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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
08:15
Membrane Remodeling of Giant Vesicles in Response to Localized Calcium Ion Gradients
Published on: July 16, 2018
Vesicles surfing on a lipid bilayer: self-induced haptotactic motion
Jérôme Solon1, Pia Streicher, Ralf Richter
1Institut Curie, Unité Mixte de Recherche 168, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 26 Rue d'Ulm, 75248 Paris Cedex 05, France.
Summary
Researchers discovered self-induced haptotaxis in charged vesicles. A lipid transfer creates a charge gradient, causing vesicle movement along adhesion gradients, a novel finding in cell motility research.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- Haptotaxis explains cell movement via adhesion gradients.
- Previous studies have not described self-induced haptotaxis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate self-induced haptotaxis in giant vesicles.
- To elucidate the mechanism of vesicle motility driven by adhesion gradients.
Main Methods:
- Utilized negatively charged giant vesicles and positively charged supported lipid bilayers.
- Observed vesicle behavior across varying charge densities.
- Analyzed lipid transfer and induced charge gradients.
Main Results:
- Observed spontaneous vesicle motion at intermediate charge densities.
- Vesicle velocities reached micrometers per second over >100 microm distances.
- Demonstrated local lipid transfer breaking symmetry and inducing motion.
- Proposed a scaling model linking adhesion energy, velocity, and lipid transfer time.
Conclusions:
- Self-induced haptotaxis is demonstrated in a vesicle-bilayer system.
- Lipid transfer and resulting charge gradients are key to vesicle motility.
- Counterions dynamically trapped reduce effective adhesion energy, influencing motion.
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