Lipid liquid-crystalline nanostructure and biomolecular interactions

Biological membranes do not only occur as planar bilayer structures, but bilayers have also been shown to, depending on the lipid composition, curve into intriguing 3D structures. Understanding the biological implication as well as the application of such interfaces, for e.g. drug delivery and other biomedical application, requires the development of well-defined model system.

We have shown that spin-coating the constituting lipids followed by hydration of the lipid layer can be used to form non-lamellar liquid crystalline surfaces of different types on the surface. In order to make the layers more responsive polymer micro-gels with a diameter of about 55 nm can be embedded within the layer. Another way to for non-planar lipid interfaces are to deposit lipids on nanostructured surfaces. Here we demonstrate the formation of fluid supported bilayers on vertical gallium phosphide nanowire (NW) forests using self-assembly from lipid vesicular dispersions.1 The phospholipid mixture used had a composition that facilitates the formation of curved bilayers.

The biomolecular interactions at planar and curved lipid aqueous interfaces and the implications of lipid fluidity will also be discussed.

1 Dabkowska, A.P., Niman, C.S., Piret, G., Persson, H., Wacklin, H.P., Linke, H., Prinz, C.N. & Nylander, T. Fluid and highly curved model membranes on vertical nanowire arrays. Nano Letters, 2014, 14, 4286-4292.