Cubic phases of gangliosides in water: possible role of the conformational bistability of the headgroup
Articolo
Data di Pubblicazione:
1997
Citazione:
Cubic phases of gangliosides in water: possible role of the conformational bistability of the headgroup / M. Boretta, L. Cantù, M. Corti, E. Del Favero. - In: PHYSICA. A. - ISSN 0378-4371. - 236:1-2(1997), pp. 162-176.
Abstract:
An accurate X-ray scattering study of the self-association properties in water of the ganglioside GM1, a biological amphiphile similar to phospholipids but with an oligosaccharide headgroup, is described. The phase diagram displays a large cubic region, for concentrations between 31% and 55% by weight, enclosed by isotropic micellar and lamellar phases. The peculiar feature of the GM1 molecule to present a conformational bistability, recently observed in ganglioside micelles, can be well recognized in the cubic phase region, suggesting that GM1-water behaves like a pseudoternary system, with an additional degree of freedom, automatically readjusting the mole fraction of the two conformers in order to optimize the molecular packing.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Keywords:
gangliosides; cubic phases; X-ray scattering
Elenco autori:
M. Boretta, L. Cantù, M. Corti, E. Del Favero
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