Carnegie Mellon University                                      

   


My research interests are in lipid membrane structure and thermodynamics. Our Biophysics laboratory explores the structure of biological phospholipids, lipid/peptide and lipid/cholesterol mixtures using oriented samples on substrates and unoriented multilamellar or large unilamellar vesicles using X-ray diffraction with a Rigaku rotating anode and CCD detector here at CMU, and with synchrotron radiation at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source.  We also use differential scanning calorimetry to measure specific heat changes during phase transitions of aqueous dispersions of phospholipids in the form of MLVs. The third technique which yields structural information about the lipid volume as a function of temperature is density centrifugation, using D2O-H2O mixtures.

 Recent Publications:

 1.    Pan, J., Mills, T. T., Tristram-Nagle, S. and Nagle, J. F. 2008. Cholesterol Perturbs Lipid Bilayers Nonuniversally.  Phys. Rev. Letts. 100:198103.   (PDF).

 2.   Mills, T. T., Toombes, G. E. S., Tristram-Nagle, S., Smilgies, D.-M., Feigenson, G. W. and Nagle, J. F. 2008. Order Parameters and Areas in Fluid-Phase Oriented Lipid Membranes Using Wide Angle X-ray Scattering .  Biophys. J. BioFast   (PDF).

 3.   Mills , T. T., Tristram-Nagle, S., Heberle, F. A., Morales, N. F., Zhao, J., Wu, J. W., Toombes, G. E. S., Nagle, J. F. and Feigenson, G. W. 2008. Liquid-Liquid Domains in Bilayers Detected by Wide Angle X-ray Scattering.  Biophys. J. BioFast   (PDF).

 4.    Greenwood , A. I., Pan , J., Mills, T. T., Nagle, J. F., Epand, R. M. and Tristram-Nagle, S. 2008. CRAC motif peptide of the HIV-1 gp41 protein thins SOPC membranes and interacts with cholesterol .  Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1778:1120-1130.  (PDF).

 5.   Nagle, J. F., Mathai, J. C., Zeidel, M. L. and Tristram-Nagle, S. 2008. Theory of Passive Permeability through Lipid Bilayers .  J. Gen. Physiol. 131:77-85.  (PDF).

6.  Mathai, J. C., Tristram-Nagle, S., Nagle, J. F. and Zeidel, M. L.  2008.  Structural Determinants of Water Permeability through the Lipid Membrane.  J. Gen. Physiol. 131:69-76. (PDF)

7.  Pan, J., Tristram-Nagle, S. and Nagle, J.F. 2008. Temperature Dependence of Structure, Bending Rigidity and Bilayer Interactions of DOPC Bilayers . Biophys. J. 94:117-124. (PDF)

8.  Tristram-Nagle, S.  Preparation of Oriented, Fully Hydrated Lipid Samples for Structure Determination Using X-Ray Scattering. 2007.  Methods in Molecular Biology 400:(Methods in Membrane Lipids):63-75 (ed., A. Dopico), Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. (PDF)   

9.  Tristram-Nagle, S. and Nagle, J.F. 2007.  HIV-1 Fusion Peptide Decreases Bending Energy, Promotes Curved Fusion Intermediates. Biophysical Journal 93:2048-2055. (PDF)   

10.  Kučerka, N., Tristram-Nagle, S. and Nagle, J.F. 2006. Closer Look at Structure of Fully Hydrated Fluid Phase DPPC Bilayers. Biophysical Journal: Biophysical Letters 90:L83-85. (PDF)

11. Greenwood, A. I., Tristram-Nagle, S. and Nagle, J. F. 2006. Partial Molecular Volumes of Lipids and Cholesterol. Chem. Phys. Lipids 143:1-10. (PDF)

12.  Petrache, H.I., Tristram-Nagle, S., Harries, D., Kucerka, N., Nagle, J.F., and Parsegian, V.A. 2006. Swelling of Phospholipids by Monovalent Salt. J. Lipid Res. 47:302-309. (PDF)

13.   Kučerka, N., Tristram-Nagle, S. and Nagle, J.F. 2005. Structure of Fully Hydrated Fluid Phase Lipid Bilayers with Monounsaturated Chains.  J. Membrane Biol. 208: 193-202. (PDF)

14.     Tristram-Nagle, S., Lewis, R.N.A.H., Blickenstaff, J. W., DiPrima, M., Marques, B. F., McElhaney, R. N., Nagle, J. F. and Schneider, J. W. 2005. Thermodynamic and Structural Scharacterization of Amino Acid-Linked Dialkyl Lipids.  Biophys. J. 86:1574-86.  (PDF).

