A Fluorescent Probe for C24 Fatty Acids to Report the Deep Interior of Lipid Bilayers

Abstract

AbstractTo investigate the interdigitation and the resulting fluctuation of lipid chains in the deep part of biomembranes, we aimed to develop a new fluorescent probe based on the well-known trans-parinaric acid (t-PA), but with a tetraene near the end of the C24 chain. The probe, tetracosa-16,18,20,22-tetraenoic acid (TCTEA), synthesized mainly by means of reported strategies, was found to better reflect the behavior of lipids in the deeper interior of bilayers than did t-PA. TCTEA could serve as a useful probe for studying the plasma-membrane dynamics of very-long-chain fatty acids, which have recently elicited significant attention in relation to necroptosis.