Abstract
Neutral phospholipids play an important role in Ca 2+ binding to biomembranes, in particular if the membrane carries a net negative surface charge due to charged lipids or proteins. The concentration of Ca 2+ ions in the plane of the phospholipid head groups can be enhanced by at least two orders of magnitude compared to bulk solution. Ca 2+ binding furthermore changes the orientation of the phospholipid head groups which is accompanied by variations of the local membrane dipole potential of the order of 10 5 V/cm. Such high electric fields could entail conformational changes of membrane-bound proteins and the Ca 2+-induced reorientation of the lipid dipoles could thus play a regulatory role in membrane function.
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