Resolution of partition coefficients in the transverse plane of the lipid bilayer

✍ Scribed by K.A. Sikaris; K.R. Thulborn; W.H. Sawyer

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1981
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 675 KB
• Volume: 29
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-3084
• DOI: 10.1016/0009-3084(81)90045-1

✦ Synopsis

The distribution of a small lipid soluble molecule across a lipid bilayer has been determined using fluorescence quenching techniques. The neutral form of the amine, N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) quenches the fluorescence of a series of n-(9-anthroyloxy)fatty acids (n = 2,6,9,12,16) which place a fluorophore at a graded series of positions from the surface to the centre of the lipid bilayer. A method is described for determining the partition coefficient of a quencher at each transverse position. The results show that DMA is located at all depths within the bilayer leaflet but that it is concentrated at the bilayer centre and to a lesser extent at the bilayer surface.