In situ unfolded lysozyme induces the lipid lateral redistribution of a mixed lipid model membrane.

Redistribution of charged lipids induced by polyelectrolytes is an intriguing phenomenon. Proteins, due to their nature as polyelectrolytes, should also have this capacity. But their highly ordered structures may bring about more complex mechanisms. We studied the interaction between positively charged lysozyme and liposomes consisting of neutral dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and negatively charged dioleoylphosphatidylglycerol (DOPG). Interestingly, the enrichment of DOPG cannot be induced by the native and ex situ unfolded (unfolded in the absence of liposomes) lysozyme, but requires that lysozyme undergo an in situ unfolding process (unfolding in the presence of liposomes). These observations suggest that, for proteins, the capacity to induce lipid redistribution relies on not only the net charges but also the spatial distribution of the charges. During the in situ unfolding process, lysozyme reorganizes its structure into a specially unfolded structure that is rich in flat β-sheets and more "rigid" in the presence of lipid membrane. This special spatial structure changes the charge distribution and is advantageous to the protein-membrane electrostatic interaction and thus can induce lipid redistribution.