title: The effect of pulsed electric fields on the phosphorus-31 spectra of lipid bilayers.
abstract: A technique is described for measuring the effect of electric fields on the conformation of lipid bilayer membranes by solid state nuclear magnetic resonance. An apparatus was devised to obtain spectra from samples of aligned phospholipid dispersions at varying electric field strengths up to 100 MV/m. Measurements were carried out on membranes made from dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine and dioleoylphosphatidylcholine, which resulted in electric field induced phase changes. Calibration experiments were performed using bilayers formed from dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine with glycerol and with a nematic liquid crystal. An electric field induced change, from L alpha to HII, was also seen in a dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine/alamethicin bilayer.
authors.affiliation: CSIRO, West Lindfield, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Osman
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cornell
mesh_terms: D004560:Electricity; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D010759:Phosphorus Isotopes
chemical_list: D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D010759:Phosphorus Isotopes