Effect of streptolysin O and digitonin on egg lecithin/cholesterol vesicles

Artificial membrane vesicles (liposomes) have been used to study the lytic mechanism of the bacterial toxin, streptolysin O, compared to that of the well-known plant glycoside, digitonin. Two types of vesicle were prepared: large unilamellar vesicles and multilamellar liposomes. The vesicles were prepared with varying molar ratios of egg lecithin and cholesterol and loaded with the water-soluble spin label, TEMPO-choline chloride. Lysis of the vesicles was registered as release of spin label and monitored by change in the electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrum. In this system digitonin was able to lyse both large unilamellar vesicles and multilamellar liposomes. The effectiveness of lysis increased by increasing the percentage of cholesterol, but even at 0% cholesterol a significant level of lysis was observed by addition of a large enough concentration of digitonin. In contrast, no lysis was detected from multilamellar liposomes after exposure to streptolysin O, even when they consisted of 50 mol% cholesterol. On the other hand, large unilamellar vesicles could be lysed by streptolysin O, provided the cholesterol content was greater than 33%. At 67 mol% cholesterol in the membranes, the degree of lysis was diminished compared to 50%, which appeared to be optimal. This is the first demonstration of liposome lysis by streptolysin O and demonstrates the cholesterol specificity which has previously been shown by inhibition studies.