title: Automated formation of lipid membrane microarrays for ionic single-molecule sensing with protein nanopores.
abstract: Efficient use of membrane protein nanopores in ionic single-molecule sensing requires technology for the reliable formation of suspended molecular membranes densely arrayed in formats that allow high-resolution electrical recording. Here, automated formation of bimolecular lipid layers is shown using a simple process where a poly(tetrafluoroethylene)-coated magnetic bar is remotely actuated to perform a turning motion, thereby spreading phospholipid in organic solvent on a nonpolar surface containing a <1 mm(2) 4 × 4 array of apertures with embedded microelectrodes (microelectrode cavity array). Parallel and high-resolution single-molecule detection by single nanopores is demonstrated on the resulting bilayer arrays, which are shown to form by a classical but very rapid self-assembly process. The technique provides a robust and scalable solution for the problem of reliable, automated formation of multiple independent lipid bilayers in a dense microarray format, while preserving the favorable electrical properties of the microelectrode cavity array.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Membrane Physiology and -Technology, Department of Physiology, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 7, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Juan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: del Rio Martinez
authors.forename: Ekaterina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zaitseva
authors.forename: Sönke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baaken
authors.forename: Jan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Behrends
mesh_terms: D001331:Automation; D004560:Electricity; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D007477:Ions; D007700:Kinetics; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D046228:Microarray Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D008839:Microelectrodes; D058608:Nanopores
chemical_list: D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D007477:Ions; D008051:Lipid Bilayers
keywords: bilayers; electrophysiology; membranes; microarray; nanopores; phospholipid membranes