Ion-specific phenomena at bilayer lipid membranes
Cell membranes, the interfacial boundary the between intra- and extracellular space are complex systems and involved in many cell functions such as signalling, protein sorting or apoptosis. At the MBC we use supported bilayer lipid membranes as model system that allow for a characterization of cellular membranes in simpler and well defined environments and to study membrane protein functions. Methods like electrokinetic measurements, fluorescence microscopy, and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy are applied to study the influence of charge formation on the membrane formation, fluidity, structure, and stability.
(A) Preparation of supported bilayer lipid membranes from zwitterionic DOPC. (B) Zeta potential vs. pH of DOPC membranes in diluted electrolyte solutions. (C) Diffusion coefficient of lipids in DOPC membranes determined by Fluorescence Recovery after Photobleaching (FRAP).
References
[1] Zimmermann et al. Biointerphases 2009, 4, 1, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1116/1.3082042
[2] Zimmermann et al. J. Phys. Chem. A 2012, 116, 6519, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/jp212364q