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R A Capaldi

Publications and source records attributed to R A Capaldi.

190 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1973

Evidence for boundary lipid in membranes.

Cytochrome oxidase (EC 1.9.3.1) isolated from beef-heart mitochondria with an appropriate phospholipid content forms vesicular structures. Lipid-protein interactions in this model membrane system were studied with the lipid spin label, 16-doxylstearic acid. As the phospholipid/protein ratio is varied, two spectral components are observed. At low phospholipid/protein ratios (</=0.19 mg of phospholipid per mg of protein) the lipid spin label is highly immobilized. At higher phospholipid content an additional component characteristic of fluid lipid bilayers is evident. By summation of digitalized spectra and subsequent integration it was shown that all composite spectra could be approximated by assuming only two components are present, and that the amount of phospholipid bound to the protein is independent of the extent of the fluid bilayer region. The experimentally determined amount of phospholipid for maximum occupancy of protein-bound sites is about 0.2 mg of phospholipid per 1.0 mg of protein. Calculations show that this ratio is consistent with a single layer of phospholipid surrounding the protein complex. The data are interpreted as evidence for a boundary of immobilized lipid between the hydrophobic protein and adjacent fluid bilayer regions in this membrane model system.

Animals↗
PubMed1972

The low polarity of many membrane proteins.

The polarities of a large number of soluble and membrane proteins have been calculated by summing the mole fractions of polar amino acids. It was found that 85% of the 205 soluble proteins considered in this study had polarities of 47 +/- 6%. Only 2% of the soluble proteins had polarities below 40%, whereas 47% of the 19 membrane proteins had polarities below 40%. The membrane proteins with polarities below 40% could be separated from their respective membranes only by detergents or organic solvents, indicating the importance of hydrophobic forces in their interaction with other membrane components. It is concluded that the majority of "intrinsic" membrane proteins have low polarity, and that the polarity index is therefore a useful parameter for characterization of membrane proteins.

Amino Acids↗