Mojumdar E H, Gooris G S, Groen D, Barlow D J, Lawrence M J, Demé B, Bouwstra J A
Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Department of Drug Delivery Technology, Gorlaeus Laboratories, University of Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Pharmaceutical Science Division, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
Biochim Biophys Acta. 2016 Aug;1858(8):1926-34. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.05.006. Epub 2016 May 8.
The extracellular lipid matrix in the skin's outermost layer, the stratum corneum, is crucial for the skin barrier. The matrix is composed of ceramides (CERs), cholesterol (CHOL) and free fatty acids (FFAs) and involves two lamellar phases: the short periodicity phase (SPP) and the long periodicity phase (LPP). To understand the skin barrier thoroughly, information about the molecular arrangement in the unit cell of these lamellar phases is paramount. Previously we examined the molecular arrangement in the unit cell of the SPP. Furthermore X-ray and neutron diffraction revealed a trilayer arrangement of lipids within the unit cell of the LPP [D. Groen et al., Biophysical Journal, 97, 2242-2249, 2009]. In the present study, we used neutron diffraction to obtain more details about the location of lipid (sub)classes in the unit cell of the LPP. The diffraction pattern revealed at least 8 diffraction orders of the LPP with a repeating unit of 129.6±0.5Å. To determine the location of lipid sub(classes) in the unit cell, samples were examined with either only protiated lipids or selectively deuterated lipids. The diffraction data obtained by means of D2O/H2O contrast variation together with a gradual replacement of one particular CER, the acyl CER, by its partly deuterated counterpart, were used to construct the scattering length density profiles. The acyl chain of the acyl CER subclass is located at a position of ~21.4±0.2Å from the unit cell centre of the LPP. The position and orientation of CHOL in the LPP unit cell were determined using tail and head-group deuterated forms of the sterol. CHOL is located with its head-group positioned ~26±0.2Å from the unit cell centre. This allows the formation of a hydrogen bond with the ester group of the acyl CER located in close proximity. Based on the positions of the deuterated moieties of the acyl CER, CHOL and the previously determined location of two other lipid subclasses [E.H. Mojumdar et al., Biophysical Journal, 108, 2670-2679, 2015], a molecular model is proposed for the unit cell of the LPP. In this model CHOL is located in the two outer layers of the LPP, while CER EOS is linking the two outer layers with the central lipid layers. Finally the two other lipid subclasses are predominantly located in the central layer of the LPP.
皮肤最外层角质层中的细胞外脂质基质对皮肤屏障至关重要。该基质由神经酰胺(CERs)、胆固醇(CHOL)和游离脂肪酸(FFAs)组成,包含两个片层相:短周期相(SPP)和长周期相(LPP)。为了全面了解皮肤屏障,有关这些片层相晶胞中分子排列的信息至关重要。此前我们研究了SPP晶胞中的分子排列。此外,X射线和中子衍射揭示了LPP晶胞内脂质的三层排列[D. Groen等人,《生物物理杂志》,97,2242 - 2249,2009]。在本研究中,我们使用中子衍射来获取关于LPP晶胞中脂质(亚类)位置的更多细节。衍射图谱显示LPP至少有8个衍射级,重复单元为129.6±0.5Å。为了确定脂质亚(类)在晶胞中的位置,对仅含有质子化脂质或选择性氘代脂质的样品进行了检测。通过D2O/H2O对比变化以及用部分氘代的对应物逐步替代一种特定的CER(酰基CER)获得的衍射数据,用于构建散射长度密度分布图。酰基CER亚类的酰基链位于距LPP晶胞中心约21.4±0.2Å的位置。使用甾醇的尾部和头部基团氘代形式确定了CHOL在LPP晶胞中的位置和取向。CHOL的头部基团位于距晶胞中心约26±0.2Å处。这使得它能够与紧邻的酰基CER的酯基形成氢键。基于酰基CER、CHOL的氘代部分的位置以及先前确定的其他两种脂质亚类的位置[E.H. Mojumdar等人,《生物物理杂志》,108,2670 - 2679,2015],提出了LPP晶胞的分子模型。在该模型中,CHOL位于LPP的两个外层,而CER EOS将两个外层与中央脂质层相连。最后,其他两种脂质亚类主要位于LPP的中央层。