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16:0-18:1 PE 850757 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine
16:0-18:1 PE (POPE), also known as 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine, is a widely-studied phosphatidylethanolamine representative of mammalian membrane systems. The molecule carries two distinct fatty acyl groups: a palmitoyl (C16:0) chain at the sn-1 position and an oleoyl (C18:1 cis-Δ9) at sn-2. This asymmetric pairing gives the lipid predictable thermotropic behavior.
Under controlled conditions, POPE undergoes a gel-to-liquid-crystalline transition near 25 °C and shifts from a lamellar phase into an inverted hexagonal structure around 71 °C. Since those transitions occur within experimentally convenient temperature ranges, they often serve as reference lipids in membrane studies.
When examining lipid phase behavior or building defined lipid bilayers, researchers rely heavily on POPE as a standard phosphatidylethanolamine.
Applications
- Membrane biophysics studies: POPE is a common reference PE lipid for investigating bilayer structure, curvature stress, phase transitions, and lipid domain formation in model systems such as GUVs, LUVs, and supported bilayers.
- Lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulation: It is incorporated as a helper phospholipid to influence particle morphology, support membrane fusion, and assist endosomal release in nucleic-acid delivery systems.
- Membrane protein reconstitution: Researchers find it suitable for preparing proteoliposomes or lipid nanodiscs used in structural and functional analysis of membrane proteins, including ion channels and transporters.
Formulation & handling
16:0-18:1 PE dissolves readily in ethanol, DMSO, and chloroform:methanol:water (73:23:3) at approximately 5mg/mL. As it transitions near room temperature, handle aqueous preparations above ~30 °C to maintain a fully fluid bilayer environment.
For vesicle preparation, dissolve lipid mixtures in an organic solvent, evaporate to form a thin film, then hydrate the film above the phase transition temperature before extrusion or sonication. The compound absorbs atmospheric moisture; work under dry, inert conditions whenever possible. Divide stock solutions into aliquots to minimize freeze-thaw cycles. The material is not light-sensitive and remains stable for up to one year under recommended storage conditions when sealed at −20 °C.
Avanti Research™ manufactures 16:0-18:1 PE to greater than 99% purity, produced with tight quality control and supplied with one-year stability when stored according to recommended conditions.
References
Epand, R. M., & Bottega, R. (1988). Determination of the phase behaviour of phosphatidylethanolamine admixed with other lipids and the effects of calcium chloride: implications for protein kinase C regulation. Biochimica et biophysica acta, 944(2), 144–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-2736(88)90427-0.
Kulkarni, J. A., Cullis, P. R., & van der Meel, R. (2018). Lipid Nanoparticles Enabling Gene Therapies: From Concepts to Clinical Utility. Nucleic acid therapeutics, 28(3), 146–157. https://doi.org/10.1089/nat.2018.0721
Related review:
Hald Albertsen, C., Kulkarni, J. A., Witzigmann, D., Lind, M., Petersson, K., & Simonsen, J. B. (2022). The role of lipid components in lipid nanoparticles for vaccines and gene therapy. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 188, 114416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addr.2022.114416,
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9250827/.
Murzyn, K., Róg, T., & Pasenkiewicz-Gierula, M. (2005). Phosphatidylethanolamine-phosphatidylglycerol bilayer as a model of the inner bacterial membrane. Biophysical Journal, 88(2), 1091–1103. https://doi.org/10.1529/biophysj.104.048835.
Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1305115/
Rockenfeller, P., Koska, M., Pietrocola, F., Minois, N., Knittelfelder, O., Sica, V., Franz, J., Carmona-Gutiérrez, D., Kroemer, G., & Madeo, F. (2015). Phosphatidylethanolamine positively regulates autophagy and longevity. Cell death and differentiation, 22(3), 499–508. https://doi.org/10.1038/cdd.2014.219
Free full text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4326582/
Seeger, H. M., Marino, G., Alessandrini, A., & Facci, P. (2009). Effect of physical parameters on the main phase transition of supported lipid bilayers. Biophysical Journal, 97(4), 1067–1076. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2009.03.068, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2726303/.
