Membrane mechanical properties of synthetic asymmetric phospholipid vesicles.

ABSTRACT: Synthetic lipid vesicles have served as important model systems to study cellular membrane biology. Research has shown that the mechanical properties of bilayer membranes significantly affects their biological behavior. The properties of a lipid bilayer are governed by lipid acyl chain length, headgroup type, and the presence of membrane proteins. However, few studies have explored how membrane architecture, in particular trans-bilayer lipid asymmetry, influences membrane mechanical properties. In this study, we investigated the effects of lipid bilayer architecture (i.e. asymmetry) on the mechanical properties of biological membranes. This was achieved using a customized micropipette aspiration system and a novel microfluidic technique previously developed by our team for building asymmet

SUBMITTER: Lu L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5139623 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature