Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 6, 2026

A Fluorescence-based Assay of Phospholipid Scramblase Activity
Published on: September 20, 2016
Highly Responsive Fluorescent Assemblies Allow for Unique, Multiparametric Sensing of the Phospholipid Membrane
Akash Gulyani1,2, Nilanjan Dey1,2, Santanu Bhattacharya1,3
1Department of Organic Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India.
Abstract:
Despite decades-long extensive research, probes that provide a comprehensive description of the lipid membrane microenvironment are still lacking. Here, a "smart" pyrene-terpyridine probe for multiparametric sensing of lipid membranes is reported. The complexity of the associated local microenvironment can be described by the distinct features of the probe fluorescence. The self-assembly of the probe molecules in phospholipid bilayers was sensitive to membrane order and phase state. The self-assembled probes showed a unique emission, influenced by dye-dye interactions and excited-state charge transfer. Moreover, this emission was sensitive to interfacial hydration, with very specific changes in emission wavelengths and fluorescence lifetimes upon variation of lipid compositions and properties. In parallel, changes in the lipid order and hydration affected the ground-state interactions in the dye aggregates and, thus, could be measured through ratiometric changes in the excitation and emission readouts. In addition, fluorescence anisotropy measurements provided another way to study the nature of dye aggregates in lipid bilayers. Overall, this report demonstrates how multiple aspects of the membrane microenvironment can be sensed through the unique fluorescence signatures of this "smart" probe in lipid membranes, and it establishes a new paradigm in lipid-membrane sensing.
More Related Videos
09:38Fabrication Procedures and Birefringence Measurements for Designing Magnetically Responsive Lanthanide Ion Chelating Phospholipid Assemblies
Published on: January 3, 2018
10:02Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy as a Unique Probe for Lipid Membrane Dynamics and Membrane-Protein Interactions
Published on: May 27, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Other Unique Bacteria
Second Uniqueness Theorem
In contrast, consider that the electric field is non-unique and apply Gauss's law in divergence form in the region between the conductors and the integral form to the surface...
Responses to Gravity and Touch
The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Introduction to Membrane Proteins