Incorporation of synthetic peptide helices in membranes of tetraether lipids from Thermoplasma acidophilum. A calorimetric study.

Four analogues of the membrane-modifying, alpha-helical polypeptide antibiotic alamethicin were synthesized. the alpha-helical deca-, undeca-, heptadeca-, and icosapeptides were mixed with the main tetraether lipid of the Archaebacterium Thermoplasma acidophilum (MPL), dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dihexadecylmaltosylglycerol (DHMG) in various ratios and the modification of the lipid phase transition was determined by differential thermal analysis (DTA). The polypeptides form mixed phases with MPL and DPPC, however, not with DHMG. Heptadeca- and icosapeptide exert a much stronger reduction of enthalpy (delta H) than deca- and undecapeptide and bind about 0.5 molecule of MPL (or one molecule of DPPC) per peptide molecule. delta H of the DPPC pretransition is reduced by the deca- and the undecapeptides and completely disappears with heptadeca- and icosapeptides (at 0.2 mole of peptide/mole of lipid). The modulation of the melting point Tm by the incorporation of peptides is more pronounced with MPL than with DPPC, the heptadecapeptide exhibiting the strongest reduction (with MPL) and the strongest broadening of the transition peak (with DPPC). Helix length, amphiphilicity and charge of the polypeptides can be correlated with the observed modifications of the lipid phase transitions.