects (steric restrictions) and protein aggregation become important. When comparing diffusion measurements made in different systems, it is important to take the effect of the L/P ratio into account. When this is done, other published measurements of freely diffusing membrane proteins are in good agreement with the present results and the predictions of the Saffman-Delbrück equations. Below the Tc, the presence of protein enhances diffusion rates. The overall effect is to smooth out the large change in diffusion coefficient that occurs at the Tc.
D001436:Bacteriorhodopsins; D002338:Carotenoids; D004058:Diffusion; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008560:Membrane Fluidity; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000502:physiology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D014783:Viscosity
D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D002338:Carotenoids; D001436:Bacteriorhodopsins