Synthesis of Fluorescent Membrane-Spanning Lipids for Studies of Lipid Transfer and Membrane Fusion.

Synthesis of Fluorescent Membrane-Spanning Lipids for Studies of Lipid Transfer and Membrane Fusion.
Methods Mol Biol. 2019;1949:307-324
Authors: Schwarzmann G
Abstract
For uncompromised in vitro assays for intermembrane lipid transfer and membrane fusion fluorescent membrane-spanning lipids have proved to be invaluable tools. These lipids in contrast to phosphoglycerolipids and sphingolipids are resistant to spontaneous as well as protein-mediated intermembrane transfer. Here I describe the synthesis of some homo-substituted fluorescent bipolar membrane-spanning lipids that bear a fluorescent tag either directly or via a phosphoethanolamine spacer to the lipid core. For the synthesis the lipid core of the bipolar membrane-spanning lipids, i.e., the tetraether lipid caldarchaeol, is prepared from cultures of the archaea Thermoplasma acidophilum.
PMID: 30790264 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Source: Mol Biol Cell - July 16, 2019 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Schwarzmann G Tags: Methods Mol Biol Source Type: research