Phase behavior and the partitioning of caveolin-1 scaffolding domain peptides in model lipid bilayers

Abstract

The membrane binding and model lipid raft interaction of synthetic peptides derived from the caveolin scaffolding domain (CSD) of the protein caveolin-1 have been investigated. CSD peptides bind preferentially to liquid-disordered domains in model lipid bilayers composed of cholesterol and an equimolar ratio of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) and brain sphingomyelin. Three caveolin-1 peptides were studied: the scaffolding domain (residues 83–101), a water-insoluble construct containing residues 89–101, and a water-soluble construct containing residues 89–101. Confocal and fluorescence microscopy investigation shows that the caveolin-1 peptides bind to the more fluid cholesterol-poor phase. The binding of the water-soluble peptide to lipid bilayers was measured using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). We measured molar partition coefficients of 104 M−1 between the soluble peptide and phase-separated lipid bilayers and 103 M−1 between the soluble peptide and bilayers with a single liquid phase. Partial phase diagrams for our phase-separating lipid mixture with added caveolin-1 peptides were measured using fluorescence microscopy. The water-soluble peptide did not change the phase morphology or the miscibility transition in giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs); however, the water-insoluble and full-length CSD peptides lowered the liquid–liquid melting temperature.