Unitary response of solvatochromic dye to pulse excitation in lipid and cell membranes

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that a solvatochromic dye responds to acoustic pulses in lipid membranes, revealing optical signatures similar to neuronal action potentials, thus supporting the idea that action potentials are nonlinear membrane state changes.

Contribution

It introduces the use of di-4-ANEPPDHQ dye to detect acoustic pulses in lipid membranes and links these pulses to action potential-like signals in cells.

Findings

Dye exhibits blue shift during membrane phase transition.

Fluorescence response correlates with compression pulses.

Optical signatures resemble neuronal action potentials.

Abstract

The existence of acoustic pulse propagation in lipid monolayers at the air-water interface is well known. These pulses are controlled by the thermodynamic state of the lipid membrane. Nevertheless, the role of acoustic pulses for intra- and intercellular communication are still a matter of debate. Herein, we used the dye di 4- -ANEPPDHQ, which is known to be sensitive to the physical state and transmembrane potential of membranes, in order to gain insight into compression waves in lipid-based membrane interfaces. The dye was incorporated into lipid monolayers made of phosphatidylserine or phosphatidylcholine at the air-water-interface. A significant blue shift of the emission spectrum was detected when the state of the monolayer was changed from the liquid expanded (LE) to the liquid condensed (LC) phase. This transition-sensitivity of di-4-ANEPPDHQ was generalized in experiments with the bulk solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Upon crystallization of solvent, the emission spectrum also underwent a blue shift. During compression pulses in lipid monolayers, a significant fluorescence response was only observed when in the main transition regime. The optical signature of these waves, in terms of sign and magnitude, was identical to the response of di-4-ANEPPDHQ during action potentials in neurons and excitable plant cells. These findings corroborated the suggestion that action potentials are nonlinear state changes that propagate in the cell membrane.