Preparing giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) of complex lipid mixtures on demand: Mixing small unilamellar vesicles of compositionally heterogeneous mixtures.

T. BHATIA; P. HUSEN; J.BREWER; LUIS A. BAGATOLLI; P.L. HANSEN; J.H. IPSEN; O.G. MOURITSEN

BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2015 vol. 1848 p. 3175 - 3175

0005-2736

iant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) are simple model membrane systems of cell-size, which are instrumental to study the function of more complex biological membranes involving heterogeneities in lipid composition, shape, mechanical properties, and chemical properties. We have devised a method that makes it possible to prepare a uniform sample of ternary GUVs of a prescribed composition and heterogeneity by mixing different populations of small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs). The validity of the protocol has been demonstrated by applying it to ternary lipid mixture of DOPC, DPPC, and cholesterol by mixing small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) of two different populations and with different lipid compositions. The compositional homogeneity among GUVs resulting from SUV mixing is quantified by measuring the area fraction of the liquid ordered-liquid disordered phases in giant vesicles and is found to be comparable to that in GUVs of the prescribed composition produced from hydration of dried lipid