Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of lecithin bimolecular leaflets with incorporated fluorescent probes

Pulse Fourier transform proton magnetic resonance techniques have been used to determine (i) the precise location of four membrane fluorescent probe molecules in lipid bilayer model membranes above the gel-to-liquid crystal transition temperature, tm; (ii) the dynamical perturbation of the host lipid molecules induced by incorporation of the probe into the bilayer. The regions of maximal perturbation induced by these probes do not necessarily coincide with their actual location in the bilayer.