Lipid Bilayer Discs and Banded Tubules:  Photoinduced Lipid Sorting in Ternary Mixtures

Jing Yuan, Steven M. Hira, Geoffrey F. Strouse, and Linda S. Hirst*
MARTECH (Center for Materials Science and Technology) and the Department of Physics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4350
J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2008, 130 (6), pp 2067–2072
DOI: 10.1021/ja710305c
Publication Date (Web): January 23, 2008
Copyright © 2008 American Chemical Society
*

In papers with more than one author, the asterisk indicates the name of the author to whom inquiries about the paper should be addressed.

, hirst@martech.fsu.edu
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Abstract

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The self-assembly of biological amphiphiles has proved a fascinating topic in recent years, the hollow cylindrical lipid tubule morphology being of particular interest due to its potential applications in “soft” microtechnologies. Lateral coexistence of liquid-ordered (lo) and liquid-disordered (ld) phases, which may resemble raft formation in cell membranes, was investigated in lipid tubules, prepared from 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, egg-sphingomyelin, and cholesterol. Fluorescence microscopy shows that the appearance of micrometer-scale lo domains in the lipid tubule is not an intrinsic phase behavior of the system but a consequence of photoinduced lipid peroxidation. Most interestingly, new photoinduced bilayer structures:  lipid discs, essentially stable flattened liposomes, were observed for the first time in a model membrane system. This investigation not only aids in our understanding of lipid sorting phenomena in cell membranes but also demonstrates how control of this process may provide a route to the generation of new, functional structures.

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  • Published In Issue February 13, 2008
  • Received November 13, 2007

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