Generation of Ultralong Liposome Tubes by Membrane Fusion beneath a Laser-Induced Microbubble on Gold Surfaces

Chiaki Kojima; Akemi Noguchi; Tatsuya Nagai; Ken-Ichi Yuyama; Sho Fujii; Kosei Ueno; Nobuaki Oyamada; Kei Murakoshi; Tatsuya Shoji; Yasuyuki Tsuboi

doi:10.1021/acsomega.2c00553

Generation of Ultralong Liposome Tubes by Membrane Fusion beneath a Laser-Induced Microbubble on Gold Surfaces

ACS Omega. 2022 Apr 5;7(15):13120-13127. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.2c00553. eCollection 2022 Apr 19.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Division of Molecular Materials Science, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Sugimoto 3-3-138, Sumiyoshi, Osaka 558-8585, Japan.
² Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0808, Japan.
³ National Institute of Technology, Kisarazu College, 292-0041 11-1, Kiyomidaihigashi 2-Chome, Kisarazu City 292-0041, Chiba, Japan.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kanagawa University, 2946 Tsuchiya, Hiratsuka 259-1293, Japan.

Abstract

Membrane fusion (MF) is one of the most important and ubiquitous processes in living organisms. In this study, we developed a novel method for MF of liposomes. Our method is based on laser-induced bubble generation on gold surfaces (a plasmonic nanostructure or a flat film). It is a simple and quick process that takes about 1 min. Upon bubble generation, liposomes not only collect and become trapped but also fuse to form long tubes beneath the bubble. Moreover, during laser irradiation, these long tubes remain stable and move with a waving motion while continuing to grow, resulting in the creation of ultralong tubes with lengths of about 50 μm. It should be noted that the morphology of these ultralong tubes is analogous to that of a sea anemone. The behavior of the tubes was also monitored by fluorescence microscopy. The generation of these ultralong tubes is discussed on the basis of Marangoni convection and thermophoresis.