THE EFFECT OF PULSED ELECTRIC-FIELDS ON THE P-31 SPECTRA OF LIPID BILAYERS

A technique is described for measuring the effect of electric fields o n the conformation of lipid bilayer membranes by solid state nuclear m agnetic resonance. An apparatus was devised to obtain spectra from sam ples of aligned phospholipid dispersions at varying electric field str engths up to 100 MV/m. Measurements were carried out on membranes made from dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine and dioleoylphosphatidylcholine , which resulted in electric field induced phase changes. Calibration experiments were performed using bilayers formed from dimyristoylphosp hatidylcholine with glycerol and with a nematic liquid crystal. An ele ctric field induced change, from L(alpha) to H-II, was also seen in a dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine/alamethicin bilayer.