Lipid vesicle composition influences the incorporation and fluorescence properties of the lipophilic sulphonated carbocyanine dye SP-DiO

Lipid membrane composition influences insertion efficiency and photophysical properties of lipophilic membrane-inserting dyes.

Structure and Composition of Native Membrane Derived Polymer-Supported Lipid Bilayers

Over the last two decades, supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) have been extensively used as model systems to study cell membrane structure and function. While SLBs have been traditionally produced from simple lipid mixtures, there has been a recent surge in compositional complexity to better mimic cellular membranes and thereby bridge the gap between classic biophysical approaches and cell experiments. To this end, native cellular membrane derived SLBs (nSLBs) have emerged as a new category of SLBs. As a new type of biomimetic material, an analytical workflow must be designed to characterize its molecular composition and structure. Herein, we demonstrate how a combination of fluorescence microscopy, neutron reflectometry, and secondary ion mass spectrometry offers new insights on structure, composition, and quality of nSLB systems formed using so-called hybrid vesicles, which are a mixture of native membrane material and synthetic lipids. With this approach, we demonstrate that the nSLB formed a continuous structure with complete mixing of the synthetic and native membrane components and a molecular stoichiometry that essentially mirrors that of the hybrid vesicles. Furthermore, structural investigation of the nSLB revealed that PEGylated lipids do not significantly thicken the hydration layer between the bilayer and substrate when on silicon substrates; however, nSLBs do have more topology than their simpler, purely synthetic counterparts. Beyond new insights regarding the structure and composition of nSLB systems, this work also serves to guide future researchers in producing and characterizing nSLBs from their cellular membrane of choice.

Kinetics of diffusion-mediated DNA hybridization in lipid monolayer films determined by single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy

We use single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to monitor individual hybridization reactions between membrane-anchored DNA strands, occurring in nanofluidic lipid monolayer films deposited on Teflon AF substrates. The DNA molecules are labeled with different fluorescent dyes, which make it possible to simultaneously monitor the movements of two different molecular species, thus enabling tracking of both reactants and products. We employ lattice diffusion simulations to determine reaction probabilities upon interaction. The observed hybridization rate of the 40-mer DNA was more than 2-fold higher than that of the 20-mer DNA. Since the lateral diffusion coefficient of the two different constructs is nearly identical, the effective molecule radius determines the overall kinetics. This implies that when two DNA molecules approach each other, hydrogen bonding takes place distal from the place where the DNA is anchored to the surface. Strand closure then propagates bidirectionally through a zipper-like mechanism, eventually bringing the lipid anchors together. Comparison with hybridization rates for corresponding DNA sequences in solution reveals that hybridization rates are lower for the lipid-anchored strands and that the dependence on strand length is stronger.

Self-assembled DNA-based fluorescence waveguide with selectable output

Using the principle of self-assembly, a fluorescence-based photonic network is constructed with one input and two spatially and spectrally distinct outputs. A hexagonal DNA nanoassembly is used as a scaffold to host both the input and output dyes. The use of DNA to host functional groups enables spatial resolution on the level of single base pairs, well below the wavelength of light. Communication between the input and output dyes is achieved through excitation energy transfer. Output selection is achieved by the addition of a mediator dye intercalating between the DNA base pairs transferring the excitation energy from input to output through energy hopping. This creates a tool for selective excitation energy transfer on the nanometer scale with spectral and spatial control. The ability to direct excitation energy in a controlled way on the nanometer scale is important for the incorporation of photochemical processes in nanotechnology.

Platform for controlled supramolecular nanoassembly

We here present a two-dimensional (2D) micro/nano-fluidic technique where reactant-doped liquid-crystal films spread and mix on micro- and nanopatterned substrates. Surface-supported phospholipid monolayers are individually doped with complementary DNA molecules which hybridize when these lipid films mix. Using lipid films to convey reactants reduces the dimensionality of traditional 3D chemistry to 2D, and possibly to 1D by confining the lipid film to nanometer-sized lanes. The hybridization event was observed by FRET using single-molecule-sensitive confocal fluorescence detection. We could successfully detect hybridization in lipid streams on 250 nm wide lanes. Our results show that the number and density of reactants as well as sequence of reactant addition can be controlled within confined liquid crystal films, providing a platform for nanochemistry with potential for kinetic control.

Self-assembled DNA photonic wire

DNA is a promising material for use in nanotechnology; the persistence length of double stranded DNA gives it a rigid structure in the several nanometer regime and its four letter alphabet enables addressability. We present the construction of a self-assembled DNA-based photonic wire capable of transporting excitation energy over a distance of more than 20 nm. Our results show that it is possible to create two component DNA-based photonic wires capable of long range energy transfer using a straightforward self-assembly approach.