科研之友
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摘要
Phospholipids and membrane proteins are two of the fundamental building blocks of cell membranes in living organisms. These molecules are amphipathic and form organized structures in water. Synthetic membranes made of phospholipids called bilayer lipid membranes have been used to study the characteristics of a cell membrane using both solid support and liquid support systems. A droplet interface bilayer is a liquid support system where a bilayer is formed at the interface of two water droplets in an oil bath where the water droplets are covered with a monolayer of phospholipids. Certain membrane proteins self-insert into the bilayer formed and can change the ion conduction across the bilayer. Electrodes inserted into the droplets can induce ion flow, but cause a discontinuity in the monolayer surrounding the droplets. This paper shows that to circumvent this discontinuity, electrodes can be used externally to stimulate ion flow within the droplets. The electrodes are coated with a hydrogel that is in turn coated with a monolayer of phospholipids. Upon contact with a droplet coated with phospholipids, a bilayer forms, providing a means for induced ion flow in the droplet without piercing through the monolayer coating. Proteins can insert in this connection and influence the induced ion flow.
- 出版日期2010-9
- 单位美国弗吉尼亚理工大学(Virginia Tech)
