AI Article Synopsis
- A new method has been developed to control the placement of lipid vesicles on lipid bilayers, allowing for a more organized arrangement.
- Vesicles are attracted to specific areas of disorder on the bilayers, which are created by using an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip that scans with high force.
- This technique enables the creation of long lines of immobilized vesicles, which stay in place but can still be moved selectively with the AFM, providing a useful tool for studying proteins within these lipid systems without needing to chemically label the vesicles.
Article Abstract
We report on a new approach to direct the immobilization of unilamellar lipid vesicles on substrate-supported lipid bilayers in a spatially confined manner. The adsorption of vesicles from solution is limited to areas of disorder in the bilayers, which is induced by scanning a pattern in situ with an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip using high imaging forces. Lines of vesicles with a length exceeding 25 microm and a width corresponding to that of a single surface-immobilized vesicle have been fabricated. The adsorbed vesicles are effectively immobilized and do not desorb spontaneously. However, AFM with forces of several nanoNewtons allows one to displace vesicles selectively. The novel methodology described, which may serve as a platform for research on proteins incorporated in the lipid bilayers comprising the vesicles, does not require chemical labeling of the vesicles to guide their deposition.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/la0498915 | DOI Listing |
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