title: Membrane tubulation from giant lipid vesicles in alternating electric fields.
abstract: We report on the formation of tubular membrane protrusions from giant unilamellar vesicles in alternating electric fields. The construction of the experimental chamber permitted the application of external AC fields with strength of dozens of V/mm and kHz frequency during relatively long time periods (several minutes). Besides the vesicle electrodeformation from quasispherical to prolate ellipsoidal shape, the formation of long tubular membrane protrusions with length of up to several vesicle diameters, arising from the vesicular surface in the field direction, was registered and analyzed. The threshold electric field at which the electro-induced protrusions appeared was lower than the field strengths inducing membrane electroporation.
authors: Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tzarigradsko chaussee, Sofia 1784, Bulgaria.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Antonova
authors: Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tzarigradsko chaussee, Sofia 1784, Bulgaria.
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Vitkova
authors: Laboratoire de Physique des Systèmes Complexes, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 33 rue Saint Leu, 80039 Amiens, France.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Meyer
mesh_terms: D004548:Elasticity; D055590:Electromagnetic Phenomena; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D008954:Models, Biological; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000737:chemistry; D013499:Surface Properties; D053835:Unilamellar Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D053835:Unilamellar Liposomes; C027891:1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine