Recombinant models of lipoproteins. Apolipoprotein A-I/phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol complexes formed in a...

Apolipoprotein A-I can spontaneously associate with phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol in 2-chloroethanol-water mixture. It was demonstrated, using a spin label technique, that dissolved molecules participate in complex formation. The apolipoprotein A-I/phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol complexes were isolated by gel chromatography. Complexes of three types were prepared and characterized: type A, large heterogeneous aggregates with molecular weight 600 000, sedimentation coefficient 10 S and the following molar composition - protein/phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol, 1:(70-100):(10-12); types B and C, with weight average molecular weights 140 000 and 110 000, average sedimentation coefficients 3.6 S and 1.7 S, respectively. Both types have the same molar composition - protein/phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol, 1:25:8. The dissimilar sedimentation coefficients between complexes B and C may be explained by the difference in the monomer/tetramer ratio (monomer molecular weight 50 000). The spin label sn-1-O-stearoyl-2-O-9'-spiro(4'',4''-dimethyloxazolidine-3''-oxyl) heptadecanoylglycero-3-phosphocholine introduced into the complexes A and B showed different thermal properties of these complexes, which may be due to differences in the lipid-protein interactions.