title: Rapid preparation of giant unilamellar vesicles.
abstract: We report here a rapid evaporation method that produces in high yield giant unilamellar vesicles up to 50 microns in diameter. The vesicles are obtained after only 2 min and can be prepared from different phospholipids, including L-alpha-phosphatidylcholine (lecithin), dipalmitoleoyl L-alpha-phosphatidylcholine, and beta-arachidonoyl gamma-palmitoyl L-alpha-phosphatidylcholine. Vesicles can be produced in distilled water and in Hepes, phosphate, and borate buffers in the pH range of 7.0 to 11.5 with ionic strengths up to 50 mM. The short preparation time allows encapsulation of labile molecular targets or enzymes with high catalytic activities. Cell-sized proteoliposomes have been prepared in which gamma-glutamyltransferase (EC 2.3.2.2) was functionally incorporated into the membrane wall.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, California 94305-5080, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moscho
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Orwar
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: B P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Modi
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Zare
mesh_terms: D004355:Drug Stability; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008081:Liposomes / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D011510:Proteolipids; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008081:Liposomes; D010743:Phospholipids; D011510:Proteolipids; C020485:proteoliposomes; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase