title: Neutron Reflectivity as a Tool for Physics-Based Studies of Model Bacterial Membranes.
abstract: The principles of neutron reflectivity and its application as a tool to provide structural information at the (sub-) molecular unit length scale from models for bacterial membranes are described. The model membranes can take the form of a monolayer for a single leaflet spread at the air/water interface, or bilayers of increasing complexity at the solid/liquid interface. Solid-supported bilayers constrain the bilayer to 2D but can be used to characterize interactions with antimicrobial peptides and benchmark high throughput lab-based techniques. Floating bilayers allow for membrane fluctuations, making the phase behaviour more representative of native membranes. Bilayers of varying levels of compositional accuracy can now be constructed, facilitating studies with aims that range from characterizing the fundamental physical interactions, through to the characterization of accurate mimetics for the inner and outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria. Studies of the interactions of antimicrobial peptides with monolayer and bilayer models for the inner and outer membranes have revealed information about the molecular control of the outer membrane permeability, and the mode of interaction of antimicrobials with both inner and outer membranes.
authors.affiliation: Institut Laue-Langevin, 71 Avenue Des Martyrs, CS 20156, 38042, Grenoble Cedex 9, France.|School of Science and Engineering, University of Dundee, James Clerk Maxwell Building, The King's Buildings, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Dundee, DD1 4HN, UK.
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Barker
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, The King's Buildings, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, Scotland.
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: McKinley
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, The King's Buildings, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, Scotland. simon.titmuss@ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Titmuss
mesh_terms: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D001419:Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009502:Neutrons; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D008565:Membrane Proteins
keywords: Antimicrobial; Biomimetic; Lipid membrane; Lipopolysaccharide; Neutron reflectivity; Structure