Nanofluidic Model Membrane for the Single-Molecule Observation of Membrane Proteins

Langmuir. 2022 Jun 14;38(23):7234-7243. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00724. Epub 2022 May 31.

Abstract

Membrane proteins play essential roles in the cell, and they constitute one of the most important targets of drugs. Studying membrane proteins in a controlled model membrane environment can provide unambiguous, quantitative information on their molecular properties and functions. However, reconstituting membrane proteins in a model system poses formidable technological challenges. Here, we developed a novel model membrane platform for highly sensitive observation of membrane proteins by combining a micropatterned lipid membrane and a nanofluidic channel. A micropatterned model membrane was generated by lithographically integrating a polymerized lipid bilayer and a natural (fluid) lipid bilayer. A nanofluidic channel having a defined thickness was formed between the fluid bilayer and a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) slab by attaching the polymeric bilayer and PDMS slab using an adhesion layer composed of silica nanoparticles that are coated with a biocompatible polymer brush. As we reconstituted rhodopsin (Rh), a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), from a detergent-solubilized state into the fluid bilayer, only successfully reconstituted Rh molecules diffused laterally in the lipid bilayer and migrated into the nanogap junction, where they could be observed with a vastly improved signal-to-background ratio. The nanogap junction effectively separates the sites of reconstitution and observation and provides a novel platform for studying the molecular properties and functions of membrane proteins at the single-molecular level.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Lipid Bilayers*
  • Membrane Proteins*
  • Membranes / metabolism
  • Polymerization
  • Polymers
  • Rhodopsin / metabolism

Substances

  • Lipid Bilayers
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Polymers
  • Rhodopsin