title: Spin-labeled lipid A.
abstract: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a major component of the outer membranes of gram-negative bacteria, is composed of a polysaccharide chain attached to a lipid A base that contains a disaccharide headgroup with two negative phosphate groups and at least four acyl chains. Lipid A is an essential component of the membranes of a large number of bacteria and is also a substrate for a wide variety of proteins. Here we report the synthesis of a nitroxide spin-labeled lipid A, characterize its localization at the membrane bilayer surface, and demonstrate that it remains a viable substrate for the Escherichia coli lipid flippase MsbA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
authors.forename: Lynn E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Bretscher
authors.forename: Adam H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Buchaklian
authors.forename: Candice S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Klug