High Pressure Bioscience and Biotechnology 61 Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on High Pressure Bioscience and Biotechnology, Vol. 1, 61–67, 2007 Effect of Pressure on the Prodan Fluorescence in Bilayer Membrane of Ether-Linked Lipid, Dihexadecylphosphatidylcholine Masataka Kusube1, Masaki Goto2, Nobutake Tamai2, Hitoshi Matsuki2 and Shoji Kaneshina*2 1Department of Material Science, Wakayama National College of Technology, 77 Noshima, Nada, Gobo, Wakayama 644-0023, Japan 2Department of Biological Science and Technology, Graduate School of Advanced Technology and Science, and Department of Life System, Institute of Technology and Science, The University of Tokushima, 2-1 Minamijosanjima-cho, Tokushima 770- 8506, Japan *E-mail:
[email protected] Received 8 December 2006/Accepted 15 December 2006 Abstract The fluorescence spectra of 6-propionyl-2-(dimethyamino)-naphthalene (Prodan) in the bilayer membrane of an ether-linked phospholipid, dihexadecylphosphatidylcholine (DHPC), were observed as a function of temperature and pressure. Previous results for Prodan in the bilayer membrane of an ester-linked lipid, dipalmitoylphosphatidyl- choline (DPPC), were compared with the present results. A great difference in the fluorescence spectrum shape was found in the ripple gel phase of the DHPC and DPPC bilayers. The location of the Prodan molecule in the bilayer was speculated on the basis of the maximum emission wavelength. The ratio of fluorescence intensity of Prodan at two wavelengths was useful for the determination of bilayer phase transition, especially the pressure-induced interdigitation. Keywords: bilayer membrane, ether-linked lipid, pressure-induced interdigitation, phase transition, Prodan-fluorescence 1. Introduction Dipalmitoyl-(DPPC) and dihexadecylphosphatidylcholine (DHPC) are representative phospholipids with ester- and ether-linkage, respectively.