Controlled delivery of proteins into bilayer lipid membranes on chip

Lab Chip. 2007 Sep;7(9):1176-83. doi: 10.1039/b703818f. Epub 2007 Jun 27.

Abstract

The study and the exploitation of membrane proteins for drug screening applications requires a controllable and reliable method for their delivery into an artificial suspended membrane platform based on lab-on-a-chip technology. In this work, a polymeric device for forming lipid bilayers suitable for electrophysiology studies and biosensor applications is presented. The chip supports a single bilayer and is configured for controlled protein delivery through on-chip microfluidics. In order to demonstrate the principle of protein delivery, the potassium channel KcsA was reconstituted into proteoliposomes, which were then fused with the suspended bilayer on-chip. Fusion of single proteoliposomes with the membrane was identified electrically. Single channel conductance measurements of KcsA in the on-chip bilayer were recorded and these were compared to previously published data obtained with a conventional planar bilayer system.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adsorption
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry*
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Lipid Bilayers / chemistry*
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / instrumentation*
  • Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / methods
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry
  • Nanoparticles / ultrastructure
  • Particle Size
  • Potassium Channels / chemistry*
  • Protein Array Analysis / instrumentation*
  • Protein Array Analysis / methods
  • Protein Binding

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Lipid Bilayers
  • Potassium Channels
  • prokaryotic potassium channel