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Fabricating Multi-Component Lipid Nanotube Networks Using the Gliding Kinesin Motility Assay
Published on: July 26, 2021
Lipid nanotube formation from streptavidin-membrane binding
Haiqing Liu1, George D Bachand, Hahkjoon Kim
1Sandia National Laboratories, Biomolecular Interfaces and Systems Department, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|March 14, 2008
Summary
Giant lipid vesicles transform into long, fluid nanotubes when streptavidin binds to their membranes. This novel process, observed in low-rigidity membranes, facilitates vesicle transport and offers new routes for creating highly curved membrane structures.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Materials Science
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Protein-lipid interactions are crucial for cellular processes.
- Giant lipid vesicles are model systems for studying membrane behavior.
- Streptavidin-biotin interactions are widely used in biochemical assays.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the structural transformation of giant lipid vesicles upon streptavidin binding.
- To characterize the properties and formation mechanism of streptavidin-induced nanotubular structures.
- To explore the potential of protein-membrane interactions for generating novel membrane architectures.
Main Methods:
- Formation of biotinylated giant lipid vesicles.
- Incubation with streptavidin at neutral pH.
- Characterization using confocal microscopy.
- Analysis of membrane bending rigidity and tension.
Main Results:
- Spontaneous formation of nanotubular structures from giant lipid vesicles.
- Nanotubes exhibit widths from micrometers to sub-250 nm and lengths up to hundreds of micrometers.
- High membrane tension and fluidic nature of nanotubes enabling vesicle transport.
- Aggregation observed in vesicles with higher bending rigidity.
Conclusions:
- Streptavidin binding induces a novel nanotubulation of low-rigidity lipid membranes.
- The process is dependent on membrane bending rigidity and protein-membrane interactions.
- These findings offer new pathways for designing and fabricating highly curved membrane structures.
