title: Effects of lipid structure on the state of aggregation of potassium channel KcsA.
abstract: The state of aggregation of potassium channel KcsA was determined as a function of lipid:protein molar ratio in bilayer membranes of the zwitterionic lipid phosphatidylcholine (PC) and of the anionic lipid phosphatidylglycerol (PG). EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) with spin-labeled phospholipids was used to determine the number of motionally restricted lipids per KcsA tetramer. Unexpectedly, this number decreased with a decreasing lipid:KcsA tetramer molar ratio in the range of 88:1 to 30:1, consistent with sharing of annular lipid shells and KcsA-KcsA contact at high mole fractions of protein. Fluorescence quenching experiments with brominated phospholipids showed a decrease in fluorescence quenching at low lipid:KcsA tetramer mole ratios, also consistent with KcsA-KcsA contact at high mole fractions of protein. The effects of low mole ratios of lipid seen in EPR and fluorescence quenching experiments were more marked in bilayers of PC than in bilayers of PG, suggesting stronger association of PG than PC with KcsA. This was confirmed by direct measurement of lipid association constants using spin-labeled phospholipids, showing higher association constants for all anionic lipids than for PC. The results show that the probability of contacts between KcsA tetramers will be very low at lipid:protein molar ratios that are typical of native biological membranes.
authors: Centre for Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, U.K.
authors: Juan H
authors: JH
authors: Bolivar
authors: J Malcolm
authors: JM
authors: East
authors: Derek
authors: D
authors: Marsh
authors: Anthony G
authors: AG
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D010715:Phosphatidylglycerols / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008055:Lipids; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D010715:Phosphatidylglycerols; D015221:Potassium Channels; C107790:prokaryotic potassium channel