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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 2: Membranes and Vesicles I
BP 2.5: Talk
Monday, March 18, 2024, 10:30–10:45, H 2032
Mechanical properties of pure protein membranes made from fungal hydrophobins — •Kirstin Kochems1, Friederike Nolle1, Hendrik Hähl1, Michael Lienemann2, and Karin Jacobs1 — 1Department of Experimental Physics & Center for Biophysics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany — 2VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., Espoo, Finland
As strongly amphiphilic proteins, fungal hydrophobins are known to self-assemble at water-interfaces into stable monolayer films. Contacting of two formed monolayers results in stable bilayers, that can be studied in a microfluidic surrounding or via atomic force microscopy (AFM)[1].
By transferring monolayer films from the water-air interface to perforated substrates, we can use force spectroscopy indentation measurements to examine the mechanical properties of pore-spanning hydrophobin mono- and bilayers. We find that the hydrophobin layers show a high stability and a higher Young's modulus in comparison with phospholipid membranes.
[1] Hähl, H. et al., Adv. Mater 29, 1602888 (2017).
Keywords: hydrophobin; membrane; bilayer; nanoindentation; Young's modulus