Structural relationships between lamellar, cubic and hexagonal phases in monoglyceride-water systems. possibility of cubic structures in biological systems

✍ Scribed by K. Larsson; K. Fontell; N. Krog

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1980
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 489 KB
• Volume: 27
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-3084
• DOI: 10.1016/0009-3084(80)90026-2

✦ Synopsis

The transitions lamellar ~ cubic ~ hexagonal in the aqueous system of sunflower oll monoglycerides are analysed. X-Ray diffraction data show linear relationships between the lattices of the three phases, which are discussed on the basis of structures formed by lipid bilayer units. The cubic structure is related to 'Schwarz's primitive cubic minimal surface' and consists of a three-dimensional continuous bilayer system separating two separate water channel systems.

It is also pointed out that the three-dimensional membrane system in plant plastids, the prolarnellar body, which is involved in the formation of thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts, has a structure which is closely related to or identical with that of the cubic phase of monoglyeeride-water systems.