Formation and properties of 1000-A-diameter, single-bilayer phospholipid vesicles

Two methods are reported for the formation of large, uniform-sized phospholipid vesicles. The methods involve the treatment of phospholipid, in the form of either small, sonicated vesicles or a dry lipid film, at a molar ratio of deoxycholate to phospholipid of 1:2. Subsequent removal of deoxycholate yields a stable preparation of vesicles. These vesicles are bounded by a single bilayer, have an average diameter of 1000 A, and are readily separated from sonicated vesicles (230 A) by gel filtration on Sepharose 4B. Since the 1000-A vesicles are capable of trapping enzymes and other macromolecules, they may prove valuable for the delivery of liposome-entrapped solutes to cells and for the localization of peptide segments of a spectrum of membrane-bound proteins.