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Related Concept Videos

Mechanisms of Membrane-bending01:15

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The living membranes are flexible due to their fluid mosaic nature; however, their bending into different shapes is an active process regulated by specific lipids and proteins. The membrane bending can be transient as seen in vesicles or stable for a long time as in microvilli. Cells regulate the size, location, and duration of the membrane curvature.
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Proteins show rotational as well as lateral diffusion across the membrane. The lateral diffusion of proteins was confirmed through the cell fusion experiment where mouse and human cells were fused, resulting in hybrid cells. When the human and mouse cells fused, the specific membrane proteins on human and mouse cells were marked with the red and green-fluorescent markers, respectively. Initially, the red and green fluorescence was located on the respective hemisphere of the cell. As time...
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Electrochemical Gradient and Channel Proteins: An Overview01:21

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An electrochemical gradient is a fundamental concept in biology and chemistry. It regulates the movement of ions across cell membranes. This movement is influenced by two factors:
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The movement of ions like sodium, potassium, and calcium into and out of the cell is essential to maintain the electrochemical gradient in living cells. The ion channels—a class of membrane transport proteins—help maintain this ionic gradient for the smooth functioning of physiological activities such as maintaining cell size and volume, conducting nerve impulses, and gas and nutrient exchange.
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Fluid Mosaic Model01:19

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Scientists identified the plasma membrane in the 1890s and its principal chemical components (lipids and proteins) by 1915. The model for plasma membrane structure, proposed in 1935 by Hugh Davson and James Danielli, was the first model to be widely accepted in the scientific community. The model was based on the plasma membrane's "railroad track" appearance in early electron micrographs. Davson and Danielli theorized that the plasma membrane's structure resembled a sandwich...
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Single-Molecule Imaging of Lateral Mobility and Ion Channel Activity in Lipid Bilayers using Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence TIRF Microscopy
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DNA-Tile Structures Induce Ionic Currents through Lipid Membranes.

Kerstin Göpfrich1, Thomas Zettl1,2, Anna E C Meijering1

  • 1†Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom.

Nano Letters
|March 28, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers created self-assembling DNA nanostructures that form tiny transmembrane channels in lipid bilayers. These synthetic channels, comparable in size to biological ones, show ion conduction and gating, enabling new applications in biology.

Keywords:
DNA nanotechnologyDNA-tilesartificial ion channelslipid bilayerself-assemblysingle-molecule

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Nanotechnology
  • Synthetic Biology

Background:

  • Self-assembled DNA nanostructures offer a platform for creating artificial transmembrane channels.
  • Existing synthetic channels often have larger pore sizes compared to natural ion channels.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To design and characterize a novel DNA nanostructure-based transmembrane channel with a subnanometer pore.
  • To demonstrate the functionality of this synthetic channel in lipid bilayers, including ion conduction and gating behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of a cholesterol-tagged DNA-tile structure for membrane anchoring.
  • Self-assembly of the DNA nanostructure in solution.
  • Ionic current recordings using lipid bilayer reconstitution assays.

Main Results:

  • The DNA-tile structure self-assembles rapidly into a stable nanostructure with a 5 nm outer diameter and 45 kDa molecular weight.
  • The synthetic channel successfully facilitated ion conduction across lipid bilayers.
  • Observed gating and voltage-switching behaviors indicate functional similarity to biological ion channels.

Conclusions:

  • Demonstrated the creation of a functional, subnanometer DNA-based transmembrane channel.
  • Highlighted the scalability and versatility of DNA nanostructures for synthetic biology applications.
  • Showcased a novel approach to designing artificial channels inspired by natural membrane proteins.