The Effect of Temperature, Cations, and Number of Acyl Chains on the Lamellar to Non-Lamellar Transition in Lipid-A Membranes: A Microscopic View

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are the main constituent of the outer bacterial membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Lipid-A is the structural region of LPS that interacts with the innate immune system and induces inflammatory responses. It is formed by a phosphorylated β-d-glucosaminyl-(1→6)-α-N-glucosamine disaccharide backbone containing ester-linked and amide-linked long-chain fatty acids, which may vary in length and number depending on the bacterial strains and the environment. Phenotypical variation (i.e., number of acyl chains), cation type, and temperature influence the phase transition, aggregate structure, and endotoxic activity of Lipid-A. We have applied an extension of the GROMOS force field 45a4 carbohydrate parameter set to investigate the behavior of hexa- and pentaacylated Lipid-A of Pseudomonas aeruginosa at two temperatures (300 and 328 K) and in the presence of mono- and divalent cations (represented by Ca2+ and Na+, respectively) through molecular dynamics simulations. The distinct phase of Lipid-A aggregates was characterized by structural properties, deuterium order parameters, the molecular shape of the lipid units (conical versus cylindrical), and molecular packing. Our results show that Na+ ions induce a transition from the lamellar to nonlamellar phase. In contrast, the bilayer integrity is maintained in the presence of Ca2+ ions. Through these findings, we present microscopic insights on the influence of different cations on the molecular behavior of Lipid-A associated with the lamellar to nonlamellar transition.