Experimental Investigations on the Conductance of Lipid Membranes under Differential Hydrostatic Pressure
The unassisted transport of inorganic ions through lipid membranes has become increasingly relevant to an expansive range of biological phenomena. Recent simulations indicate a strong influence of a lipid membrane’s curvature on its permeability, which may be part of the overall cell sensitivity to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Membranes |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/12/5/479 |
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| author | Rose Whiting Pangaea W. Finn Andrew Bogard Fulton McKinney Dallin Pankratz Aviana R. Smith Elen A. Gardner Daniel Fologea |
| author_facet | Rose Whiting Pangaea W. Finn Andrew Bogard Fulton McKinney Dallin Pankratz Aviana R. Smith Elen A. Gardner Daniel Fologea |
| author_sort | Rose Whiting |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The unassisted transport of inorganic ions through lipid membranes has become increasingly relevant to an expansive range of biological phenomena. Recent simulations indicate a strong influence of a lipid membrane’s curvature on its permeability, which may be part of the overall cell sensitivity to mechanical stimulation. However, most ionic permeability experiments employ a flat, uncurved lipid membrane, which disregards the physiological relevance of curvature on such investigations. To fill this gap in our knowledge, we adapted a traditional experimental system consisting of a planar lipid membrane, which we exposed to a controlled, differential hydrostatic pressure. Our electrophysiology experiments indicate a strong correlation between the changes in membrane geometry elicited by the application of pressure, as inferred from capacitance measurements, and the resulting conductance. Our experiments also confirmed the well-established influence of cholesterol addition to lipid membranes in adjusting their mechanical properties and overall permeability. Therefore, the proposed experimental system may prove useful for a better understanding of the intricate connections between membrane mechanics and adjustments of cellular functionalities upon mechanical stimulation, as well as for confirmation of predictions made by simulations and theoretical modeling. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:27:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c0c05eda6cfe4e0ab6cc9ed000b43079 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0375 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:27:19Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Membranes |
| spelling | doaj.art-c0c05eda6cfe4e0ab6cc9ed000b430792023-11-23T12:05:21ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752022-04-0112547910.3390/membranes12050479Experimental Investigations on the Conductance of Lipid Membranes under Differential Hydrostatic PressureRose Whiting0Pangaea W. Finn1Andrew Bogard2Fulton McKinney3Dallin Pankratz4Aviana R. Smith5Elen A. Gardner6Daniel Fologea7Department of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USADepartment of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USADepartment of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USADepartment of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USADepartment of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USADepartment of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USADepartment of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USADepartment of Physics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, USAThe unassisted transport of inorganic ions through lipid membranes has become increasingly relevant to an expansive range of biological phenomena. Recent simulations indicate a strong influence of a lipid membrane’s curvature on its permeability, which may be part of the overall cell sensitivity to mechanical stimulation. However, most ionic permeability experiments employ a flat, uncurved lipid membrane, which disregards the physiological relevance of curvature on such investigations. To fill this gap in our knowledge, we adapted a traditional experimental system consisting of a planar lipid membrane, which we exposed to a controlled, differential hydrostatic pressure. Our electrophysiology experiments indicate a strong correlation between the changes in membrane geometry elicited by the application of pressure, as inferred from capacitance measurements, and the resulting conductance. Our experiments also confirmed the well-established influence of cholesterol addition to lipid membranes in adjusting their mechanical properties and overall permeability. Therefore, the proposed experimental system may prove useful for a better understanding of the intricate connections between membrane mechanics and adjustments of cellular functionalities upon mechanical stimulation, as well as for confirmation of predictions made by simulations and theoretical modeling.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/12/5/479bilayer lipid membraneconductancecurvaturepressureelectrophysiology |
| spellingShingle | Rose Whiting Pangaea W. Finn Andrew Bogard Fulton McKinney Dallin Pankratz Aviana R. Smith Elen A. Gardner Daniel Fologea Experimental Investigations on the Conductance of Lipid Membranes under Differential Hydrostatic Pressure Membranes bilayer lipid membrane conductance curvature pressure electrophysiology |
| title | Experimental Investigations on the Conductance of Lipid Membranes under Differential Hydrostatic Pressure |
| title_full | Experimental Investigations on the Conductance of Lipid Membranes under Differential Hydrostatic Pressure |
| title_fullStr | Experimental Investigations on the Conductance of Lipid Membranes under Differential Hydrostatic Pressure |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experimental Investigations on the Conductance of Lipid Membranes under Differential Hydrostatic Pressure |
| title_short | Experimental Investigations on the Conductance of Lipid Membranes under Differential Hydrostatic Pressure |
| title_sort | experimental investigations on the conductance of lipid membranes under differential hydrostatic pressure |
| topic | bilayer lipid membrane conductance curvature pressure electrophysiology |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/12/5/479 |
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