 15.   Chu, N., Kučerka, N., Liu, Y., Tristram-Nagle, S., and Nagle, J. F. 2005. Anomalous Swelling of Lipid Bilayer Stacks Is Caused by Softening of the Bending Modulus.  Phys. Rev. E. 71:041904.  (PDF).

 16.    Kučerka, N., Liu, Y., Chu, N., Petrache, H.I., Tristram-Nagle, S., and Nagle, J. F. 2005. Structure of Fully Hydrated Fluid Phase DMPC and DLPC Bilayers Using X-Ray Scattering from Oriented Multilamellar Arrays and from Unilamellar Vesicles.  Biophys. J. 88:2626-2637.  (PDF).

17.  Petrache, H.I., Tristram-Nagle, S., Gawrisch, K., Harries, D., Parsegian, V.A. and Nagle, J. F. 2004. Structure and Fluctuations of Charged Phosphatidylserine Bilayers In the Absence of Salt.  Biophys. J. 86:1574-86.  (PDF).

18.  Tristram-Nagle, S. and Nagle, J. F. 2003. Lipid Bilayers: Thermodynamics, Structure, Fluctuations and Interactions.  Chem. Phys. Lipids (Invited Review) 127:3-14.  (PDF).

19.  Eldho, N.V., Feller, S.E.,Tristram-Nagle, S., Polozov, I.V. and Gawrisch, K. 2003. Polyunsaturated Docosahexaenoic vs.Docosapentaenoic Acid- Differences in Lipid Matrix Properties from the Loss of One Double Bond.  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 125:6409-6421.  (PDF).

20.  Tristram-Nagle, S., Liu, Y., Legleiter, J. and Nagle, J. F. 2002. Structure of Gel Phase DMPC Determined by X-Ray Diffraction.  Biophys. J. 83:3324-3335.  (PDF).

21.   Lyatskaya, Y., Liu, Y., Tristram-Nagle, S. , Katsaras, J. and Nagle, J.F. 2001. Method for Obtaining Structure and Interactions from Oriented Lipid Bilayers, Phys. Rev. E 63:011907     [1-9]. (PDF)  

22.   Nagle, J.F. and Tristram-Nagle, S. 2000. Structure of Lipid Bilayers. (Invited Review for BBA). Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1469:159-195.  (PDF).  

23.     Nagle, J.F. and Tristram-Nagle, S. 2000. Lipid Bilayer Structure.  (Invited Review for Current Opinion in Structural Biology). COSB 10:474-480 (Postscript).

24.     Katsaras, J., Tristram-Nagle, S., Liu, Y., Headrick, R.L., Fontes, E., Mason, P.C., Nagle, J.F. 2000. Clarification of the Ripple Phase of Lecithin Bilayers Using Fully Hydrated, Aligned Samples. Phys. Rev. E 61:5668-5677. (PDF)

27.     Nagle, J.F. and Tristram-Nagle, S. 1999.  Structure and Interactions of Lipid Bilayers:  Role of Fluctuations.  In Lipid Bilayers, eds. J. Katsaras,  T. Gutberlet, Springer Verlag, N.Y., (pp. 1-24.)  (Postscript).

28.     Nagle, J.F., Liu, Y., Tristram-Nagle, S., Epand, R.M. and Stark, R. E.  1999.  Re-Analysis of Magic Angle Spinning NMR Determination of Intercellular Waters.  Biophys. J. 77:2062-2065. (PDF).

29.     Tristram-Nagle, S., Isaacson, Y., Lyatskaya, Y., Liu, Y., Brummond, K., Katsaras, J. and Nagle, J.F.  1999.  Polymorphism in Myristoylpalmitoylphosphatidylcholine.  Chem. Phys. Lipids 100:101-113. (PDF)

30.     Nagle, J.F., Petrache, H.I., Gouliaev, N., Tristram-Nagle, S., Liu, Y., Suter, R.M. and Gawrisch, K. 1998.  Multiple Mechanisms for Critical Behavior in the Biologically Relevant Phase of Lecithin Bilayers.  Phys. Rev. E. 58:7769-7776. (PDF)

  • Older papers are here
  • Complete Publications are listed in a (pdf) file.