Covalent attachment of lipid vesicles to a fluid-supported bilayer allows observation of DNA-mediated vesicle interactions.

ABSTRACT: Specific membrane interactions such as lipid vesicle docking and fusion can be mediated by synthetic DNA-lipid conjugates as a model for the protein-driven processes that are ubiquitous in biological systems. Here we present a method of tethering vesicles to a supported lipid bilayer that allows the simultaneous deposition of cognate vesicle partners displaying complementary DNA, resulting in well-mixed populations of tethered vesicles that are laterally mobile. Vesicles are covalently attached to a supporting lipid bilayer using a DNA-templated click reaction; then DNA-mediated interactions between tethered vesicles are triggered by spiking the salt concentration. These interactions, such as docking and fusion, can then be observed for individual vesicles as they collide on the surface. T

SUBMITTER: van Lengerich B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2877162 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature