Studies of fluorescence depolarization at high pressures of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes containing poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate).

The behaviors of four kinds of poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PBLG) molecules and their locations in dimyristoyl-phophatidylcholine (DMPC) liposomes were studied by fluorescence techniques at high pressures of up to 981 bar. The fluorescent substances 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH), 1-aminonaphthalene-8-sulfonate (ANS) and PBLGs labeled with a dansyl group were used as probes of hydrophobic and hydrophilic spheres and the motions of polypeptides, respectively. The changes in mobilities of the PBLG molecules depended on their concentrations, degrees of polymerization and the lengths of hydrocarbon chains attached to their terminals. The molecular motions of the PBLGs were altered by increase in their contents, caused by squeezing the PBLG molecules out of the membranes. Models of the membranes and the behavior of polypeptides in the membranes at high pressures are discussed.