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Published on: July 2, 2012
Nanoscale patterning in mixed fluorocarbon-hydrocarbon phospholipid bilayers
Nicholas C Yoder1, Venkateshwarlu Kalsani, Steffen Schuy
1Department of Chemistry, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, and Cancer Center, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, USA.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|July 3, 2007
Summary
Fluorinated lipids create patterned supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) through immiscible phase separation. This self-assembly strategy offers potential for precise nanopatterning of biological molecules on membranes.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biophysics
- Supramolecular Chemistry
Background:
- Fluorocarbons are known to influence self-assembly in hydrocarbon media.
- Supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) are model systems for cell membranes and biomaterial interfaces.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate and characterize SLBs using a mixture of a standard phospholipid and a fluorocarbon-functionalized analogue.
- To investigate the self-assembly behavior and domain formation in these mixed lipid bilayers.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) using 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and a fluorocarbon analogue (1).
- Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) for high-resolution imaging of membrane topography and domain structure.
- Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) to determine phase transition temperatures and behavior.
Main Results:
- AFM revealed distinct, composition-dependent domain structures in DPPC:1 SLBs, featuring ~50 nm stripes and ~1 µm domains.
- DSC indicated complex phase behavior and domain segregation in DPPC:1 mixtures, distinct from the phase transition of pure compound 1.
- Temperature-dependent AFM confirmed that the observed stripe and domain structures arise from the immiscibility of hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon lipid gel phases.
Conclusions:
- Fluorination of lipids is a viable strategy for directing two-dimensional chemical self-assembly.
- The observed immiscibility leads to patterned lipid bilayers without modifying headgroups, useful for biomolecule nanopatterning.
- This approach holds promise for creating functionalized surfaces for biological applications, both in vitro and in living cells.
