Summary
Ferric ion has been found to alter the electrical properties of lecithincholesterol-decane bilayer membranes. Within minutes after the addition of microgram quantities of FeCl3 to the ambient aqueous phase, the resistance of the membrane falls by a factor of 105 to 106. No change in capacitance is observed. The resistance change is obtained with membranes made from synthetic lecithin (fully saturated fatty acids) as well as by those formed from egg lecithin. The conductance of the modified membrane exhibits both time and voltage dependent behavior; the time dependence of the current is similar to that of an inductance, and the voltage dependence of the current is exponential. Concomitant with the resistance change, the modified membrane becomes permselective, passing chloride almost to the complete exclusion of sodium. Anion selectivity can be converted to cation selectivity by the subsequent addition of certain chelating agents. Area-conductance measurements show the resistance change occurs in the thin film. The addition of a reducing agent causes the effect of the ferric ion to be reversed, and the conductance returns to that characteristic of unmodified membranes. When ferric ion is added to only one side of the membrane, the system rectifies with current ratios of up to 20∶1. It is concluded that the alteration of membrane properties owes its origin to the hydrolysis of membrane-bound ferric ion. The interaction of ferric ion with aqueous dispersions of lecithin has been investigated by several techniques, and evidence is presented that the dispersions bind charged species of iron and that this charge diminishes under conditions where iron hydrolysis occurs.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alberty, R. A., Marvin, H. H. 1950. Protein-ion interaction by the moving boundary method. Theory of the method.J. Phys. Chem. 54:47.
Atkinson, G.F., McBryde, W.A.E. 1961. Graphical representation of hydrolysis of the ferric ion.J. Chem. Ed. 38:127.
Bangham, A.D. 1963. Physical structure and behavior of lipids and lipid enzymes.In: Advances in Lipid Research. R. Paoletti and D. Kritchevsky, editors. Vol. 1, p. 65. Academic Press Inc., New York.
Barfort, P., Arquilla, E.R., Vogelhut, P.O. 1968. Resistance changes in lipid bilayers: Immunological applications.Science 160:1119.
Bligh, E.G., Dwyer, W.J. 1957. A rapid method of total lipid extraction and purification.Canad. J. Biochem. Physiol. 37:911.
Cash, W.D., Grady, M. 1965. Role of metal contaminants in the mitochondrial swelling activities of reduced and oxidized glutathione preparations.J. Biol. Chem. 240:PC 3450.
Cass, A., Finkelstein, A. 1967. Water permeability of thin lipid membranes.J. Gen. Physiol. 50:1765.
Cerletti, P., Giovenco, M.A., Giordano, M.G., Giovenco, S., Strom, R. 1967. Succina dehydrogenase I. Role of phospholipids.Biochim. Biophys. Acta 146:380.
Colburn, R.W., Mass, J.W. 1965. Adenosine Triphosphate-metal-norepinephrine ternary complexes and catecholamine binding.Nature 208:37.
Cole, K.S. 1955. Ions, potentials, and the nerve impulse.In: Electrochemistry in Biology and Medicine. T. Shedlovsky, editor. p. 134. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.
Davies, J.T., Rideal, E.K. 1963. Interfacial Phenomena. p. 183. Academic Press Inc., New York.
Davson, H., Danielli, J.F. 1952. The Permeability of Natural Membranes. 2nd. Ed. Cambridge University Press, England.
Del Castillo, J., Rodriguez, A., Romero, C.A., Sanchez, V. 1966. Lipid films as transducers for detection of antigen-antibody and enzyme substrate reactions.Science 153:185.
Freygang, W.H., Adrian, R.H. 1961. Potassium movement in muscle membrane.In: Biophysics of Physiological and Pharmacological Actions. A.M. Shanes, editor. p. 245. American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C.
Hanai, T., Haydon, D.A. 1966. Permeability to water of bimolecular lipid membranes.J. Theoret. Biol. 11:370.
Hanai, T., Haydon, D.A., Redwood, W.R. 1966. The water permeability of artificial bimolecular leaflets: a comparison of radiotracer and osmotic methods.Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 137:731.
Hanai, T., Haydon, D.A., Taylor, J. 1964. An investigation by electrical methods of lecithin-in-hydrocarbon films in aqueous solutions.Proc. Roy. Soc. (London)A 281:377.
Hanai, T., Haydon, D.A., Taylor, J. 1965a. Polar group orientation and the electrical properties of lecithin bimolecular leaflets.J. Theoret. Biol. 9:278.
Hanai, T., Haydon, D.A., Taylor, J. 1965b. The variation of capacitance and conductance of bimolecular lipid membranes with urea.J. Theoret. Biol. 9:433.
Harris, E.J. 1967. Fall Seminar Series. Department of Biochemistry, University of Virginia.
