Crowding-induced morphological changes in synthetic lipid vesicles determined using smFRET.
Steven D Quinn1,2, Lara Dresser1, Sarah Graham1
1School of Physics, Engineering and Technology, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
|November 17, 2022
Summary
Molecular crowding compacts lipid vesicles, altering their structure. This effect, controllable and potentially irreversible with certain agents like sorbitol, has implications for drug delivery systems.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Lipid vesicles are crucial for studying membrane properties and are used in bio-inspired technologies.
- The impact of external molecular crowding on vesicle shape is not well understood due to limited nanoscale imaging tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how molecular crowding influences lipid vesicle morphology.
- To explore the potential of controlling vesicle architecture for applications like drug delivery.
Main Methods:
- Utilized biocompatible polymers to simulate molecular crowding in vitro.
- Employed Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) spectroscopy, lifetime analysis, dynamic light scattering, and single-vesicle imaging.
Main Results:
- Observed vesicle compaction in response to sorbitol, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and Ficoll.
- Discovered that sorbitol-induced compaction is irreversible, while PEG-induced compaction is reversible.
- Demonstrated that molecular crowding precisely regulates vesicle architecture.
Conclusions:
- Molecular crowding offers a method to control and modify vesicle morphology in vitro.
- Vesicle compaction by crowding may serve as a biosensor for extramembrane crowding.
- Findings have significant implications for drug delivery and vesicle trafficking systems.
