title: Phase separation in lipid bilayer membranes induced by intermixing at a boundary of two phases with different components.
abstract: We have demonstrated that dynamic phase separation is induced by coalescence of two self-spreading supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) with different components. Coalescence between a phosphocholine/sphingolipid SLB and a phosphocholine/cholesterol one forms raft-like liquid ordered (Lo) domains, which can be observed by fluorescence microscopy at the boundary of two phases. This phase separation process indicates that lipid molecules, such as sphingolipid and cholesterol, are intermixed. When saturated phospholipid is used instead of sphingolipid, small Lo domains are formed. Cholesterol is harder to incorporate with domains of saturated phospholipid than that of sphingolipid. This technique is very useful for observation of lipid-lipid interactions.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5, Tokiwadai, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yokota
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Engineering, Yokohama National University, 79-5, Tokiwadai, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan; CREST, JST, Japan. Electronic address: togino@ynu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogino
mesh_terms: D015060:1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine / Q000737:chemistry; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000737:chemistry; D005997:Glycerylphosphorylcholine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D010767:Phosphorylcholine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry; D013110:Sphingosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; C005356:sphingosine phosphorylcholine; D010767:Phosphorylcholine; D015060:1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine; D005997:Glycerylphosphorylcholine; D002784:Cholesterol; C017251:1,2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine; D013110:Sphingosine
keywords: Cholesterol; L(o) (raft-like) domains; Phase separation; Self-spreading lipid membranes; Supported lipid bilayers