Henn, F.A., Decker, G., Greenawalt, J., Thompson, T.E. 1967. Properties of lipid bilayer membranes separating two aqueous phases: Electron microscope studies.J. Mol. Biol. 24:51.
Hodgkin, A.L. 1951. The ionic basis of electrical activity in nerve and muscle.Biol. Rev. 26:339.
Holman, R.T. 1954. Autoxidation of fats and related substances.In: Progress in the Chemistry of Fats & Other Lipids. R.T. Holman, W.O. Lundberg, T. Malkin, editors. Vol. II, p. 60. Academic Press Inc., New York.
Hopfer, U., Lehninger, A.L., Thompson, T.E. 1968. Protonic conductance across phospholipid bilayer membranes induced by uncoupling agents for oxidative phosphorylation.Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 59:484.
Huang, C., Thompson, T.E. 1965. Properties of lipid bilayer membranes separating two aqueous phases: Determination of membrane thickness.J. Mol. Biol. 13:183.
Huang, C., Thompson, T.E. 1966. Properties of lipid bilayer membranes separating two aqueous phases: Water permeability.J. Mol. Biol. 15:539.
Huang, C., Wheeldon, L., Thompson, T.E. 1964. Properties of lipid bilayer membranes separating two aqueous phases: Formation of a membrane of simple composition.J. Mol. Biol. 8:148.
Katz, B. 1949. Les constantes electriques dela membrane du muscle.Arch. Sci. Physiol. 3:285.
Korn, E.D. 1966. Structure of biological membranes: The unit membrane theory is reevaluated in light of the data now available.Science 153:1991.
Kraus, K.A., Phillips, H.D., Carlson, T.A., Johnson, J.S. 1958. Ion exchange properties of hydrous oxides.Proc. 2nd Int. Conf. Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, United Nations, Geneva28:3.
Lev, A.A., Buzinsky, E.P. 1967. Cation specificity of model bimolecular phospholipid membranes with incorporated valinomycin.Cytology 9:1.
Liberman, F.A., Topaly, V.P. 1968. Selective transport of ions through bimolecular phospholipid membranes.Biochim. Biophys. Acta 163:125.
Litmann, B.J.Personal communication.
MacDonald, R. 1967. Resistance and capacitance of lipid bilayer membranes.Fed. Proc. 26:867.
MacInnes, D.A. 1961. The Principles of Electrochemistry. p. 225. Reinhold, New York.
Miyamoto, V., Thompson, T.E. 1967. Some electrical properties of lipid membranes.J. Colloid. Interface Sci. 25:16.
Mueller, P., Rudin, D.O. 1967. Development of K−Na discrimination in experimental bimolecular lipid membranes by macrocyclic antibiotics.Biochim. Biophys. Res. Commun. 26:398.
Mueller, P., Rudin, D.O. 1968. Action potentials induced in bimolecular lipid membranes.Nature 217:713.
Mueller, P., Rudin, D.O., Tien, H.T., Westcott, W.C. 1962. Reconstitution of excitable membrane structurein vitro.Circulation 26:1167.
Mueller, P., Rudin, D.O., Tien, H.T., Westcott, W.C. 1964. Formation and properties of bimolecular lipid membranes.In: Recent Progress in Surface Science. J.F. Danielli, A.C. Riddiford, editors. Vol. I, Ch. 2. Academic Press Inc., New York.
Pangborn, M.C. 1951. A simplified purification of lecithin.J. Biol. Chem. 188:471.
Seufert, W.D. 1965. Induced permeability changes in reconstituted cell membrane structure.Nature 207:174.
Smith, R.F., Briggs, D.R. 1950. Electrophoretic analysis of protein interaction. I. The interaction of bovine serum albumin and methyl orange.J. Phys. Chem. 54:33.
Strickland, E.G., Goucher, C.R. 1964. Effects of ferric nucleotides on mitochondrial respiration.Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 108:72.
Tien, W.T., Diana, A.L. 1968 Bimolecular lipid membranes.J. Phys. Chem. Lipids 2:55.
Turner, R.C., Miles, K.E. 1957. The ultraviolet absorption spectra of the ferric ion and its first hydrolysis products in aqueous solutions.Canad. J. Chem. 35:1002.
Van Zutphen, M., Van Deenen, L.L., Kinsky, S.C. 1966. The action of polyene antibiotics on bilayer lipid membranes.Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 22:393.
Weiser, H.B. 1935 Inorganic Colloid Chemistry. Vol. II, p. 51. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.
Weiser, H.B. 1939. Colloid Chemistry. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
MacDonald, R.C., Thompson, T.E. Properties of lipid bilayer membranes separating two aqueous phases: The effects of Fe+3 on electrical properties. J. Membrain Biol. 7, 54–87 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01867909
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01867909