pH-dependent lipid packing, membrane permeability and fusion in phosphatidylcholine vesicles

We have studied the rate of membrane fusion, the lipid dynamics and order and the membrane permeability of phosphatidylcholine vesicles as a function of pH. Acidification induced very different effects depending on the state of the bilayer. In liquid-crystalline bilayers, acidification decreased the rate of membrane fusion, the acyl chain motion and disorder and the rate of K+ release, whereas in solid bilayers acidification increased the rate of membrane fusion, the lipid acyl chain disorder and the rate of K+ release. These pH-dependent modifications are interpreted in terms of conformational and/or packing changes of the phosphatidylcholine head group in the membrane. In solid bilayers, these changes are not easily accommodated by the rigid structure, and the resulting stress leads to an unstable bilayer.