The Influence of Lipid Bilayer Physicochemical Properties on Gramicidin A Conformer Preferences.

The conformational preferences adopted by gramicidin A (GA) dimers inserted into phospholipid bilayers are reported as a function of the bilayer cholesterol content, temperature, and incubation time. Through use of vesicle capture-freeze drying methodology, GA dimers were captured in lipid bilayers and the conformational preferences of the complex were analyzed using ion mobility-mass spectrometry. Perturbations that affect the physicochemical interactions in the lipid bilayer such as cholesterol incorporation, temperature, and incubation time directly alter the conformer preferences of the complex. Regardless of bilayer cholesterol concentration, the antiparallel double helix (ADH) conformation was observed to be most abundant for GA dimers in bilayers composed of lipids with 12 to 22 carbon acyl chains. Incorporation of cholesterol into lipid bilayers yields increased bilayer thickness and rigidity, and an increased abundance of parallel double helix (PDH) and single-stranded head-to-head (SSHH) dimers were observed. Bilayers prepared using 1,2-dilauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, a lipid with 12 carbon acyl chains, yielded a nascent conformer that decreased in abundance as a function of bilayer cholesterol content. High resolution ion mobility-mass spectrometry data revealed two peaks in the ADH region suggesting that ADH populations are composed of two distinct conformers. The conformer preferences of GA dimers from 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine bilayers were significantly different for samples incubated at 4°C vs. 60°C; increased cholesterol content yielded more PDH and SSHH at 60°C. The addition of cholesterol as well as incubating samples of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine at 60°C for 24-72 h yielded an increase in PDH and SSHH abundance.

Elucidation of conformer preferences for a hydrophobic antimicrobial peptide by vesicle capture-freeze-drying: a preparatory method coupled to ion mobility-mass spectrometry.

A novel sample preparation method to probe the solution phase structure of dimerized Gramicidin A (GA) inserted into lipid vesicle bilayers is described. This method, termed vesicle capture-freeze-drying (VCFD), when coupled with electrospray ionization-ion mobility-mass spectrometry (ESI-IM-MS), successfully demonstrates the first evidence for the preservation of membrane-bound structure in the analysis of solution phase conformers retained into the gas phase. The extremely hydrophobic character of GA ensures that only membrane-bound conformations are captured and subsequently monitored when samples are prepared using VCFD, removing a barrier that has prevented previous attempts at direct analysis using mass spectrometry. Solution-phase physicochemical interactions of GA influenced by lipid acyl chain length and extent of acyl chain unsaturation can now be probed by monitoring the conformer preferences using IM-MS. Increasing the acyl chain length from 12 to 22 carbons yields [2GA + 2Na](2+) IM-MS profiles with reduced conformer microheterogeneity. POPC (16:0, 18:1 PC), a lipid possessing a single acyl chain unsaturation point, yields the highest abundance of the single stranded head to head (SSHH) conformer. Conformer preferences adopted in the lipid bilayer are maintained as GA dimers travel from the solution phase to fully desolvated gas-phase ions demonstrating that distributions observed using ESI-IM-MS unambiguously reflect the ensemble of conformers observed in the solution phase. VCFD-ESI-IM-MS yields novel biophysical insight into the influence of lipid bilayer membranes on conformer preferences and conformer heterogeneity of an important channel-forming membrane peptide.

Sol-gel-derived silver-nanoparticle-embedded thin film for mass spectrometry-based biosensing.

A porous silver-nanoparticle (AgNP)-embedded thin film biosensor was produced by the sol-gel method. The thin films were used as matrix-free laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) biosensors applicable to several chemical classes. In these experiments, UV laser irradiation (337 nm) of the AgNP facilitates desorption and ionization of a number of peptides, triglycerides, and phospholipids. Preferential ionization of sterols from vesicles composed of olefinic phosphosphatidylcholines is also demonstrated, offering the possibility for a simplified approach for sterol analysis from complex mixtures. The composition of the nanoparticles was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-vis spectroscopy. XPS data revealed a binding energy of 368.2 eV, consistent with the previous assignment of the binding energy for the Ag 3d(5/2) peak from Ag(0) at 368.1 ± 0.1 eV. The surface morphology of the thin films was studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and revealed the presence of nanoparticles and the porous nature of the biosensor.

Label-free biosensing with lipid-functionalized gold nanorods.

The fabrication of a label-free mass spectrometry and optical detection-based biosensor platform for the detection of low-abundance lipophilic analytes in complex mixtures is described. The biosensor consists of a lipid layer partially tethered to the surface of a gold nanorod. The effectiveness of the biosensor is demonstrated for the label-free detection of a lipophilic drug in aqueous solution and a lipopeptide in serum.

Longitudinal surface plasmon resonance based gold nanorod biosensors for mass spectrometry.

A "strategy" for analyte capture/ionization based on chemical derivatization of gold nanorods and infrared laser desorption ionization (IR-LDI) is described. This is the first example of laser desorption/ionization of biomolecules using gold nanorods irradiated with an IR laser. LDI is performed at wavelengths (1064 nm) that overlap with the longitudinal surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) mode of gold nanorods. The absorbed energy from the laser facilitates desorption and ionization of the analyte. The wavelength of the LSPR band can be tuned by controlling the aspect ratio (length-to-diameter) of the nanorod. For example, the SPR band for Au nanorods having an aspect ratio of 5:1 is centered at approximately 840 nm, and this band overlaps with the 1064 nm output of a Nd:YAG laser. We show that a variety of biomolecules can be efficiently desorbed and ionized by 1064 nm irradiation of nanorods. We also show that analyte capture can be controlled by surface chemistry of the nanorods. The results of these studies are important for designing nanomaterial-based capture assays for mass spectrometry and interfacing nanomaterials with imaging/spatial profiling mass spectrometry experiments.