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Phase behavior of lipid mixtures - PubMed

Review

Phase behavior of lipid mixtures

Gerald W Feigenson. Nat Chem Biol. 2006 Nov.

Abstract

Biological membranes are two-dimensional mixtures of an enormous number of different components. Modeling cell membranes as simple bilayer mixtures reveals rich phase behavior, but how can we use the observed phase behavior to understand the real membranes?

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1

Structures of probes and lipid components used for phase studies. (a) Bodipy-PC. (b) C20:0-DiI. (c) DSPC. (d) DOPC. (e) Cholesterol.

Figure 2
Figure 2

Bilayer mixtures of DSPC/DOPC/cholesterol at 23 °C show rich phase behavior. (a) Cartoons represent the four phase types found for this mixture. Lα is fluid and disordered; Lβ is rigid and ordered; Lβ is rigid and ordered, having tilted acyl chains; Lo is fluid and ordered. (b) The phase diagram shows four regions of two-phase coexistence, {Lα + Lβ}, {Lo + Lβ}, {Lα + Lo} and {Lo + crystals of cholesterol monohydrate}. There is one region of three-phase coexistence, {Lα + Lβ + Lo}.

Figure 3
Figure 3

Confocal fluorescence microscopy of giant unilamellar vesicles, labeled with fluorescent dyes (Fig. 1a), clearly reveals phase coexistence. (a) Schematic illustration of the GUV sample. The GUV is surrounded inside and out by an aqueous phase. (b) Images of phase behavior of GUVs of DSPC/DOPC/cholesterol of four mole ratios (clockwise starting from the top left) 50:36:14, 66:12:22, 20:52:28 and 42:19:39.

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