Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Single-Molecule Diffusion and Assembly on Polymer-Crowded Lipid Membranes
Published on: July 19, 2022
Group reorientation and migration of amphiphilic polymer bearing phosphorylcholine functionalities on surface of
Shan Yang1, Shi-Ping Zhang, Françoise M Winnik
1Department of Chemistry, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069, China.
Abstract:
Amphiphilic polymers bearing phosphorylcholine (PC) groups can form films of interfacial structure similar to that of the outer membrane of living cells. The films, as prepared, present PC groups to the external aqueous environment and exhibit good biocompatibility. However, under certain conditions, the surface structure can change irreversibly due to the reorientation and deep migration of the surface groups. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), dynamic contact angle measurements, and cell culture experiments were used to investigate the reorientation and migration of the surface groups of an amphiphilic PC-polymer coating. When the polymer surface is immersed into or drawn out of water, significant reorientation and group migration occurs, as suggested by the large difference between the advancing and receding contact angles. Angle-resolved XPS measurements indicate that the hydrophobic groups move to the air/film interface while the hydrophilic groups migrate towards the bulk of the polymer coating. Long periods of aging may result in irreversible changes of the surface structure and decrease the biocompatibility of the materials.
Related Concept Videos
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer
Synthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in the ER Membrane
The major components of all eukaryotic cell...
Actin Polymerization and Cell Motility
Actin cytoskeleton dynamics can produce pushing, pulling, and resistance forces that help the cell to migrate.
Phosphoinositides and PIPs
Different phosphoinositides are synthesized and recruited on the cytosolic face of the plasma membrane. The localization of specific phosphoinositides concentrated in separate membrane...
Lipids as Anchors
The carboxy-terminal of most of the prenylated proteins, such as Ras proteins, contains the...
Mechanism of Filopodia Formation
Their main function is to guide migrating cells during normal tissue morphogenesis or cancer metastasis by recognizing and making initial contacts with the extracellular matrix. However, they can also act as stationary cell anchors or help to establish communication...

