ISSN:
0003-3146
Keywords:
Chemistry
;
Polymer and Materials Science
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Physics
Notes:
The function of lipid bilayer membranes crucially depends on their mobility and their ability to incorporate components that, e.g., can change molecular order and dynamics or form channels. Since polymerization increases the stability of model membranes at the expense of their mobility a compromise must be sought. Therefore, the effect of different polymerization schemes on the structure and dynamics of polymer membranes has to be checked. To this end X-ray scattering, DSC-thermal analysis and a variety of spectroscopic techniques probing the dynamics on largely different time--- and length scales were employed, i.e. 2H-NMR, ESR, fluorescense anisotropy and FRAP. These studies showed that in model membranes polymerized in the hydrophylic region the head group mobility can be controlled by the length and the nature of the spacer connecting it to the polymer backbone. The head group region is much less affected, if the polymerization is achieved in the hydrophobic region. By use of a lipid analogue carrying a polymerizable group on only one of its two alkyl chains, membranes retaining high mobility in the hydrophobic region can be generated. Typical membrane constituents, i.e. cholesterol, gramicidin and ubiquinone can be incorporated and the mixtures show a behaviour similar to natural model membranes, although lateral diffusion of the lipids is frozen as a consequence of the polymerization.
Additional Material:
8 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/apmc.1989.051660103
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