Controlled delivery of proteins into bilayer lipid membranes on chip

Zagnoni, Michele and Sandison, Mairi E. and Marius, Phedra and Lee, Anthony G. and Morgan, Hywel (2007) Controlled delivery of proteins into bilayer lipid membranes on chip. Lab on a Chip, 7 (9). 1176 -1183. ISSN 1473-0197

Abstract

The study and the exploitation of membrane proteins for drug screening applications requires a controllable and reliable method for their delivery into an artificial suspended membrane platform based on lab-on-a-chip technology. In this work, a polymeric device for forming lipid bilayers suitable for electrophysiology studies and biosensor applications is presented. The chip supports a single bilayer and is configured for controlled protein delivery through on-chip microfluidics. In order to demonstrate the principle of protein delivery, the potassium channel KcsA was reconstituted into proteoliposomes, which were then fused with the suspended bilayer on-chip. Fusion of single proteoliposomes with the membrane was identified electrically. Single channel conductance measurements of KcsA in the on-chip bilayer were recorded and these were compared to previously published data obtained with a conventional planar bilayer system.

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