A method for observing cross-sectional views of biomembranes.
Cross-sectional views of intact biomembranes and synthetic lipid bilayer membranes were observed by electron cryomicroscopy using spontaneous orientation of disk-shaped membranes; purple membrane, thylakoid membrane, synthetic phospholipid membrane and a microcrystalline sheet made of Er-binding polypeptide were observed. The membranes were observed fully hydrated, embedded in vitreous ice, and their self-orientation was most probably caused by repulsion between their hydrophobic edges and their hydrophilic environment which forced their edges to be exposed to the air-water interface. The cross-sectional profiles of the native biomembranes were asymmetric and characteristic, whilst those of the synthetic membranes were symmetric and predictable by a simple model. Simple Fourier analysis showed that the cross-sectional images retained structural information up to a medium resolution.
Sakata
K
K
Protein Engineering Research Institute, Osaka, Japan.
Tahara
Y
Y
Morikawa
K
K
Fujiyoshi
Y
Y
Kimura
Y
Y
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D019617:Halobacterium salinarum / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008081:Liposomes; D008854:Microscopy, Electron / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010944:Plants / Q000648:ultrastructure
D008081:Liposomes