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Updated: May 16, 2026

In vitro Reconstitution of Cytoskeletal Networks inside Phase Separated Giant Unilamellar Vesicles (GUVs)
Published on: June 20, 2025
Protocol to study membrane-associated protein phase separation using protein-lipid blot overlay assays and giant
Chenyi Xie1, Wei Wei1, Lujia You1
1Key Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education) and State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Abstract:
Membrane-associated protein phase separation plays a critical role in cellular signaling. Here, we present a protocol for studying protein-lipid interactions and membrane-associated phase separation using protein-lipid blot overlay assays and giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). We describe steps for performing protein-lipid overlay assays to screen for lipid-binding specificity, followed by procedures for GUV preparation and protein-binding assays to visualize phase separation on membrane surfaces in vitro. This protocol applies to any protein capable of both phase separation and membrane binding. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Xie et al.1.

