Effect of calcium and temperature on mixed lipid-valinomycin monolayers. A comparison of glycosphingolipids (ganglioside GT1b, sulphatides) and phosphatidylcholine.

The influence of calcium and temperature on pure lipid (bovine brain PC, sulphatides, ganglioside GT1b), valinomycin and mixed lipid-valinomycin monolayers at the air/water interface was studied. In mixed films, evidence was found that the two components were miscible. On the other hand, at higher surface pressures, phase separation occurs in the cases of PC and sulphatides. Measuring the area requirement and the collapse pressure the stability of both lipid and the peptide was increased in particular due to ganglioside-valinomycin interaction. The addition of 10(-5) M calcium into the subphase at 20 and 37 degrees C and surface pressures of 10 and 20 mN/m led to a condensing effect in ganglioside mixtures, with formation of aggregates as indicated also by the nearly ideal behaviour of two component monolayers.