The location of coenzyme Q10 in phospholipid membranes made of POPE: a small-angle synchrotron X-ray diffraction study

The location of coenzyme Q10 (Q10) inside the inner mitochondrial membrane is a topic of research aiming at a deeper understanding of the function of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. We investigated the location of Q10 inside model membranes made of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine by means of small-angle synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Q10, which stands for ubiquinone-10 (UQ) or ubihydroquinone-10 (UH), did not remarkably influence the main phase transition temperature, but significantly decreased the lamellar-inverse hexagonal phase transition temperature ( T h ). The effect of UH on T h was stronger than the effect of UQ and the effect of liquid Q10 on T h was stronger than the effect of crystalline Q10. In the presence of Q10, the lattice parameters of the lamellar phases remained unchanged, whereas the H II lattice parameter was clearly influenced: While UQ had an increasing effect, UH had a decreasing effect. Furthermore, Q10 prevented the formation of cubic phases. The results give new evidence that the headgroup of Q10 is distant from the center of the membrane, which might be important for the function of the mitochondrial respiratory chain.