Dry Two-Step Self-Assembly of Stable Supported Lipid Bilayers on Silicon Substrates.

Artificial membranes are models for biological systems and are important for applications. We introduce a dry two-step self-assembly method consisting of the high-vacuum evaporation of phospholipid molecules over silicon, followed by a subsequent annealing step in air. We evaporate dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) molecules over bare silicon without the use of polymer cushions or solvents.

Fluorescence properties of aurone derivatives: an experimental and theoretical study with some preliminary biological applications.

In this paper, we explored the fluorescence properties of eight aurone derivatives bearing methoxy groups and bromine atoms as substituents in the benzene rings. All derivatives showed strong solvatochromic absorption and emission properties in solvents of different polarities. Some of them showed high fluorescence quantum yields, which make them potential compounds for sensing applications.

Gramicidin conformational changes during riboflavin photosensitized oxidation in solution and the effect of N-methylation of tryptophan residues.

In the present work, we evaluated the role of gramicidin conformation in its photosensitized oxidation in organic solvents when irradiated in the presence of riboflavin. Gramicidin conformation has been described as monomeric in trifluoroethanol and as an intertwined dimer in methanol. Gramicidin showed extensive photo-oxidation upon irradiation in the presence of riboflavin in both solvents, and tryptophan residues were identified to be involved.

The self-assembly of a cyclic lipopeptides mixture secreted by a B. megaterium strain and its implications on activity against a sensitive Bacillus species.

Cyclic lipopeptides are produced by a soil Bacillus megaterium strain and several other Bacillus species. In this work, they are detected both in the Bacillus intact cells and the cells culture medium by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The cyclic lipopeptides self-assemble in water media producing negatively charged and large aggregates (300-800 nm of mean hydrodynamic radius) as evaluated by dynamic light scattering and zeta-potential analysis.

Interaction of gramicidin with DPPC/DODAB bilayer fragments.

The interaction between the antimicrobial peptide gramicidin (Gr) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)/dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODAB) 1:1 large unilamellar vesicles (LVs) or bilayer fragments (BFs) was evaluated by means of several techniques. The major methods were: 1) Gr intrinsic fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy; 2) dynamic light scattering for sizing and zeta-potential analysis; 3) determination of the bilayer phase transition from extrinsic fluorescence of bilayer probes; 4) pictures of the dispersions for evaluation of coloidal stability over a range of time and NaCl concentration. For Gr in LVs, the Gr dimeric channel conformation is suggested from: 1) CD and intrinsic fluorescence spectra similar to those in trifluoroethanol (TFE); 2) KCl or glucose permeation through the LVs/Gr bilayer.

Differential dynamic and structural behavior of lipid-cholesterol domains in model membranes.

Changes in the cholesterol (Chol) content of biological membranes are known to alter the physicochemical properties of the lipid lamella and consequently the function of membrane-associated enzymes. To characterize these changes, we used steady-state and time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and two photon-excitation microscopy techniques. The membrane systems were chosen according to the techniques that were used: large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) for cuvette and giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) for microscopy measurements; they were prepared from dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dioctadecyl phosphatidylcholine (DOPC) in mixtures that are well known to form lipid domains.