Langmuir, Vol.25, No.19, 11265-11268, 2009
A Peculiar Phase Transition of Plasmalogen Bilayer Membrane under High Pressure
The bilayer phase transition of plasmalogen, monounsaturated plasmenylcholine 1-O-1'-(Z)-octadecellyl-2-olcoylsti-glycero-3-phosphocholine (Plg-SOPC), was examined by differential scanning calorimetry, high-pressure transmittance, and fluorescence techniques. The bilayer properties of Plg-SOPC such as the temperature-pressure phase diagram, the thermodynamic quantities of the transition, and the location of a fluorescent membrane probe in the bilayer, were compared with those of a similar phospholipid 1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl-phospilatidylcholine (SOPC). It turned out that a vinyl-ether bond in the sn-1 position of the glycerol backbone in the Plg-SOPC molecule produces a peculiar phase transition under high pressure and significantly affects the membrane properties.