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Asymmetrical labeling of giant phospholipid vesicles
G Gomiscek1, V Arrigler, M Gros
1Institute of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Abstract:
The method for labeling of inner membrane leaflet in unilamellar giant POPC vesicles was developed and characterised. Symmetrically NBD-PC labeled vesicles were treated by sodium dithionite, which undergoes an irreversible chemical reaction with NBD-PC molecule making it non-fluorescent. After the addition of dithionite the fluorescence on single vesicles as well as on vesicle suspension showed a 50% decrease of its initial value corresponding to marker quenching in the outer leaflet. Hence, fluorimetry as well as fluorescence microscopy prove that dithionite quenching is a suitable method to induce an asymmetrical labeling of the NBD-PC marked giant vesicles.