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The last 10 years have seen an enormous growth in our understanding of the molecular organisation of biological membranes. Experimental methods have been devised to meas ure the translational and rotational mobility of lipids and proteins, thereby furnishing a quantitative basis for the concept of membrane fluidity. Likewise, the asymmetry of bi layer membranes as evidenced by the asymmetric insertion of proteins and lipids has been put on firm experimental ground. At higher molecular resolution it has been possible to provide a detailed pi2ture of the molecular conformation and dynamics of lipids and, to some extent, even of small peptides embedded in a bilayer matrix. Many of these achieve ments would not have been possible without the application of modem spectroscopic methods. Since these techniques are scattered in a variety of specialized textbooks the present monograph attempts to describe the key spectroscopic methods employed in present-day membrane research at an intermediate level. There is no question that the elusive detailed structure of the biological membrane demands a multiplicity of experi mental approaches and that no single spectroscopic method can cover the full range of physical phenomena encountered in a membrane. Much confusion in the literature has arisen by undue generalizations without considering the frequency range or other limi tations of the methods employed. It is to be hoped that the present monograph with its comprehensive description of most modem spectroscopic techniques, will contribute to- .
List of contents
1. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies of the Phospholipid Bilayer Membrane.- I. Introduction.- II. Partially Oriented Molecules.- III. Effects of Motional Restriction on NMR Spectra.- IV. Isotropic Motion in the Presence of Restricted Local Motion: Membrane Vesicles.- V. Membrane Dynamics from NMR Relaxation Measurements.- VI. Merits of Various Spin Probes in Membrane Studies.- VII. Selected Applications of NMR to Membrane Studies.- VIII. Future Prospects.- References.- 2. Electron Spin Resonance: Spin Labels.- I. Introduction.- II. Experimental Methods.- III. Theoretical Basis.- IV. Applications to Membrane Studies.- V. New Developments and Future Trends.- References.- 3. Absorption and Circular Dichroism Spectroscopies.- I. Introduction.- II. Solution Studies.- III. Suspensions of Homogeneous Particles.- IV. Suspension of Biomembranes (Heterogeneous Particles).- References.- 4. Optical Spectroscopy of Monolayers, Multilayer Assemblies, and Single Model Membranes.- I. Introduction.- II. General Considerations and History.- III. Design of Spectroscopic Probes.- IV. Concentration, Orientation, and Location of Chromophores.- V. Monomers, Dimers, and Aggregates.- VI. Energy Transfer.- VII. Lipoid pH-Indicators in Monolayers.- VIII. Lateral Diffusion in Model Membranes.- IX. Electric-Field-Induced Effects.- References.- 5. Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Biological Membranes.- I. Basic Theory.- II. Types of Fluorophores Used in the Study of Membranes.- III. Applications.- References.- 6. Infrared Membrane Spectroscopy.- I. Introduction.- II. Experimental Techniques 1 Spectrophotometric Consideration.- III. Application of IR Spectroscopy to Biological Systems.- IV. Review of Results of IR Membrane Spectroscopy.- References.- 7. Chemical Relaxation Spectrometry.- I. Introduction.- II. Experimental Methods.- III. Theoretical Aspects.- IV. Applications to Membrane Studies.- References.- 8. Raman Spectroscopy of Membrane Constituents and Related Molecules.- I. Introduction.- II. Experimental Methods.- III. The Theoretical Basis of Raman Spectroscopy.- IV. Applications to Membrane Studies.- V. Future Trends.- References.- 9. Low-Angle X-Ray Diffraction.- I. Introduction.- II. Experimental Methods.- III. Theory.- IV. Applications to Membrane Systems.- V. Conclusions.- References.
