Lipid domain formation and dynamics in giant unilamellar vesicles explored by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

Research output: Contribution to journalShort survey/reviewContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Nicoletta Kahya - , TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Dag Scherfeld - (Author)
  • Kirsten Bacia - , TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Petra Schwille - , Chair of Biophysics (Author)

Abstract

Lipids in eukaryotic cell membranes have been shown to cluster in "rafts" with different lipid/protein compositions and molecular packing. Model membranes such as giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) provide a key system to elucidate the physical mechanisms of raft assembly. Despite the large amount of work devoted to the detection and characterization of rafts, one of the most important pieces of information still missing in the picture of the cell membrane is dynamics: how lipids organize and move in rafts and how they modulate membrane fluidity. This missing element is of crucial importance for the trafficking at and from the periphery of the cell regulated by endo- and exocytosis and, in general, for the constant turnover which redistributes membrane components. Here, we review studies of combined confocal fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy on lipid dynamics and organization in rafts assembled in GUVs prepared from various lipid mixtures which are relevant to the problem of raft formation.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)77-89
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Structural Biology
Volume147
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2004
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 15109608

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Cholesterol, Confocal fluorescence microscopy, Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, GUVs, Lipid rafts, Phosphatidylcholine, Sphingomyelin