title: Acyl-chain correlation in membrane fusion intermediates: x-ray diffraction from the rhombohedral lipid phase.
abstract: We have studied the acyl-chain conformation in stalk phases of model membranes by x-ray diffraction from oriented samples. As an equilibrium lipid phase induced by dehydration, the stalk or rhombohedral phase exhibits lipidic passages (stalks) between adjacent bilayers, representing a presumed intermediate state in membrane fusion. From the detailed analysis of the acyl-chain correlation peak, we deduce the structural parameters of the acyl-chain fluid above, at, and below the transition from the lamellar to rhombohedral state, at the molecular level.
authors: Institut für Röntgenphysik, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
authors: Britta
authors: B
authors: Weinhausen
authors: Sebastian
authors: S
authors: Aeffner
authors: Tobias
authors: T
authors: Reusch
authors: Tim
authors: T
authors: Salditt
mesh_terms: D000215:Acylation; D003198:Computer Simulation; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008560:Membrane Fluidity; D008561:Membrane Fusion; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D044367:Phase Transition; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D008051:Lipid Bilayers