Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Synthesis of Compound Giant Unilamellar Vesicles: A Biomimetic Model of Nucleate Cells
Published on: July 3, 2025
Vesicle fluctuation analysis of the effects of sterols on membrane bending rigidity
Jonas Henriksen1, Amy C Rowat, John H Ipsen
1MEMPHYS Centre for Biomembrane Physics, Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, 2800, Lyngby, Denmark.
Abstract:
Sterols are regulators of both biological function and structure. The role of cholesterol in promoting the structural and mechanical stability of membranes is widely recognized. Knowledge of how the related sterols, lanosterol and ergosterol, affect membrane mechanical properties is sparse. This paper presents a comprehensive comparison of the effects of cholesterol, lanosterol, and ergosterol upon the bending elastic properties of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl- sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine giant unilamellar vesicles. Measurements are made using vesicle fluctuation analysis, a nonintrusive technique that we have recently improved for determining membrane bending rigidity. Giving a detailed account of the vesicle fluctuation analysis technique, we describe how the gravitational stabilization of the vesicles enhances image contrast, vesicle yield, and the quality of data. Implications of gravity on vesicle behaviour are also discussed. These recent modifications render vesicle fluctuation analysis an efficient and accurate method for determining how cholesterol, lanosterol, and ergosterol increase membrane bending rigidity.
Related Concept Videos
Mechanisms of Membrane-bending
Membrane bending can happen due to intrinsic changes in lipid composition or extrinsic association with different proteins. The proteins involved...
Membrane Fluidity
Membrane Fluidity
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is a relatively...
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer
Assembly of the Lipid Bilayer in the ER
A large chunk of any biological membrane is composed of phospholipids. These lipids have a heterogeneous distribution across different subcellular organelles and even between...
Membrane Asymmetry Regulating Transporters
Flippase
Eukaryotic flippases are type-IV P-type ATPases or P4-ATPases belonging to P-type ATPase family proteins that are membrane-bound pumps involved in the ATP-mediated transport of ions and molecules across the membrane. Flippases flip specific phospholipids from the outer to the inner leaflet of a membrane. All P4-ATPases have one...

