Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging and Force Spectroscopy of Supported Lipid Bilayers
Published on: July 22, 2015
Quantifying the Diffusion of Lipids in the Proximal/Distal Leaflets of a Supported Lipid Bilayer by Two-Dimensional
Takuhiro Otosu1, Shoichi Yamaguchi1
1Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Science and Engineering , Saitama University , 255 Shimo-Okubo , Sakura, Saitama 338-8570 , Japan.
Abstract:
A supported lipid bilayer (SLB) is a versatile platform for examining the dynamical properties of biomembranes. However, the effect of a prerequisite solid substrate on the dynamics of a SLB remains very elusive. Especially, it is not clarified how the diffusivity of each leaflet in a SLB is affected by the SLB-solid substrate interaction. In this study, we applied two-dimensional fluorescence lifetime correlation spectroscopy to a SLB for elucidating the diffusion of lipids in the proximal and distal leaflets of a SLB. We find that the autocorrelation curve of a fluorescent lipid in the proximal leaflet decays more slowly than that in the distal leaflet, meaning that the proximal leaflet is less diffusive. This result indicates stronger interaction between the proximal leaflet and a solid substrate.
Related Concept Videos
What are Lipids?
What are Lipids?
Non-Polar and Hydrophobic Characteristics of Lipids
Lipids are a structurally and functionally diverse group of hydrocarbons—compounds consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The carbon-carbon and...
Assembly of the Lipid Bilayer in the ER
A large chunk of any biological membrane is composed of phospholipids. These lipids have a heterogeneous distribution across different subcellular organelles and even between...
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer
Lipid Digestion
Structure of Lipids

