Human Plasma Very Low-Density Lipoproteins Are Stabilized by Electrostatic Interactions and Destabilized by Acidic pH
Figure 3
Negative stain electron microscopy of intact and heated human plasma VLDL. Buffer conditions are 10 mM Na phosphate, pH 6.2. Lipoproteins were intact (a) or heated at a constant rate of 11°C/h to 70°C (b) or 80°C (c). Large black arrows indicate fused VLDL, large white arrows indicate lipid droplets formed upon VLDL rupture (such rupture is accompanied by loss of lipoprotein morphology and repacking of apolar core lipids indicated by near-UV CD), and small arrows point to small HDL-size particles whose detailed biophysical and biochemical analysis was reported earlier [20].
