The role of charge microheterogeneity of human myelin basic protein in the formation of phosphatidylglycerol multilayers.

Human myelin basic protein (HBP) was fractionated into its various charge isomers by chromatography on CM-52 columns at pH 10.6. Components 1,2,3 and "8" (C-1, C-2, C-3, and C-"8") were cleanly separated. Each component was combined with phosphatidylglycerol (PG) vesicles, at neutral pH at a concentration of 30% (w/w), protein/lipid. C-1, the most cationic of the components was the most effective at inducing the formation of multilayers when studied by liquid X-ray diffraction. C-3, which differs from C-1 by 2 positive charges was less effective than C-2. C-"8" was totally ineffective since the scattering pattern with this component was no different from that of the pure lipid. Thus a seemingly small change in net charge of the protein had a dramatic effect on the ability of the protein to organize the lipid into a crystalline, multilayer arrangement characteristic of compact myelin.