Regensburg 2019 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 12: Poster II

BP 12.37: Poster

Tuesday, April 2, 2019, 14:00–16:00, Poster B2

A Biomimetic Model to Probe Adhesion Induced Lipid Membrane Properties — •Philipp Pauli and Cornelia Monzel — Experimental Medical Physics, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany

Adhesion plays an important role in the biological functions of cells influencing signalling, cell migration, or the building of tissue. The basis of adhesion are the short range attractive forces induced by biological molecules like cadherins or integrins. Using giant unilamellar vesicles (GUV), it is possible to mimic the envelope of a cell - namely the plasma membrane - and to decipher physical mechanisms underlying cell adhesion. As biomimetic model system, GUVs lack the complex structures of cells and enable quantification of designated membrane properties.

Utilizing the biotin-neutravidin binding between a substrate and a vesicle, we investigate the adhesion strength relative to a variable number of adhesive bonds by calculating the contact angle between the surface and the vesicle. The contact angle information is measured via microinterferometry. Moreover, using a ternary mixture of lipids, we study the effect of adhesion on the formation of liquid domains using fluorescence microscopy. Thus, a model system is developed to probe how variable adhesive linker densities affect lipid organization in the membrane.