Solution NMR studies of peptide-lipid interactions in model membranes

Abstract

Many important processes in life take place in or around the cell membranes. Lipids have different properties regarding their membrane-forming capacities, their mobility, shape, size and surface charge, and all of these factors influence the way that proteins and peptides interact with the membrane. In order for us to correctly understand these interactions, we need to be able to study all aspects of the interplay between lipids and peptides and proteins. Solution-state NMR offers a somewhat unique possibility to investigate structure, dynamics and location of proteins and peptides in bilayers. This review focuses on solution NMR as a tool for investigating peptide-lipid interaction, and special attention is given to the various membrane mimetics that are used to model the membrane. Examples from the field of cell-penetrating peptides and their lipid interactions will be given. The importance of studying lipid and peptide dynamics, which reflect on the effect that peptides have on bilayers, is highlighted, and in this respect, also the need for realistic membrane models.

Keywords::

• NMR
• structure
• dynamics
• solution-state
• membrane
• peptide

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Sofia Unnerståle, Weihua Ye and Johannes Björnerås for discussions, and Jesper Lind and Hans Adolfsson for help with the Figures. This work was supported by grants from the Swedish Research Council (grant nr 621-2011-5964), Carl Trygger Foundation, and Magnus Bergvall Foundation.

Declaration of interest: The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.