Elastic scattering studies of aligned DMPC multilayers on different hydrations

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Trapp, Marcus | Juranyi, Fanni | Tehei, Moeava^; | van Eijck, Lambert | Demé, Bruno | Gutberlet, Thomas | Peters, Judith^{; ; ;}

Affiliations: Institut de Biologie Structurale J.-P. Ebel, UMR 5075, CNRS-CEA-UJF, Grenoble, France | LNS, ETH Zürich and Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland | Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Menai, Australia | School of Chemistry and Centre for Medical Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia | Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France | JCNS at FRMII, Garching, Germany | Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France

Note: [] Corresponding author: Judith Peters, Université Joseph Fourier, F-38042 Grenoble Cédex 9, France. Tel.: +33 476 20 75 60; Fax: +33 476 20 76 88; E-mail: peters@ill.fr.

Abstract: Biological membranes, consisting mainly of phospholipids and proteins, are organized in a bilayered structure which exhibits dynamical behaviour within time regimes ranging from 10−12 s with the motion of alkyl chain defects and 1 s corresponding to collective excitations of the bilayer [Europhysics Letters 8 (1989), 201–206]. With the prominent role hydration plays on the structural phase behaviour of phospholipids membranes, it is essential for a better description of membranes to understand also the influence of hydration on the dynamics of membrane systems. In the present study we have performed neutron scattering investigations on highly oriented DMPC-d54 multilayers at two different relative humidity (rh) levels. Our results reveal the strong influence of hydration on the local membrane dynamics, i.e., head group dynamics.

Keywords: Oriented model membranes, elastic neutron scattering, dynamics, hydration effects

DOI: 10.3233/SPE-2010-0481

Journal: Spectroscopy, vol. 24, no. 5, pp. 461-466, 2010